By Brian Bohl
After posting one of the season’s best defensive performances, Tom Pecora decried that the effort would mean little if his Hofstra team didn’t duplicate the effort for the stretch run.
Despite the warnings, consistency continued to elude the Pride. With the CAA tournament three weeks away, Pecora could only watch as Northeastern built a 10-point lead and staved off a furious second-half comeback attempt during a 62-53 loss to the Huskies on Wednesday night.
Antoine Agudio was held to just 13 points on 5-16 shooting from the floor. The senior guard’s production was nine points off his season average. Agudio was 0-7 from beyond the three-point line, representing the dichotomy of his 32-point effort in last month’s win at Northeastern. It was also just the second time in the past seven contests that Agudio scored fewer than 20 points.
“We cut it close, but we couldn’t play catch-up the whole game,” Agudio said. “They did a much better job double-teaming me in the corner and forced me to pass out. We couldn’t hit shots tonight.”
To salvage the season, Hofstra (8-16, 5-9 CAA) will need to win four straight games to pull a major upset and capture the conference championship during next month’s tournament in Richmond, Va. But that task becomes more daunting considering the Pride hasn’t posted more than two wins in a row this season.
Four days after surrendering a season-low 45 points in a win over Georgia State, the Pride’s zone defense struggled to contain Matt Janning. The sophomore guard poured in a game-high 19 points. Overall, the Huskies shot just 34.5 percent from the field though never trailed.
Hofstra also curbed its penchant for turnovers by committing just 10. Pecora laughed when asked about those numbers, suggesting that most nights it’s good enough to win.
“Our defensive field goal percentage was outstanding but we couldn’t be much flatter offensively,” Pecora said. “We didn’t play with as great of a purpose offensively as we’ve had been. We weren’t able to beat them up on the offensive boards which I thought we would be able to do and get some baskets that way.”
Charles Jenkins (14 points) and Darren Townes (12 points) couldn’t help compensate for Agudio’s off-night. Northeastern now leads Hofstra by three games in the CAA standings with five regular season games remaining.
Northeastern never trailed en route to building a double-digit edge. The Pride kept chipping away, climbing to within one point following Nathaniel Lester’s layup that cut the deficit to 44-43 midway through the second half.
The Huskies extended their lead to three with 2:02 remaining. Agudio couldn’t convert on a the potential game-tying shot, watching as his three-point attempt bounced off the rim’s left side. Jenkins grabbed the rebound to keep the possession alive before Townes lost control of the ball near the basket.
Nkem Ojougboh was fouled and hit two free throws to build a 54-49 lead. Agudio once again failed to generate offense the next possession.
Chaisson Allen, one of four Huskies to score in double figures, stripped the Huntington Station product for another steal. Ojougboh was fouled again and hit one of two free throws to make it 55-49, sealing Northeastern’s victory.
“Every game in February is about positioning. It’s all about seeding,” Pecora said about his ninth-place team. “I still think we can get ourselves into the sixth spot. We missed a golden opportunity tonight at home.
“It wasn’t a huge crowd here, but it was a home game. You can’t give those away.”
Notes: The attendance was 1,893 as the Pride fell to 6-5 at home. Pecora said the inclement weather might have impacted the crowd…Agudio’s career point total now stands at 2,131. He is 17 points behind former teammate Loren Stokes for the second spot and 91 behind Steve Nisenson’s Hofstra record…The next game is Feb. 16 at James Madison.