The Hofstra Pride defeated the Towson University Tigers 74-69 on Sunday, Jan. 25 at the David S. Mack Sports & Exhibition Center. With this win, the Pride went undefeated in their weekend series against the Tigers, as they won the first matchup 71-58 on Saturday.
The Pride entered halftime with a lead of eight points, but the Tigers were not done yet. With 3:20 left in regulation, Towson was within one point of the lead at 66-65. Junior forward Isaac Kante responded to the score by getting things going in the paint, as he got a jump hook to fall. He then fed freshman forward Kvonn Cramer for a bucket to increase Hofstra’s lead to five with 2:12 left to play.
The Tigers still had some fight left in them: After making four consecutive free throws they found themselves down by one again, with the score at 70-69 with 1:20 left on the clock. After the Tigers chose to foul Cramer with 24 seconds left to play, Cramer hit both free throws and made it a three-point game. On Townson’s final possession they turned the ball over for the twelfth time and then fouled to put Coburn, who secured the win for the Pride, at the line.
“These games are about mental toughness,” said Pride head coach Mike Farrelly. “Every game in this league is a grind, every game is going to be a one-possession game. A lot of the games we play are going to be like this one, we need to be ready to go out and grind for every single one of them.”
The impact performer for the Pride was senior guard Tareq Coburn. Coburn tallied 26 points, matching his career-high with seven 3-pointers in the game while shooting 8-of-12 overall. Coburn turned things on early, as 21 of his points came in the first half.
“When somebody goes off like that in the first half, you know that the opposition is not going to leave him, making it hard for Tareq [Coburn] to get as many opportunities as he did in the first,” Farrelly said. “We tried to draw up plays to get him the ball more, but ultimately it was a tough battle for us offensively.”
It was a good showing for the Pride defensively, as they forced Towson to turn the ball over 12 times.
“We felt like we were able to take away Towson’s first couple of options this past weekend,” Farrelly said. “We are doing a lot better at the follow up efforts and getting our guys to the ball. We have been better at bringing good energy, that has to be the standard. With no crowds to go up against and no people cheering we have to bring our own energy.”
Hofstra’s record now sits at 9-6 overall and 5-3 in Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) play. The Pride will look to bring their own energy once again next weekend as they travel to Wilmington, North Carolina to face off against the UNC-Wilmington Seahawks.
Photo Courtesy of Hofstra Athletics
