The Hofstra University men’s basketball team’s slide down the Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) standings continued on Saturday, Jan. 24, after the Pride lost 89-82 to the College of William & Mary. The loss extended Hofstra’s skid to four games – its longest of the season. Despite the downturn, the Pride remain tied for fourth place in the conference, sharing a 4-4 CAA record with five other teams.
“Even though we lost, I’m proud of the effort,” said Hofstra head coach Speedy Claxton. “I thought we came out and we competed. [Kilian Brockhoff] had an out of body game; he made eight threes, and he usually doesn’t shoot like that. I’m proud of the way we came out. Preston [Edmead] was a little banged up, but he played through his injuries – very proud of him.”
Not even Hofstra’s No. 5 ranked defense could cool off William & Mary junior Brockhoff, who was a walking flamethrower throughout the night. Brockhoff erupted for 28 points, drilling eight 3-pointers on a blistering 53% shooting.
William & Mary head coach Brian Earl summed up Brockhoff’s performance with one word.
“Confidence,” Earl said. “He takes shots that he practices, and they went in. He’s really a guard, but he happens to be 6 [feet] 8 [inches tall], so when he gets open space, usually he’s not guarded as much as most centers. He’s getting more and more comfortable with that. This was a good game for him.”
William & Mary’s hot shooting wasn’t limited to just one player, since the Tribe trailblazed as a team, knocking down a stunning 18 3-pointers on a strong 40% shooting from beyond the arc. Hofstra answered with a solid night of its own from deep down the court, connecting on 13 3-point shots, but could not keep pace with the Tribe’s perimeter barrage.
Hofstra struggled to match William & Mary’s depth and scoring flurry, and the Pride found themselves down by 17 points early in the second half.
Once again, Hofstra received strong production from their freshman sensation, Edmead, who turned in another impressive performance. He scored 18 points and was efficient from long range, shooting 50% from beyond the arc while knocking down four threes.
Unfortunately for the Pride, their leading scorer, Cruz Davis, suffered an unusually quiet offensive night. Davis finished with 14 points – well below his season average of 22 points – shot just 26% from the field and went 2-8 from beyond the arc. Hofstra was unable to overcome the off night from the junior guard.
“Cruz had an uncharacteristic game,” Claxton said. “He’s been there for us all year long, and he’s going to have an off night.”
Hofstra desperately looked to find themselves back in the CAA win column against the College of Charleston Cougars on Thursday, Jan. 29. Tip-off was set for 7 p.m.
