After being forced to sit with a deflating loss for the last six days, the Hofstra men’s basketball team hit the reset button and cruised to a 67-51 victory over Hampton University on Thursday night.
“It was a great road win,” said Hofstra head coach Speedy Claxton. “I’m proud of my guys, they came in and battled. I don’t think we played our greatest game, but the guys stepped up, and our defense was better today.”
Even though Aaron Estrada (20), Tyler Thomas (16), Darlinstone Dubar (13) and Warren Williams (12) all scored double-digit points, the Pride’s defense had the standout performance of the evening, holding the Pirates to shoot less than 30% from both the field and from three-point range the entire night.
“We stayed with our own man,” said Claxton. “Whenever you do [that], you key in on guys more. Then, you really dial in on your personnel. You know what your guy is capable of doing. You know his strengths, you know his weaknesses, and then you can really focus and lock in on him.”
The game began with Hofstra barely maintaining an early lead until going on an 8-0 run that made it a 21-14 game with ten minutes remaining in the first half. Hofstra shot an astounding 50% from beyond the arc in the opening 20 minutes, with Thomas leading the way as nine of his 11 points in the first half came by way of the three.
Coming out of halftime with the Hofstra ahead 39-23, Hampton began to show signs of life with a 12-2 run that cut the lead to single digits. The Pride then began to shift its focus down low, with Williams and Nelson Boachie-Yiadom forming a formidable duo.
“Nelson is more of a passer, and Warren is more of a scorer,” said Claxton. “When Warren is in the game, you want to post him up and go to him as much as possible because he’s a load down there. And when Nelson is in the game, you want to use him in passing situations.”
Hofstra’s performance underneath the rim against Hampton was a welcome sign after struggling in that department for much of this season. The Pride scored 28 points in the paint on Thursday night and out-rebounded their opponents 45-30, with Estrada, Dubar and starting point guard Jaquan Carlos each leading the team with seven boards a piece.
“That was one of the keys to the game,” said Claxton. “We rebounded and boxed out as a team, and everybody pursued the basketball.”
The Pride is now 9-7 overall with a 2-1 record in conference play and will turn their attention to the College of William & Mary on Saturday at 2 pm.
Photo Courtesy of Hofstra Athletics/Neil Miller
