The Pride defeated the Monmouth University Hawks at Ocean First Bank Center, blowing them out by a score of 86-57 on Saturday, Feb. 11.
This win extends the Pride’s winning streak to seven, the longest the team has seen since Jan. 25 to Feb. 20, 2020, when Hofstra won eight straight games.
“Monmouth is a very tough team, you know, hats off to them,” said Hofstra men’s basketball head coach Speedy Claxton. “They were on a four-game win streak, and we didn’t want to come into the game underestimating them or overlooking them. And to my guys’ credit, they didn’t, and we put them away from the start.”
Hofstra is now 19-8 overall on the season with a record of 12-2 in Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) play. The Pride remains tied with the College of Charleston Cougars for first place in the conference. After seeing its four-game winning streak come to an end at home, Monmouth is now 5-21 overall with a record of 4-9 in their first season in the CAA. Hofstra now leads the all-time series between the schools 8-6, sweeping the season series for 2022-23, as well winning the last seven games between the two sides.
Hofstra never trailed Monmouth in this game, scoring the first 10 points in the contest. Darlinstone Dubar led the way with six of those first 10 points. Monmouth got within six points, but this was the closest that they were to making the game competitive. With 12:12 left in the first half, the Pride surged onto the Hawks, going on a four-minute-and-31-second run where the team scored 16 straight points, opening the game to a 28-6 Hofstra lead.
Tyler Thomas had another 20-plus point game, his eighth such game of the season.
“[Thomas] is a first-team all-league guy,” Claxton said. “He is playing at a high, high, high level for us. He’s an extremely hard worker, and his hard work is paying off and it’s showing. He’s in the gym every day, and there’s no secret to his success.”
Dubar finished the game with 14 points, which was good for second on the team. Aaron Estrada added 13 points, seven rebounds and six assists. Jaquan Carlos also played a solid game with six points, eight rebounds and seven assists.
“[Carlos] is our team leader,” Claxton said. “He’s very dependable and liable at this point in the season. We know what we’re going to get from him, and that’s a credit to his hard work.”
For Monmouth, Andrew Ball led the Hawks with 11 points, while Klemen Vuga had 10 points.
Hofstra doesn’t get that long of a break, as the Pride returns home on Monday, Feb. 13, to host the Dragons of Drexel University. Drexel currently boasts a 15-11 overall record, with a 9-5 record in conference action. Tipoff from the David S. Mack Sports and Exhibition Complex is at 7 p.m. and will be streamed live on FloSports.
Photo courtesy of Evan Bernstein
