In what was truly a monumental day for the Hofstra men’s basketball team, head coach Speedy Claxton and the Pride snapped the nation’s longest winning streak. Hofstra earned their first win over a ranked opponent in 406 days with a heart-pounding 85-81 final score over the 18th-ranked College of Charleston Cougars on Saturday, Jan. 28.
“To come in here and beat a nationally ranked team that has won 20 in a row, it says a lot about our program,” Claxton said. “Tremendous team effort from all our guys.”
Charleston entered Saturday having won 20 straight games and appeared to be firmly in control of the Colonial Athletic Association. Following the upset victory for Hofstra, the race for the conference is now anyone’s to win.
The Pride received double-digit scoring outputs from four players and recorded assists on nearly half of their made field goals.
Fresh off a career-high 40-point performance on Thursday, Aaron Estrada played arguably the most complete game of his Hofstra career with 25 points, seven rebounds and six assists in the win. Although he scored just two points in the second half, Estrada had plenty of help from his teammates, as Darlinstone Dubar poured in 18 points, while Tyler Thomas and Jaquan Carlos added 17 and 15, respectively.
“Estrada carried us in the first half, but Tyler picked up right where he left off. Dubar carried us for a bit, and then JC finished them off,” Claxton said.
The Cougars were paced by Ante Brzovic, who tallied 18 points and eight rebounds while shooting 54% from the field. Charleston’s inability to hit open looks was ultimately their undoing, as their notoriously potent 3-point barrage went ice cold, shooting an abysmal 16% from beyond the arc. Charleston’s starters shot a combined 3-27 from 3-point range in the loss, their worst 3-point output of the season by a wide margin.
Charleston’s win streak wasn’t the only streak to end on Saturday, as the Cougars entered the contest with a flawless 13-0 record on their home court. TD Arena in Charleston, South Carolina, was packed with a sellout crowd of 5,109, but Hofstra was simply unfazed by the noise.
“We can beat anybody, anywhere,” Claxton said. “We knew it was going to be a hostile environment, but these kids live for this. I knew they were gonna be ready.”
Hofstra has broken the conference wide open with Saturday’s win and has moved within one game of first place in the standings. The Pride now holds a 15-8 overall record, including an 8-2 mark in conference play. Claxton was ecstatic about the direction his team appears to be heading, as he offered a message to the rest of the country after Saturday’s marquee win.
“In the words of my man Deion Sanders, we’re coming.”
Photo courtesy of Hofstra Athletics
