Hofstra overcomes old demons in win over Monmouth

Defeating the lowly Monmouth University Hawks, 77-57,  may not look like much on paper for the Hofstra men’s basketball team. Handing the last-place team in the CAA their eighth consecutive loss while at home shouldn’t and won’t be considered a huge accomplishment. However, the win was Hofstra’s third straight and showed the Pride might be through with overlooking their opponents. 

“The word going into the game was ‘respect,’” said Hofstra head coach Speedy Claxton. “Respect your opponent and respect everybody you play against, no matter what their record is.”

Hofstra had come up short in similar situations this season, and it seemed that issue would persist on Wednesday after the Hawks startled Hofstra by jumping out to a 10-4 lead early in the first half. Refusing to suffer the same pain that has plagued them all year once more, the Pride locked in and knocked down 60% of their final 40 shots. 

Many of those shots came from close range. While the Pride was efficient from beyond the arc like they have been all season, most of their scoring came from down low. Warren Williams tied with Tyler Thomas for the team lead in points with 18 while also collecting seven rebounds and blocking two shots in 25 minutes off the bench. 

Williams has emerged as a scoring threat for Hofstra in the low block, averaging 8.3 points per game since making his season debut on Nov. 25. 

“I think it's just been about sticking in the gym, sticking with the coaches, watching a lot of film and just continuing to work,” said Williams. “I feel okay about my role right now.”  

Aaron Estrada provided another 12 points for Hofstra and was a magnet for opposing defenders, allowing him to facilitate the offense with four assists in the game. 

The diverse arsenal Hofstra has possessed all year long now appears to have found cohesion and will be pivotal to the team’s success as their schedule gets more difficult, starting with a rematch against The University of Delaware on Saturday. 

“It's extremely hard to beat a team twice in a short period of time,” said Claxton. “Especially with the way we beat them. We beat them pretty handily, so we can't take them lightly. No one's going to come in and lay down for us. We got to go out there and play hard and compete. It doesn't really matter if we're at home, so we got to come out and start the game the right way.” 

Photo courtesy of Hofstra Athletics/Lee S. Weissman