I’ll Be Quirky: James Madison

Huh. Publicity in I-AA football. How about that.

The Flying Dutchmen got a bit of revenge on William & Mary by scoring the final 15 points of the game Thursday night to turn another potential Daniel Dixon special into a 96-82 win over the Tribe. The Dutchmen look to end the regular season on a winning note today, when they visit James Madison. Here’s a quick look back at the win over the Fighting Dixons and a look ahead to the Dukes.

THE MOST RECENT GAME SUMMARIZED IN ONE PARAGRAPH

Justin Wright-Foreman continued his astonishing emergence by scoring a career-high 35 points — including 25 in the second half — as the Dutchmen pulled away late from William & Mary. Wright-Foreman scored seven points in the game-ending 15-0 run, including the nostalgic 3-pointer that gave the Dutchmen the lead for good with 3:29 left. The Dutchmen trailed by as many as nine points early in the first half and didn’t lead by more than five points until there was just 61 seconds left in the game. Deron Powers scored 19 points and collected five assists while Eli Pemberton added 16 points. Rokas Gustys fell short of a third straight double-double but pulled down a game-high 15 rebounds to go along with eight points.

3 STARS OF THE GAME (vs. William & Mary 2/23)

3: Justin Wright-Foreman

2: Deron Powers

1: Eli Pemberton

SEASON STANDINGS

Justin Wright-Foreman 54

Deron Powers 33

Eli Pemberton 29

Brian Bernardi 23

Rokas Gustys 20

Ty Greer 9

Hunter Sabety 7

Jamall Robinson 5

EIGHT WILL HAVE TO BE ENOUGH

Despite the win, the Dutchmen were locked into the no. 8 seed in next weekend’s CAA Tournament — and a spot in “Pillowfight Friday” — by virtue of Northeastern’s 105-104 double overtime victory over Elon and James Madison’s 70-64 win over Drexel. 

Northeastern locked up the last bye with the win while James Madison’s win ensured the Dukes of the seventh spot. The Dutchmen can tie the Dukes for seventh place with a win today, but James Madison will earn the seventh seed by virtue of a better record against the CAA’s top six teams.

The Dutchmen will play ninth-seeded Delaware next Friday night at 6 PM. The winner will advance to face top-seeded UNC Wilmington next Saturday at noon. 

RAREFIED AIR FOR JWF

Justin Wright-Foreman scored a career-high 35 points on Thursday. It was just the 25th time a Hofstra player has scored at least 35 points in a single game and the first time since Zeke Upshaw scored 37 points against Richmond on Nov. 19, 2013.  

Wright-Foreman is just the 18th player to score at least 35 points without the game going into overtime. Prior to Wright-Foreman, the last player to score at least 35 points in a game that ended in regulation was Charles Jenkins, who scored 38 points against Fairfield on Nov. 30, 2009.

Bill Thieben, 46 pts vs. Wilkes 1954-55

Steve Nisenson, 45 pts vs. West Chester, 1962-63

Demetrius Dudley 44 pts vs. Central Connecticut, 2/9/93

Bill Thieben, 42 pts vs. Wilkes, 1955-56

Bernard Tomlin, 42 pts vs. Oral Roberts, 1974-75

Rich Laurel, 40 pts vs. American, 1976-77

Speedy Claxton, 40 pts vs. Hartford, 1/16/00

Speedy Claxton, 40 pts vs. Maine, 1/21/00

Speedy Claxton, 39 pts vs. Iona, 12/18/99

Demetrius Dudley, 38 pts vs. Columbia, 1/7/93

Charles Jenkins, 38 pts vs. Fairfield, 11/30/09

Demetrius Dudley, 37 pts at Towson State, 2/6/92

Demetrius Dudley, 37 pts vs. Maine, 1/25/93

Carlos Rivera, 37 pts vs. James Madison, 2/24/07

Demetrius Dudley, 36 pts vs. Air Force, 12/28/91

Antoine Agudio, 36 pts at Fordham, 12/5/07

John Mavroukas, 35 pts at New Hampshire, 1/6/95

JUSTIN WRIGHT-FOREMAN, 35 pts vs. William & Mary, 2/23/17

LEADER! WE LOVE THE LEADER!

Justin Wright-Foreman held at least a share of the team scoring lead Thursday for the 10th straight game, which is the longest streak by a Hofstra player since Charles Jenkins ended his collegiate career by at least sharing the team lead in points for 11 straight games from Feb. 2, 2011 through March 15, 2011. 

