With a 77-57 home win against the Monmouth University Hawks and a three-game winning streak on Wednesday, Jan. 11, the Hofstra University men’s basketball team awaits the University of Delaware Fightin’ Blue Hens for their season’s second matchup.
Tyler Thomas and Warren Williams laid a beat down on the Hawks, putting up 18 points each. Williams displayed a big man mentality with seven rebounds and two blocks coming off the bench. Aaron Estrada and Jaquan Carlos weren’t far behind with 12 points apiece and a combined five steals.
The defense was the name of the game for Hofstra, with only two Monmouth players scoring in double figures: Tahron Allen and Myler Foster had 13 and 11 points respectively. Hofstra held off the Hawks from the paint, resulting in Monmouth’s failure to shoot above 40% from the field and from the 3-point line.
As for the visiting team, the Fightin’ Blue Hens anchor a 10-7 overall record and a 2-2 record in conference play. In their last game, Delaware dismantled a 10-7 Towson University team 72-59. Senior guard Christian Ray paved the way with 18 points, eight rebounds and two steals. Delaware has planted itself in the middle of the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) pack with a sixth-place standing.
The two teams met earlier this season for Hofstra’s conference game opener on Dec. 29. In that matchup, Hofstra surged past an inconsistent Delaware team behind a stellar performance from Aaron Estrada’s 31 points, four rebounds and two steals in the 87-73 win. Among the Pride’s contributors was Tyler Thomas with 20 points and Jaquon Carlos with a team-high seven rebounds. The Blue Hens contributed 22 and 21 point games from Jameer Nelson Jr. and Jyare Davis, but that wasn’t enough to overhaul the Pride.
“We got to put that last game [against Delaware] behind us; it’s extremely hard to beat a team twice in a short period of time,” said Hofstra head coach Speedy Claxton. “Especially with the way we beat them. We beat them pretty handily, so we can’t take them lightly.”
All eyes are on Delaware’s Nelson Jr., leading the team’s offensive effort with an average of 19.7 points per game compared to Estrada’s 21.1 points per game.
Tip-off is set for 2 p.m. at the David S. Mack Sports & Exhibition Complex. The game will be streamed on FloHoops, while WRHU will carry an audio-only broadcast on the Hofstra Alternative Web Channel. Live stats can be found at GoHofstra.com.
Photo courtesy of Alexis Friedman/Hofstra Chronicle
