The Hofstra University men’s basketball team has hit rock bottom, suffering their fifth straight loss in what has become the toughest stretch of the season. Hampton University dismantled Hofstra on Saturday, Feb. 15, handing them a blowout 67-49 defeat. With another loss, the Pride continued their freefall in the Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) standings, now sitting in 12th place with a 4-10 conference record.
From the opening tip, the Pride’s offense was completely out of sync, and they struggled to generate any rhythm. Hofstra shot a paltry 23% from the field in the first half, but their biggest struggles came from beyond the arc, where they managed to sink just one 3-pointer on nine attempts. Their inability to find the bottom of the net left the Pride desperately relying on their defense to keep them afloat.
Hofstra’s defense had no answers for Hampton, who played a first half that was the complete opposite of the Pride’s. The Pirates were firing on all cylinders, shooting a solid 40% from the field. Their biggest X-factor came from beyond the arc, where they were red-hot, knocking down five 3-pointers on just 11 attempts.
The Pride limped into halftime, facing a daunting 35-16 deficit. The 16-point total at the halfway point marked Hofstra’s lowest first-half scoring performance all year.
Hofstra guard Cruz Davis, the team’s standout performer all season, suffered a nightmarish game. Davis scored just four points – a season low – on a rough 2-12 shooting night. To make matters worse, his struggles culminated in , as he ultimately fouled out of the game.
Despite logging the most minutes for Hofstra on Saturday, guard Jean Aranguren struggled to put together an efficient performance. A key contributor for the Pride this season, Aranguren shot just 4-14 from the field and missed all four of his attempts from beyond the arc. He finished with 10 points – nearly five below his season average.
In one of the game’s few bright spots, the Pride got a strong spark off the bench from Jaquan Sanders, who led the team in scoring with 12 points on an efficient 60% shooting. Sanders also contributed four assists, rounding out an impressive individual performance on an otherwise tough night for Hofstra.
The Hampton offense was powered by a three-headed monster in Wayne Bristol Jr., Noah Farrakhan and George Beale Jr., each delivering double-digit performances. Bristol led the charge with 16 points off the bench. Farrakhan added 14 points and two steals, and Beale rounded out the trio’s strong show with 11 points and four rebounds.
With only four games left in the season, the Pride will play two at home and two on the road. They face the bottom two teams in the CAA during this stretch, hoping to salvage what’s left of their season.
Hofstra is desperate to snap their five-game losing streak, and they had a chance to do so at their next game against Monmouth University on Thursday, Feb. 20.
