The Hofstra men’s basketball team lost a road matchup to Stony Brook 79-62 on Wednesday, Dec. 8, ending its four-game win streak. The Pride currently sits at an even 5-5 record after a streaky start to its season. After winning four straight, Hofstra was defeated by 17 in the battle of Long Island.

Hofstra and Stony Brook started the first half trading shots as five minutes into the game, the score was tied at 14 apiece. Hofstra would go on to take a 24-18 point lead, sparked by a three from Jalen Ray. The Pride took control of the lead for most of the first half and brought a 35-32 lead at halftime.

Stony Brook did not go down without a fight as they began the battle back early in the second half, eventually tying the game at 42 apiece with 15 minutes to go. The Seawolves bench played a huge part in the game as they outscored Hofstra’s 24-13. From that point on it was all Stony Brook, as they would go on a 16-6 run to make it a ten-point lead with 10 minutes remaining in the game.

The Pride was unable to battle back as they seemed to have no answer for the Seawolves’ Jahlil Jenkins. The graduate guard finished with 24 points, four rebounds and three assists, as he was able to lead his team to a second-half comeback. From that point on, Hofstra was unable to gain any rhythm as the deficit grew.

“Tough loss,” said head coach Craig “Speedy” Claxton about his team after the loss. “It’s going to be tough to beat anybody when you come out and shoot the basketball like that.” Claxton was understandably upset with his team’s shooting performance as they shot a poor 39.7% from the field.

Claxton also had this to say when asked about his team’s lackadaisical play on defense in the second half, “I don’t know, we just didn’t have it tonight on either end.” It was a game that the Pride would like to forget about sooner rather than later.

Hofstra, now in the middle of the pack in terms of CAA rankings, will have a break before their next task against No. 12 ranked Arkansas team on Saturday, Dec. 18, at 8 p.m.

Photo courtesy of Evan Bernstein/The Hofstra Chronicle