The Hofstra University men’s basketball team earned a gritty 62-57 road victory over the Iona University Gaels on Wednesday, Dec. 6, at the Hynes Athletic Center in New Rochelle, New York. The gutsy performance marked Hofstra’s fifth consecutive victory as well as their first true road win of the season.
“That’s a great win on the road. Whenever we win on the road, it’s a big win,” said Hofstra head coach Speedy Claxton. “It wasn’t pretty, but a win’s a win.”
The 62-57 score was quite anomalous for a Hofstra team that has tallied over 80 points in each of their five prior wins, as the Pride quickly found themselves engulfed in their first defensive rock fight of the campaign. Defensive stops and timely free throws propelled Hofstra to victory.
“Sometimes it’s going to be ugly, and sometimes it’s going to be gritty,” said graduate guard Bryce Washington. “That’s what a championship caliber team’s able to do, they’re able to find new ways to win, and I thought we did that tonight.”
On a night where national leading scorer Tyler Thomas managed just eight points on an ice-cold 3-12 mark from the field, his supporting cast had to manufacture a collective effort to pick up the slack. The Pride had three players in double figures, but Jacco Fritz was unquestionably Hofstra’s most impactful player despite contributing just nine points.
Fritz continued to blossom into his role as a versatile stretch five with another all-around performance, pulling down four of his nine rebounds on the offensive end while also notching two assists and three blocks across 34 minutes.
“I think [Fritz] has gotten more comfortable in his role,” Claxton said. “The more comfortable he gets, the better he’s going to be. I think as we get further into the season, you’re going to see a better [Fritz].”
While attempting to navigate a myriad of offensive struggles, the Pride also had to brave the onslaught of Iona head coach Tobin Anderson’s patented full-court press for 40 minutes. The Gaels entered the contest ranked top 25 nationally in steals per game and points off turnovers, forcing Hofstra into their highest turnover total since Nov. 10 with 13 takeaways.
“Iona’s going to be a great team … those guys play hard,” Washington said. “I feel like we handled the press well. There’s obviously certain things we could do better at, but I thought we did a great job down the stretch.”
With Thomas unable to buy a bucket, Claxton and company turned to Jaquan Carlos to make big time shots at pivotal moments down the stretch. Despite adding just 11 points in the win, Carlos ended up putting the game on ice with a pair of crucial 3-pointers in the closing seconds of the shot clock. The junior has added a new dimension to his game this season, seeing his 3-point percentage skyrocket from 32.1% to 40.7% year-over-year.
“[Carlos] adds another element; he’s another guy you have to account for now,” Claxton said. “He put in a lot of work this summer trying to improve that jumper and he has. I have the ultimate confidence in him taking those shots.”
Hofstra has now conquered the first leg of an arduous three-game road trip, set to continue on Saturday, Dec. 9, against the Saint Louis University Billikens at Chaifetz Arena in Saint Louis, Missouri. The Billikens are off to an even 5-5 start to the season, with intent to snap a three-game skid against the Pride at home. Tip-off is set for 3 p.m.
Photo courtesy of Hofstra Athletics/Evan Berstein
