The Flying Dutchmen made some history and led wire-to-wire
Saturday, but didn’t get to .500 in the most artful of fashions in their 74-59
win over Division II foe University of District of Columbia. But just getting
to .500 was good enough for a team that six days earlier looked as if it might
send certain stat dorks diving into media guides in search of the worst
season-opening losing streak in program history.
“We’ve got Marshall at home [today], a NCAA Tournament-type
team, a chance to win three games in a row,” Mo Cassara said. “If you would
have told me that last Monday, I would have said you’re absolutely crazy.”
1.) This may have been the most balanced game ever played by
a Hofstra basketball team. Six Dutchmen reached double figures—almost certainly
the first time that’s happened in the Defiantly Dutch Era, I will research and
report back to you ASAP—and all six scored between 11 and 13 points. Five
players had between seven and nine rebounds. And six players played between 21
and 29 minutes. It all happened against a Division II foe, of course, but
that’s still pretty impressive.
2.) The Dutchmen were never seriously threatened after
opening the game on an 11-0 run—District of Columbia twice had a chance to
close within four or five points in the second half—but they never really
buried the Firebirds either after opening a 20-point lead 15 minutes into the
contest. Cassara, recognizing the Dutchmen were battling fatigue after an
emotional win over South Dakota State less than 24 hours earlier, fiddled with
the lineup in the second half in hopes of finding a cohesive mix.
“We just didn’t have that zip today, we didn’t have the
energy,” Cassara said. “We had a chance to really put them away midway through
the first half and kind of end the game and we didn’t. And that’s something
that we have to learn from, we have to continue to get better, continue to find
ways that we don’t let that happen.”
3.) The Dutchmen got what they needed out of their handful
of veterans. Stevie Mejia had another solid game (11 points and seven rebounds,
his second straight game with seven boards, in 29 minutes) while David Imes had
11 points—including the historic jumper that provided the Dutchmen’s final
points with 43 seconds left—seven rebounds and two blocks in 29 minutes. And
Stephen Nwaukoni turned 21 years old in impressive fashion as he scored nine of
his career-high 13 points and grabbed five of his nine rebounds in just nine
second half minutes. Upperclassmen accounted for 75 of the 200 minutes played
by the Dutchmen, the most this season.
4.) Nwaukoni wasn’t the only projected starter to provide a
boost off the bench. For the second straight game, Taran Buie jumpstarted the
Dutchmen by draining a 3-pointer on his first shot of the game. Buie’s
3-pointer began a 26-12 run by the Dutchmen in which he scored all 12 of his
points as the Dutchmen took their biggest lead at 39-19.
Buie’s production and pedigree suggests he’ll start sooner
than later as long as he can stay out of trouble, but for the moment Cassara is
happy with him serving as the Dutchmen’s Vinnie Johnson (GOOGLE IT EVERYONE
EXCEPT GARY MOORE)—even if Buie, in a moment of refreshing honesty by both
player and coach, admitted he’d rather start.
Asked if he liked coming off the bench, Buie paused and
looked at Cassara, who grinned. “You can answer it honestly, it’s OK,” Cassara
said.
“No, I’m not really too thrilled about coming off the
bench,” Buie said as those in the room laughed. “But like I said, I’m just
going to do anything to help this team get towards the win.”
5.) FUN STATS! The Dutchmen are 2-2 for the 27th
time in program history and for the second year in a row. They are 2-2 after an
0-2 start for the fifth time in program history and the first since 1990-91. I
was a high school senior back then! #OLD…The Dutchmen have had at least five
players score in double figures 11 times in their last 82 games dating back to
a 93-54 win over UNC Wilmington on Jan. 27, 2010. That game snapped a 122-game
streak in which the Dutchmen never had five players score in double figures,
dating back to the epic win over George Mason on Feb. 23, 2006. Hey, did that
win catapult the Dutchmen into the NCAA Tournament?...This is the second
straight year in which Nwaukoni has set his career high for points in the
middle game of a Gazelle Group tournament. He scored 12 points against Cleveland State last Nov. 26. Hey, at least someone likes the Gazelle Group!
3 STARS OF THE GAME (vs. University of District of Columbia,
11/16)
3: Stephen Nwaukoni
2: Jimmy Hall
1: Stevie Mejia
SEASON STANDINGS
8: Jimmy Hall
4: Moussa Kone
4: Stevie Mejia
3: Stephen Nwaukoni
2: Taran Buie
2: Shaq Stokes
1: David Imes
Email Jerry at defiantlydutch@yahoo.com
or follow Defiantly Dutch at http://twitter.com/defiantlydutch.
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