Charles Jenkins 11 games (2/2/11-3/15/11 end of season)

Charles Jenkins 10 games (11/13/10-12/18/10)

JUSTIN WRIGHT-FOREMAN 10 games (1/21/17-present)

THE 30/30/30/30 CLUB

Justin Wright-Foreman had his fourth 30-point game of the season on Thursday. He is just the third Dutchman since 2002-03 to record at least four 30-point games in the same season. He joins a club whose other two members are the top two scorers in program history: Charles Jenkins, who had four 30-point games in each of his final three seasons, and Antoine Agudio, who had six 30-point games as a senior in 2007-08.

Antoine Agudio 6 (2007-08)

Charles Jenkins 4 (2008-09)

Charles Jenkins 4 (2009-10)

Charles Jenkins 4 (2010-11)

JUSTIN WRIGHT-FOREMAN 4 (2016-17)

CASHING IN FREE THROWS

Brian Bernardi (4-for-4) and Justin Wright-Foreman (6-for-6) were each perfect from the line Thursday as they extended their respective streaks of consecutive made free throws. Bernardi has made his last 31 free throws dating back to the second half of the Kentucky game on Dec. 11 while Wright-Foreman has drained his last 24 free throws dating back to the second half of the Northeastern game on Feb. 11. Bernardi’s streak is the longest by a Hofstra player in at least five seasons, a stretch in which someone has drained at least 20 straight free throws five times.

BRIAN BERNARDI, 31-for-31 (12/11/16-present)

JUSTIN WRIGHT-FOREMAN (24-for-24 (2/11/17-present)

Juan’ya Green 24-for-24 (11/22/15-12/6/15)

Dion Nesmith 23-for-23 (11/25/14-1/13/15)

Juan’ya Green 21-for-21 (1/28/16-2/4/16)

GUSTYS HITS 900

Junior forward Rokas Gustys pulled down his 900th career rebound in Thursday night’s win and has 910 rebounds in his three-year career. He is just the fourth player in program history to reach 900 rebounds and the first since David Taylor collected 926 rebounds from 1979 through 1982.

WRIGHT-FOREMAN’S SOPHOMORE SURGE

Justin Wright-Foreman has played at least 10 minutes in every game but one this season and has scored in double figures in 24 of 30 games, including the last 20. He scored more than four points and played more than 10 points in just one game last season, when he collected nine points in 17 minutes against Division II Molloy. 

Wright-Foreman, who scored 44 points in 27 games last season, has scored 538 points this season, which is already the fourth-most by a Hofstra sophomore in the CAA era. He is 12 points away from surpassing Loren Stokes for third place and 29 points away from moving past Antoine Agudio into second place. 

The only players in the top 10 to score fewer points as a freshman than Wright-Foreman are David Imes, who scored 25 points as a freshman in 2009-10 before scoring 251 points as a sophomore, and Ziggy Sestokas, who scored 29 points as a freshman in 2005-06 before scoring 219 points as a sophomore.

1.) Charles Jenkins 629 (2009-10)

2.) Antoine Agudio 566 (2005-06)

3.) Loren Stokes 549 (2004-05)

4.) JUSTIN WRIGHT-FOREMAN 538 (2016-17)

5.) Kenny Adeleke 468 (2002-03) 

6.) Rokas Gustys 459 (2015-16)

7.) Mike Radziejewski 265 (2002-03)

8.) David Imes 251 (2010-11)

9.) Woody Souffrant 244 (2002-03)

10.) Ziggy Sestokas 219 (2006-07)

WRIGHT-FOREMAN GOING NATIONAL

With 538 points this season, Justin Wright-Foreman enters today 15th among sophomores in scoring, according to College Basketball Reference. He was 22nd among sophomores entering Thursday. No one ahead of him scored fewer than 100 points as a freshman last season. Albany’s David Nichols, who enters today ranked 23rd among sophomores with 516 points this season, scored 40 points in 15 games last year.

SLOW START FAST FINISH

The Dutchmen are trying to become only the second team in CAA history to finish with seven league wins after opening 1-6 or worse through seven games. William & Mary opened 1-6 and finished 7-11 in 2012-13. The Dutchmen have joined that Tribe team along with the 2001-02 James Madison and 2010-11 Northeastern squads, both of whom finished 6-12, as the only CAA teams to record at least six wins after beginning 1-6 or worse. The previous 22 teams to open 1-6 or worse finished with an average of 3.5 CAA wins. 

