The Battle for Long Island has never felt this big. The Hofstra University men’s basketball team, seeded No. 3 in the Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) tournament, will collide with the No. 7 seed Stony Brook University Seawolves for the third time this season on Monday, March 11.
In this season’s previous meetings, the Pride took care of business by going 2-0 in two highly contested matchups. Hofstra took home a 6-point win at Stony Brook on Jan. 22, before a dramatic 72-71 victory via a game-winning shot by CAA Player of the Year, Tyler Thomas on Feb 1.
The quarterfinals of the CAA tournament saw Hofstra comfortably beat the University of Delaware 73-58 in the nightcap. Defense was the name of the game, as the Pride disrupted all areas of the court, forcing 15 turnovers. Three players accounted for two or more steals.
However, the game of the day occurred just prior to Hofstra’s contest with Delaware, as Stony Brook overcame a 13-point deficit and clawed their way back against the No. 2 seed Drexel University, pulling out an improbable double-overtime victory.
Stony Brook, playing a mostly clean game throughout, only committed six turnovers, with seniors Aaron Clarke and Chris Maidoh combining for 37 attempted shots.
Maidoh was a beast in the paint, putting up a near-double-double with 25 points and nine rebounds. He set up real estate down low, rattling the rim numerous times with show-stopping dunks. For comparison, coming into the game, Maidoh averaged only 7.1 PPG, good for an 18-point difference.
Clarke led the Seawolves in scoring with 27 points on 11-20 shooting. He also got his teammates involved with four assists and only turned the ball over once.
In Hofstra’s win, Darlinstone “Dstone” Dubar made the Entertainment & Sports Arena his home, pouring in 23 points, 11 rebounds, three steals and two blocks as well as shooting an efficient 9-11 from the field.
Dubar has excelled in his two matchups with Stony Brook, averaging 20 points and nine rebounds per game, including a 30-point outing in their January matchup.
The defensive supernova, Jaquan Carlos, also had a performance to remember, stuffing the stat sheet with 18 points, five rebounds, five assists and two steals.
“When you got two 20-point scorers like [Dubar] and [Thomas], they’re gonna open the game up for me, so shoutout to those guys because they score the ball and I just get open clean shots,” Carlos said.
Thomas, while shooting an unfamiliar 6-22 from the floor, still reached 20 points in the win.
A major key in this game will be Stony Brook’s ability to pass the ball for easy baskets, as the Seawolves rank in the 300s in assists per game. If they can break through Hofstra’s perimeter attack on defense and get the ball moving, then Stony Brook has a strong shot at knocking out their in-state rival.
The winner of this semifinal will head to the championship game where a trip to the NCAA Tournament will be on the line. The first semifinal pits the No. 1 seed College of Charleston and the No. 5 seed Towson University.
Tip-off from Washington, D.C. is tentatively set for 8:30 p.m. and can be watched live on CBS Sports Network.
Photo courtesy of Michelle Rabinovich/Hofstra Chronicle
