The Hofstra men’s basketball team suffered another loss on the road on Monday, Nov. 22, to the Spiders of the University of Richmond, 81-68, at the Robins Center in Richmond, Virginia.
“That was a tough one,” said head coach Speedy Claxton. “I thought we played pretty good there for about 30 minutes of the game, but the last ten minutes, maybe being on the road for so long caught up to us.”
Zack Cooks led the Pride with 18 points in the game while Darlinstone Dubar matched his teammate with 18 points of his own, setting a new career high. K’Vonn Cramer contributed with 15 points to go along with 8 rebounds in the contest.
“I thought Dubar and Cramer had really good games,” Claxton said.
The Pride started the game on a 7-0 run with Dubar scoring five of those seven points. Following a Cooks three pointer which extended Hofstra’s lead to 14 with 6:14 left in the half, Richmond started to dig in and were able to make it a five point game headed to halftime.
The Spiders started off the second half with an 8-1 run making the score 48-46. A free-throw by Cramer and a layup by Dubar made it a one-point game with 7:26 left. After Dubar’s layup, Richmond went on a 13-0 run, which proved to be Hofstra’s downfall.
Hofstra saw two scary moments in the game where Cramer and Jalen Ray, who just recently made his return after missing two games due to an ankle injury, took tumbles.
“It was a scary situation, but they seemed fine,” Claxton said. “[Jalen] Ray’s a bit more of a concern than [K’Vonn] Cramer. But they both came back and played, so that’s a good sign.”
The Spiders were led by the efforts of Tyler Burton, who scored 22 points, as well as by Jacob Gilyard who had 17 points, six assists and four rebounds.
Following the loss, Hofstra extends their losing streak to three games, and concludes their five-game road trip to open the season with a record of 1-4.
With the game against Richmond being the last of their opening road trip, the Pride are hoping for a nice homecoming with fans back in the arena.
“We’re relieved, but we can’t be lazy because we’re at home, that’s just not the plan,” Claxton said. “It just feels good coming home, just the energy and the atmosphere. But that doesn’t change the way we approach the game.”
The Pride’s home opener will be played on Wednesday, Nov. 24, at 5 p.m. when they host Molloy College at the David S. Mack Sports and Exhibition Complex.
Photo courtesy of Hofstra Athletics