OVER THE AIR

Hofstra will provide a video and radio feed of today’s game at the Pride Productions hub.

SCOUTING JAMES MADISON

The Dukes, under rookie head coach Louis Rowe, are 9-21 this season and 7-10 in CAA play. James Madison locked up the no. 7 seed in next week’s CAA Tournament by edging Drexel, 70-64, on Thursday.

The Dutchmen and Dukes had no mutual foes during non-league play. 

The Dutchmen, who were picked sixth in the CAA preseason poll, enter today ranked 181st at KenPom.com and 188th in the RPI, The Dukes, who were picked fifth, are ranked 228th at KenPom.com and 252nd in the RPI.

Per the wise guys in Vegas, for entertainment purposes only, the Dutchmen are 1-point favorites.

James Madison won the first game this season against the Dutchmen on Jan. 5, when the Dukes didn’t trail for the final 39:23 of a 62-54 win at the Arena. The 54 points are the fewest scored this season by the Dutchmen. 

The Dutchmen are third among CAA teams in scoring (77.5 ppg) but are allowing 76.9 ppg, the third-most in the league.

The Dutchmen rank seventh in the CAA in field goal percentage (44.4%) and third in 3-point field goal percentage (37.0%) They are allowing opposing teams to shoot 46.1 percent overall, eighth in the league, and 36.8 percent from beyond the arc, which is last. 

The Dukes ranks ninth in the CAA in scoring (66.2 ppg) and are allowing 69.7 ppg, which is third in the league. 

The Dukes are sixth in the CAA in field goal percentage (44.6%), two-tenths of a percentage point ahead of the Dutchmen, and eighth in 3-point field goal percentage (33.2%). They are fifth in field goal percentage defense (44.2%) and seventh in 3-point field goal percentage defense (35.8%).

ALL-TIME VS. JAMES MADISON

Hofstra is 15-12 against James Madison in a series that began when the Dutchmen joined the CAA prior to the 2001-02 season. The Dukes are going for their third straight regular season sweep and have won six of the last seven regular season games between the clubs, though the Dutchmen beat James Madison, 74-57, in the quarterfinals of the CAA tournament in 2015. 

REPLACING THE MISSING SCORING—AND THEN SOME

The Dutchmen lost a whopping 50.3 ppg from last year’s squad via the graduations of Juan’ya Green (17.8 ppg), Ameen Tanksley 15.9 ppg), Denton Koon (11.4 ppg) and Malik Nichols (5.2 ppg). But they have “found” 56.4 ppg this season via five players who didn’t play for the team in 2015-16, plus the emergence of sophomore Justin Wright-Foreman. 

Justin Wright-Foreman (16.7)***

Eli Pemberton (12.9)

Deron Powers (12.9)

Ty Greer (5.8)

Hunter Sabety (4.3)

Jamall Robinson (3.8)

***The Wright-Foreman average subtracts the 1.2 ppg he averaged last season to better account for the “found” points.

PEMBERTON HITS THE TOP 5

Eli Pemberton, who was the first Hofstra freshman since Antoine Agudio (2004-05) to open his career by scoring in double digits in his first five games, is the 19th Dutchmen freshman in the CAA era to score at least 100 points in his debut season. He is tied with Loren Stokes for fourth place on the CAA-era freshman scoring list.

1.) Antoine Agudio, 452 (2004-05)

2.) Charles Jenkins, 436 (2007-08)

3.) Kenny Adeleke, 433 (2001-02)

4.) Loren Stokes, 374 (2003-04)

4.) ELI PEMBERTON, 374 (2016-17)

6.) Chaz Williams, 325 (2009-10)

7.) Jamall Robinson, 312 (2013-14)

8.) Halil Kanacevic, 294 (2009-10)

9.) Carlos Rivera, 226 (2003-04)

10.) Nathaniel Lester, 189 (2007-08)

THINGS YOU CAN SHOUT ON TWITTER IF CALLS GO DO NOT GO HOFSTRA’S WAY

You won the Division I-AA title bias! (James Madison garnered publicity for I-AA football by winning the national title in January)

@VCUPav made Humpty Hitchens glare at him during a game bias! (The great VCU superfan pestered Hitchens during a Pillowfight Friday game in 2012)

You guys have more old seniors than anyone ever bias! (Hasn’t Jackson Kent been there since 1988?)

