Costly turnovers and streaky shooting doomed the Hofstra University men’s basketball team on Tuesday, Nov. 14, as the Pride dropped a 71-60 decision against the George Washington University Revolutionaries at the Charles E. Smith Center in Washington, D.C. Hofstra fell to 1-2 on the season, while George Washington improved to a perfect 3-0. The loss dropped Hofstra’s record below .500 for the first time since Nov. 16, 2021.

“[It’s] not the outcome we wanted,” said Hofstra head coach Speedy Claxton. “[The Revolutionaries are] a good [Atlantic 10] team on the road, so our margin for error was really small.”

The Pride ultimately succumbed to similar demons from their loss to Princeton University last Friday, as they periodically looked like a cohesive unit on offense but couldn’t put the pieces together for longer than a few minutes at a time. Hofstra used a 9-2 run to take a 53-49 lead with 9:35 to play in the second half but only made three baskets for the remainder of the game.

“We were just moving the ball and playing good team basketball,” Claxton said of his team’s hot stretch. 

With point guard Jaquan Carlos managing just three assists and center Jacco Fritz playing only eight minutes due to foul trouble, Hofstra was forced to veer away from the game plan and facilitate their offense via unconventional means for a majority of the contest. These obstacles ultimately proved too much for the Pride to overcome, as they finished with 15 turnovers as opposed to 12 assists. 

“Jacco got into foul trouble, so we had to play all the guards,” Claxton said. “We really couldn’t run any real offense, we had to manufacture it on the fly.”

The Hofstra offense was once again spearheaded by duo Tyler Thomas and Darlinstone Dubar, who poured in 20 and 17 points, respectively. However, no other member of the Pride managed more than 10 points, further underlining Hofstra’s need for a third scoring option to emerge. 

“We definitely need that third guy, whoever it’s going to be,” Claxton said. “It might be a different guy night in and night out, but we’re going to have to find somebody.” 

The only other Hofstra player to score in double figures was true freshman KiJan Robinson, who continued to impress despite being unfamiliar with “crunchtime” minutes. In his second collegiate appearance, Robinson notched 10 points and a pair of 3-pointers across 24 minutes.

“[Robinson] is a good player; he’s going to be really good,” Claxton said. “He just needs a little time to develop.”

After a much-needed six-day break, Hofstra will travel to Estero, Florida, to take part in the Gulf Coast Showcase. The invitational tournament begins on Monday, Nov. 20, with the Pride set to take on the University at Buffalo Buffalo Bulls at 7:30 p.m. 

Despite a sluggish start to the season and a difficult schedule ahead, Claxton reiterated the need for his team to maintain a positive mindset going forward.

“We just have to stay confident,” Claxton said. “It’s really early in the season, and we will get better as the season goes along.” 

Photo courtesy of Rafael Suanes