xThe Hofstra University men’s basketball team inched closer to a conference title as they beat the University of Delaware Fightin’ Blue Hens 73-58 in the quarterfinals of the Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) tournament. With the win, Hofstra reaches their second straight semifinal appearance.
“Good job by the team tonight,” said Hofstra head coach Speedy Claxton. “We were really good on the defensive end and kind of let our defense carry our offense. When you’re in these types of tournaments, these types of situations, your offense is gonna come and go. You want your defense to remain the same and you know that old saying; offense wins games, defense wins championships.”
Much of the first half was marked by Hofstra’s relentless attempts at disrupting the passing lanes. With Delaware’s Gerald Drumgoole Jr. lighting it up early with 13 points on 5-7 shooting, point guard Jaquan Carlos and CAA Player of the Year Tyler Thomas jumped to the ball to create easy possessions for the Pride. Carlos and Thomas each had two steals after 20 minutes.
Carlos also led Hofstra on offense with 12 points on 4-7 shooting. Thomas, despite going a mediocre 4-14 from the field, added 10 points to the first-half score.
The Pride closed the half on a 10-0 run, good enough to take a 6-point lead into the locker room 35-29.
“After the first 11 minutes in the game, coach Speedy told us to let our defense carry our offense, and when we guard teams like that and lead them under 60,” Carlos said. “Our last like eight wins, all of them were under 60, so that needs to be the goal for us in order to win three games in this tournament.”
The second half was all Hofstra. Not only did the defense have nonstop green lights, but Darlinstone “Dstone” Dubar played a half to remember, with 14 points in the second half alone.
Dubar knocked down the door in the opening moments, going on a personal 7-0 run before a Delaware timeout. Dubar finished the night with a double-double performance of 23 points and 11 rebounds.
The Fightin’ Blue Hens were plagued by turnovers, giving up the ball 15 times, most of which came in the final 20 minutes of play. Comparatively, Hofstra only committed six turnovers.
“That was one of the keys to the game, to value the basketball,” Claxton said. “We’re a really good team when we get shots on the goal. I believe we lead the league in field goal percentage, so when we get shots up, more than likely we’re gonna make those shots, so we don’t want to have a high turnover game, ever.”
Drumgoole Jr. led Delaware in scoring with 23 points on a 9-17 clip from the field, and All-CAA Second Teamer Jyáre Davis finished with 13 points and four rebounds.
Carlos, the CAA All-Defensive player, ended up with another stat-stuffing performance, scoring 18 points, five rebounds and five assists, with only one turnover to show for it.
Despite the win, the Pride struggled to connect from downtown, going 5-18 as a team, good for 27.8%. Delaware capped off the night shooting 30.4% from 3-point range.
Hofstra will now turn its attention to a Battle for Long Island matchup that means more than ever before. The Stony Brook University Seawolves pulled off a dramatic double-overtime upset win over the No. 2 seed Drexel University Dragons to reach the semifinals.
“Stony Brook is a well-coached team,” Claxton said. “They’re older, they’re experienced. We know we’re going to have our work cut out for us. We had two really close games in the regular season, so we know what’s coming up for us.”
Photo courtesy of Michelle Rabinovich/Hofstra Chronicle
