The Hofstra Pride men’s basketball team followed its upset win over the University of Arkansas by defeating the Monmouth University Hawks on the road, by a score of 77-71 on Wednesday, Dec. 22. The win gave the Pride its third straight victory and improved its record to 8-5 on the season.

The Pride dominated in the first half, holding a 46-34 lead at halftime. Hofstra led by as many as 18 points with 5:46 left to play, following a layup by Omar Silverio. Guard Jalen Ray led the charge early, scoring 16 points in the first half alone.

“Lights out,” said Hofstra head coach Speedy Claxton. “We’ve got good shooters and they did some things defensively when it was trapping us and once we got out of the trap, we were able to get out and find our shooters. [Ray] always seems to play big against Monmouth and in Monmouth’s gym.”

After the Pride started the second half where it left off, leading by 18 with 11:54 left to play, Monmouth went on a 21-6 run, cutting the deficit to as little as three, with just under three minutes left to go. The Hawks’ comeback fell short however, with the Pride pulling away late to secure the six-point victory.

“They handled that pressure well, I thought Kvonn Cramer came in and made two unbelievable plays, he had a catch and finish at the rim, and then his drop-down pass to Darlinstone Dubar was the game clincher, so we had big minutes from guys off the bench and overall great team effort,” Claxton said.

Forward Walker Miller helped lead the way for the Hawks, scoring 26 points and 6 rebounds on the night. Guard Shavar Reynolds also contributed in a big way, scoring 16 points.

The Pride had three players in double-figures. Ray had 19 on the night, while also bringing down 6 rebounds and getting others involved with 5 assists, playing all 40 minutes of the game. Dubar also played all 40 minutes, contributing 15 points, and Silverio also scored 15 points on the night, as the Pride executed another balanced attack for the win.

Hofstra now looks to continue its hot streak, when it opens conference play on the road, taking on the College of William & Mary on Wednesday, Dec. 29.

Photo courtesy of Evan Bernstein/The Hofstra Chronicle