The Hofstra University men’s basketball team will welcome Temple University on Sunday, Dec. 15. Hofstra comes into the matchup 8-3 on the season, riding a three-game winning streak, and 11 straight wins at home.
The Pride put up a dominating performance in their record-breaking 114-46 victory over Saint Joseph’s University, New York on Friday, Dec. 6.
KiJan Robinson, Khalil Farmer, Eric Parnell, German Plotnikov and Joshua DeCady all recorded double-digit points in the victory over the Owls.
Robinson was red-hot, shooting 8-9 beyond the arc, soaring past his previous best of 13, putting up a career-high 28 points. The sophomore guard is averaging 24 points off the bench over his last two games.
In the Pride’s 80-67 win over Norfolk State University on Monday, Dec. 9, Cruz Davis shot 5-6 from beyond the arc, putting up 20 points for the fourth time this season. Jean Aranguren helped the Pride all over the court, recording 19 points, seven rebounds and six assists in his most all-around performance of the season.
The Pride have been strong on offense as of late, shooting at least 60% from the field in their last two games, improving their season field goal percentage to 45.4%.
Temple is 5-4 on the season, coming off a 110-81 victory over Holy Family University, snapping their two-game losing streak. The Owls shot an efficient 58.7% in the game against Holy Family. Zion Stanford led his side with 25 points and five assists, trailed by Jamal Mashburn Jr., with 23 points.
Mashburn Jr. has been the focal point of Temple’s offense, averaging 22 points per game and shooting 45.9% from the field this season.
The Owls and the Pride share similar stats on the court as Hofstra shoots 45.4% from the field while Temple shoots 46.1%. The Pride record an average 35.7 rebounds per game, while the Owls average 36.3.
Hofstra has struggled to hold onto the ball this season, turning it over an average of 12.5 times a game. Temple is slightly stronger, only allowing an average 10.1 turnovers per game.
The Owls also hold the advantage in the points column, as they put up an average 80.9 points per game while the Pride put up 72.5 points per game.
The two teams have not faced off since 1982, where the Owls narrowly edged out the Pride, 61-58.
Tipoff from the David S. Mack Sports & Exhibition Complex is scheduled for 12 p.m. and will be shown on FloCollege and MSG. An audio-only broadcast will be available on the Hofstra Alternative Web Channel.
Photo courtesy of Ethan Albin
