One step forward, another step back was the name of the dance for the Hofstra University men’s basketball team on Thursday, Jan. 11, as the Pride fell to 1-2 in Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) play with a 71-68 defeat at the hands of the Northeastern University Huskies. The defeat proved to be an alarming one for the Pride, who have now lost four of five games and hold a losing record in CAA play for the first time since 2021. 

“It’s about the respect factor; you try to tell these kids that they have to respect everyone they play, no matter their record,” said Hofstra head coach Speedy Claxton. “We did not respect Northeastern for whatever reason … we didn’t come out with any life or energy.”

The common denominator throughout Hofstra’s recent cold stretch has been slow starts, and Thursday night was no different, as the Pride surrendered a 60% mark from the field en route to a 42-23 halftime deficit.

“We lost this game in the first half with the way we came out and started the game,” Claxton said. “You can’t spot a team 19 points at halftime and expect to win.”

The Pride came out of the locker room scorching hot following their worst half of the season, opening the frame on a 20-5 run that saw them whittle the Northeastern lead down to 5. Hofstra’s second half resurgence was led by Tyler Thomas, who racked up 26 of his 32 points in the second stanza courtesy of five 3-pointers. 

“Tyler’s a great player, but he needs to start the game out like that,” Claxton said. “We can’t get down double-digit points before he decides he wants to play.”

Thomas put the Pride in front for the first time in over 36 minutes with 2:33 to play, but Northeastern quickly reclaimed the advantage on the ensuing possession. Hofstra went ice cold down the stretch, managing just two baskets in the game’s final three minutes. 

The Pride appeared to seize a 70-69 lead with 24 seconds remaining as Bryce Washington converted a quick layup off the inbound from Jaquan Carlos, but a review revealed that the back of Washington’s heel was out of bounds, wiping out the go-ahead bucket. 

The Pride will once again need to have a short memory to stop the bleeding, as they continue their road trip on Saturday, Jan. 13, with their first-ever visit to the Campbell University Fighting Camels. The CAA’s newest members are off to a 1-2 start in league play and have dropped three of their last four games.

With the conference’s regular season champion having lost no more than three games in each of the last three years, the Pride will likely need to play near-perfect basketball the rest of the way in order to repeat as champions.

“It’s a quick turnaround, we’ll watch this film and study it, but it’s going to be a tough travel day tomorrow,” Claxton said. “We have to be prepared because that’s a must-win game for us.”

Photo courtesy of Evan Bernstein