The Hofstra men’s basketball team defeated the Tigers of Towson University 91-86 on Saturday at home. With Hofstra’s fourth straight win, the team improves to 12-6 in CAA play, while Towson falls to 8-10.
Though Hofstra got on the board first with a shot by sophomore Eli Pemberton, they struggled to keep up with Towson’s offense out of the gate, falling behind 14-7.
They battled back to eventually garner a 41-37 lead at halftime. Hofstra maintained a lead all throughout the second half, most significantly widening the gap with a layup by junior Justin Wright-Foreman to earn a 71-59 advantage, opening the lead up to 12 points.
While the team worked to maintain the lead in the second half, Towson was not ready to go down without a fight.
They managed to move within a two-point deficit on a free throw from senior Eddie Keith II, to pull within a score of 76-74.
The Pride’s efforts to keep the Tigers in check were led by Wright-Foreman, who tallied 27 points and five assists.
Wright-Foreman shined in his ability to locate his teammates. While he acknowledges that he worked to bolster this skill in the offseason, he credits his teammates with playing a crucial part in his efforts,
“I get the ball to everybody in the right spots and they did their job, so it’s a big credit to them,” Wright-Foreman said.
In his final game at home, senior Rokas Gustys notched eight rebounds, improving to 19 shy of the record in CAA history.
Head coach Joe Mihalich emphasized the importance of crediting Gustys and the defense’s efforts to help the team win.
“Scorers get the hype … points get the awards, but rebounds and defenders win … It’s not just the numbers, he’s made us win,” Mihalich said.
Aside from being the team’s final home game of the season, what makes this victory all the more memorable is that it came on Senior Day, in which the team honored their seniors Joel Angus III, Gustys and Hunter Sabety. Despite the sentimental aspect of this game, Gustys was able to keep his emotions in check to secure the victory for the Pride.
“I was pretty calm to be honest … Towson’s a great team and we had a good win, so there was no time to be emotional,” Gustys said.
With their regular season officially over, Hofstra will head to the first round of CAA play in Charleston, South Carolina.
With a first-round bye in hand, the Pride will take on UNC-Wilmington in the quarterfinals on Sunday, March 4 at 8:30 p.m.
