Tyler Thomas made an excellent first impression in his home debut for the Hofstra men’s basketball team by leading the Pride to an 83-78 victory over Iona University in the team’s home opener in front of a packed house at the David S. Mack Sports and Exhibition Complex on Friday Nov. 11.
“It was an electric crowd,” Thomas said. “They were screaming for big shots and disrupting people’s free throws. It was great.”
Thomas, in his first year at Hofstra after transferring from Sacred Heart University, led all scorers with 26 points in the contest, shooting 9-14 from the field and 6-10 from three-point range.
“I felt pretty confident,” Thomas said. “My teammates believed in me, my coach believed in me, so [I] got to step up and make some shots.”
Hofstra, as a team, was an efficient 14-29 from beyond the arc. On top of Thomas’s contributions, Darlinstone Dubar added three 3-pointers, while Jaquan Carlos and German Plotnikov each had two.
As for Aaron Estrada, the Colonial Athletic Association preseason player of the year, he was held to a quiet 10 points and shot just 3-10 from the field after coming off a 27-point performance last time out against Princeton University.
“Obviously, Iona’s gameplan was to stop Estrada,” said Hofstra head coach Speedy Claxton. “They put their best defender on him, but other guys stepped up, and we’re going to need that because teams are going to try to key in on Aaron every night.”
Now 2-0 to start his second year at the helm of the Pride, Claxton is looking for his team to build upon a pair of tough wins to begin this season.
“It’s huge,” Claxton said. “All of our non-conference games seem to be 50-50 games, so to get off to a 2-0 start is a good feeling.”
The Pride will host George Washington University on Monday , Nov. 14, in their last game at the Mack before playing nine straight games away from home over the next several weeks. A lot could change for Hofstra between now and then, but based on what he witnessed Friday night, Iona head coach Rick Pitino sees a bright future ahead for Claxton and the Pride.
“I think they’re going to have a terrific team,” Pitino said. “I wish them nothing but the best. Speedy’s got a big fan in me, and I’ll be rooting for him. I hope they have a great season.”
Photo Courtesy of Lee Weissman/Hofstra Athletics
