The roller coaster of a long, unprecedented season continues. Rick Pitino earned his first win with the Iona College Gaels (1-1), as they rallied past the Hofstra men’s basketball team (1-2) 82-74 Monday afternoon in Hempstead.
“We are a team that does not like to lose,” said Hofstra senior forward Tareq Coburn. “When we lose, we take that seriously and prepare to get better for the next game.”
Iona’s strong shooting and valiant board-work earned them the victory. Senior guard Isaiah Ross led the way with a career-high 33 points on 10-17 shooting, while Nelly Junior Joseph and Dylan van Eyck supplemented their star with 14 points each.
“[Ross] is a very good player,” said Hofstra acting head coach Mike Farrelly. “We did not do a good job containing him. He is a really good shooter and was the guy we were not supposed to allow to get open shots.”
Willie Pride defeated Killian the Gael 2-0 in Rock Paper Scissors to earn Hofstra home-court advantage in this meeting. Fans could not witness this battle for Long Island live, but passion was seeping from the floor.
“Playing with toughness and energy is important,” Farrelly said. “When there are no fans, you have to play with energy. We have to play the right way all the time.”
In a new coaching matchup, Pitino, the wily veteran, took on Farrelly, the younger prospect. The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famer prevailed.
“Our preparation is very good,” Farrelly said. “We hold ourselves to a high-standard. But we try to give our guys the answers to the test. At the end of the day, you try to take away the actions, but you have to finish the possessions.”
The upperclassmen trio of Coburn (28), Isaac Kante (17) and Jalen Ray (15) combined for 60 of Hofstra’s 74 total points. Coburn led the way with a career-high 28 points on 13-17 shooting from the free-throw line.
Kvonn Cramer (nine) and Caleb Burgess (five) were the only other players to score. Cramer returned to the court this year, 1,366 days since he last played a competitive basketball game.
“[Cramer] has been very good,” Farrelly said. “He had a great second half. I love the way he is playing. He is relentless. There is a difference between him and other freshmen.”
For the third time in as many games this season, Hofstra got off to a slow start. The Gaels embarked upon a 16-3 run that put them up 18-9. However, the Pride got a 19-10 rally of their own and tied the game by halftime.
After the break, Iona came out with a mission. Their sharpshooting gave them a quick lead and they never looked back. They shot 7-18 from behind the line in the second half and suffocated Hofstra’s various comeback attempts.
“Today was our worst day on defense in our zone,” Coburn said. “We need to study more film to see what we could have done better. They had a lot of two-on-ones and we had bad rotations.”
“This is a collective thing. Everyone needs to be on the same page. We cannot point fingers. If anything, the finger should be pointed at me. I missed some shots.”
Officiating played a factor late in the game. Iona struggled with foul trouble — they out-fouled Hofstra 17-11 — giving Hofstra ample opportunities from the line.
Pitino jarred with the referees all evening, shouting “I am not sure about that call” and “That’s bad” multiple times.
The Pride will look to rebound from this loss when they take on Stony Brook University Wednesday at home. In another Long Island rivalry, this game will once again be a war.
“It starts with toughness,” Coburn said. “I do not know if everybody was on the same page today. They threw the first punch and we were playing catch-up after that.”
Photo courtesy of Philip Hinds
