The Hofstra Pride men’s basketball team is white hot right now and heads into their Saturday night showdown against the Stony Brook University Seawolves with a tenth consecutive win in their sights.
Hofstra’s recent run of dominance has seen them skyrocket to the top of the CAA (Colonial Athletic Association) standings, as the Pride currently holds a 14-2 record in conference play, with their last loss coming over a month ago on Jan. 16. With wins in their final two games, the Pride can lock up the top overall seed in the CAA Tournament, which is set to begin on Mar. 3.
The Pride had their way with Stony Brook in their most recent matchup on Feb. 4, rolling to a 79-58 win in front of a sold-out crowd at the Mack Sports Complex. Hofstra led throughout the entire game and held a double-digit advantage for over 20 minutes. Even more impressively, the Pride did so without their leading scorer and reigning CAA Player of the Year Aaron Estrada, who missed the game due to an illness. Tyler Thomas led the way with a career performance in Estrada’s absence, posting 29 points on 76% shooting in the win.
Hofstra has been an offensive juggernaut since conference play began, ranking first among CAA teams in offensive efficiency, field goal percentage, and turnover margin. The unheralded efforts of Jaquan Carlos play an integral role in Hofstra’s recent offensive dominance, as the sophomore guard is averaging seven rebounds and seven assists in his last five games. Carlos has quickly become the facilitator of Hofstra’s offense and has developed into one of the most efficient guards in college basketball over this winning streak.
Stony Brook desperately needs to manufacture some offense if they have dreams of pulling off an upset on Saturday, as the Seawolves have failed to eclipse 71 points in each of their last six games, going 2-4 in that span. The Seawolves rank dead last among CAA teams in rebounding percentage and turnover rate and make their field goals at the second-lowest rate in the conference.
Tip-off from Island Federal Arena is set for 6:30 p.m. The game will air on SNY and FloHoops, while WRHU will have an audio-only broadcast available on the HAWC. Live stats will be available at GoHofstra.com.
Photo Courtesy of Hofstra Athletics/Lee S. Weissman
