OLEAN, N.Y. — Despite coming back from a 23-point deficit in the second half, the Hofstra Pride men’s basketball team fell to the St. Bonaventure University Bonnies on Saturday, Dec. 19 by a score of 77-69 at the Reilly Center.
Throughout the first half, the Bonnies were able to capitalize on several turnovers, rebounds and a cold-shooting start from the Pride. St. Bonaventure got the upper hand on Hofstra quickly, as they went on a 26-2 run after being down 5-4 early in the contest. After several runs of their own and slightly chipping away at the St. Bonaventure lead, the Pride faced a 15-point deficit as they trailed 28-43 at the end of the first half.
In the first half, the Pride shot 10-for-30 from the floor while going 3-for-15 from behind the 3-point arc. St Bonaventure controlled the boards, outrebounding Hofstra 25-14 in the first half.
In the second half, the Pride further chipped away at the deficit. Senior Jalen Ray, coming off of scoring a career-high of 29 points against Monmouth University, caught fire as he hit five of his six 3-pointers of the day in the second half. He currently sits just one point away from 1,000 in his career with the Pride.
Ray’s sixth 3-pointer of the day gave the Pride a 64-59 lead with 6:08 remaining. He led the team in scoring with 28 points.
With 3:21 left to play, St. Bonaventure’s Dominick Welch gave the Bonnies the lead for good with a 3-pointer of his own, giving his team a 69-66 lead while adding to his 15-point game. The Pride was able to score just three points throughout the rest of the game.
Junior Isaac Kante had his first double-double of the season with 15 points and 13 rebounds. St. Bonaventure’s Kyle Lofton led the way for the Bonnies with 16 points, and Osun Osunniyi had a double-double with 14 points and 12 rebounds.
“Our key defensively tonight was playing hard for 40 minutes,” said Hofstra acting head coach Mike Farrelly. “Every possession, every play for 40 minutes was the key defensively.”
The Pride entered the game motivated to avenge their 73-45 defeat at the hands of St. Bonaventure last season. Hofstra was looking to expand their two-game winning streak to three after defeating Monmouth University and Stony Brook University in their two previous matchups. With the loss, Hofstra’s record sits at 3-3 while the Bonnies improved to 2-0.
The Pride will next be heading to Richmond, Virginia to take on the University of Richmond Spiders on Tuesday, Dec. 22. Tip-off for the team’s final non-conference game is scheduled for 2 p.m.
Photo Courtesy of Hofstra Athletics