Hofstra heads to Riverdale tonight seeking an important momentum shift before traveling to Florida for the 2016 Gulf Showcase. Hofstra is 1-1 entering tonight’s game vs. the Jaspers, coming off a frustrating 90-86 loss against Sacred Heart, a team that the Pride beat 80-73 last season. Meanwhile, Manhattan sits at the bottom of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) standings at 0-2 with losses against Bucknell and Winthrop.
Hofstra is also undergoing personnel adjustments. With the departures of Juan’ya Green and Ameen Tanksley, the Pride now looks to Deron Powers and Eli Pemberton from deep. Pemberton has shown a great deal of promise in his first two appearances with Hofstra. Averaging 21.5 points per game, he has a chance to come out of the gates scorching hot with three consecutive 20+ point games.

Experienced junior Rokas Gustys should also provide assistance on the glass tonight, he has 33 rebounds after the first two games of the season. Sophomore Desure Buie is seeing more and more playtime as he progresses also. Buie could give the offense a much needed push as well as fit into a sturdy sixth-man role for the Pride.

On the other side of the court, Ball State transfer Zavier Turner is the Jaspers’ leading scorer with 13 points per game. Center Ahmed Ismail leads Manhattan in rebounds per game at 6.5. He’ll likely battle against Gustys tonight in the paint and on the glass. Junior Calvin Crawford could be a threat from deep range, posting a .600 shooting percentage from downtown so far this year.

In addition to a win tonight, Hofstra should look to create a steady offense and avoid miscommunications that lead to mistakes. If the Pride sticks to that, a win should come with no sweat and the team will roll with good momentum down to Florida.