By Mike Rudin – SPORTS EDITOR
With a couple seconds to spare, Hofstra men’s basketball came out on top with a 66-64 win over the Elon Phoenix at the Mack Sports Complex on Thursday night.
“So many good things about that one … to get the first win without Malik Nichols was important because he’s a big part of our team,” Hofstra head coach Joe Mihalich said about the win and the loss of Nichols for the rest of the season. “To not have a great offensive night and still pull it out was terrific. We had our bursts but for 40 minutes, we didn’t get it done.”
Juan’ya Green saved the day with the game-winning jumper on the far side, propelling Hofstra ahead with 2.1 seconds left on the clock. Green scored 12 points – all in the second half – and had six assists on the night.
Rokas Gustys laid down the foundation with 23 points and 19 rebounds on the night. He was one rebound shy from reaching 20/20 again for the third time this season.
“I’m so proud of Rokas [Gustys] because all he does is play basketball [well] now,” Coach Mihalich said. “He’s a go-to guy now. If you asked me during the summertime, Is Rokas [Gustys] going to be one of your go-tos, I was not sure and now I am, we’re all sure.”
Gustys compiled his 11th double-double in just the first 18 minutes of regulation. Gustys tied former Pride player Kenny Adeleke’s season total back in 2003-04.
The Hofstra Pride came out guns blazing from the start of tipoff with an early 8-0 lead over the Phoenix. Gustys led the charge with four points of the eight. The Pride utilized going coast-to-coast to catch Elon off guard.
Hofstra’s defense forced the Phoenix to shoot from outside the arc which led to an assortment of issues for Elon.
They missed their first nine attempts at threes which led to a scoring drought slightly over four minutes. The pressure from Hofstra’s aggressive defense played into their woes and forced Elon to rush their threes.
Elon’s 0-for-11 streak during the scoring drought costed them a 14-2 deficit in the first seven minutes against the Pride.
That was until Dainan Swoope’s jumper gave Elon some life and started to turn things around.
Hofstra did a rough patch as a unit as they went nearly four minute without scoring midway through the first half.
The Pride prolonged their lead with some back-and-forth play against Elon but it didn’t last.
The Phoenix caught up afterwards, cutting Hofstra’s lead from nine points to one at the 2:50 mark until halftime. The Pride didn’t make it easy for them but Elon outscored Hofstra 14-6.
Gustys kept the Pride afloat with ten points and ten rebounds within the first 18 minutes. But Ameen Tanksley and Denton Koon’s three-pointers kept Hofstra ahead going into the second half.
Hofstra fired on all cylinders from the start of the last 20 minutes. Tanksley scored five consecutive points which began an 11-0 Pride rally in the first three and a half minutes of the final period.
Hofstra took a 13-point lead afterwards and maintained their lead for the next ten minutes.
The Phoenix fought back and the Pride’s lead dipped into single digits but only for brief moments. Hofstra led by 13 again with less than seven minutes left and they had the double bonus to boot.
It seemed like smooth sailing for the Pride but that thought died quickly. Elon climbed their way back into contention with a 12-2 rally and trailed by only three.
Elon worked around the Pride’s defense by mixing their shots, making two three-pointers and three baskets inside the arc. The Phoenix went 5-for-8 in the four-minute rally.
Hofstra on the other hand suffered from a 1-for-4 shooting stretch plus a scoring drought that lasted for nearly three minutes afterwards.
Elon then took a one-point lead off a five-point swing with 1:49 left on the clock.
The game grew tense in the final seconds until Koon tied things up with a free throw.
With 35 seconds left, possibility of overtime grew with each passing second within regulation. That was until Green stepped up and gave the Pride Faithful something to celebrate with a dramatic jumper to seal the win.
Tanksley also compiled 13 points, five rebounds and three assists on the night while Koon tallied 11 points, eight rebounds and five assists.
Hofstra hits road for their next matchup as they travel to the City of Brotherly Love to face the Drexel Dragons this Saturday on Jan. 30 at 4 p.m.