Mike Deane is still an assistant bias! (The former Siena, Marquette, Lamar and Wagner head coach remained on staff even after Matt Brady was fired last March)

I’ll Be Quirky: William & Mary

I don't ask for much, sporting gods, but please don't make me do this again later tonight.

For the second time in as many games, a late comeback attempt against an elite CAA team fell just short for the Flying Dutchmen, who cut a 10-point deficit to one but could not get over the hump in an 83-76 loss to league-leading UNC Wilmington on Saturday. The Dutchmen will look to begin generating some momentum for the CAA Tournament when they visit arch-rival (it’s true, it really is) William & Mary tonight in the PENULTIMATE game of the regular season. Here’s a quick look back at the loss to the Seahawks and a look a head to the Fighting Daniel Dixons. 

THE MOST RECENT GAME SUMMARIZED IN ONE PARAGRAPH

The Dutchmen trailed by 11 points with nine minutes remaining but missed three chances to tie or take the lead in the final four minutes as UNC Wilmington escaped with a win at the Arena. Brian Bernardi had a good look at a game-tying 3-pointer with 10 seconds left but the shot rimmed out and the Seahawks iced the game (and made the wise guys happy) by hitting their final four free throws. Justin Wright-Foreman once again scored a team-high 26 points (ho hum) and set a DD-era record by going a perfect 15-for-15 from the line. Eli Pemberton had 17 points and six rebounds while Rokas Gustys produced his second straight double-double with 14 points and 12 rebounds. Deron Powers added 15 points and three assists in his final scheduled home game at Hofstra, but fellow senior Bernardi scored just three points on 1-of-7 shooting. 

3 STARS OF THE GAME (vs. UNC Wilmington 2/18)

3: Justin Wright-Foreman

2: Eli Pemberton

1: Rokas Gustys

SEASON STANDINGS

Justin Wright-Foreman 51

Deron Powers 31

Eli Pemberton 28

Brian Bernardi 23

Rokas Gustys 20

Ty Greer 9

Hunter Sabety 7

Jamall Robinson 5

A PERFECT TEN (AND FIVE MORE)

Justin Wright-Foreman had the best day at the line of any Hofstra player in at least 22 years on Saturday, when he drained all 15 of his free throw attempts. The 15 free throws without a miss are the most by a Dutchman player since at least 1995 (as far back as my records go). Wright-Foreman is the fifth Hofstra player in the CAA era to enjoy a perfect game at the line (minimum 10 free throw attempts). Zeke Upshaw (12-for-12) previously held the record for most free throws without a miss.

Justin Wright-Foreman, 15-15 vs. UNCW 2/18/17

Zeke Upshaw, 12-12 vs. Towson, 2/22/14

Charles Jenkins, 10-10 vs. Delaware, 1/7/09

Carlos Rivera, 10-10 vs. Siena, 11/29/06

Danny Walker, 10-10 vs. James Madison, 2/8/02

Only one Dutchman player hit as many as eight free throws without a miss in the NAC/America East Era (1994-2001). Jim Shaffer was 8-for-8 against Drexel on March 4, 1995. 

Wright-Foreman is the eighth Division I player this season to hit at least 15 free throws without a miss in a single game. Five players have gone 16-for-16. 

LEADER! WE LOVE THE LEADER!

Justin Wright-Foreman scored a team-high 26 points on Saturday. It was the ninth straight game in which he has at least shared the team lead in points, which is the longest streak by a Hofstra player sine Mike Moore led or shared the team lead in points for nine straight games from Nov. 27, 2011 through Jan. 4, 2012. Wright-Foreman, Moore and Charles Jenkins (three times) are the only players to have such streaks since the start of the 2008-09 season.

Charles Jenkins 11 games (2/2/11-3/15/11 end of season)

Charles Jenkins 10 games (11/13/10-12/18/10)

JUSTIN WRIGHT-FOREMAN 9 games (1/21/17-present)

Mike Moore 9 games (11/27/11-1/4/12)

Charles Jenkins 9 games (2/7/09-3/7/09 end of season)

IT ENDS WITH A LOSS 

The Dutchmen and Joe Mihalich suffered a rare loss in the regular season home finale last Saturday. The Dutchmen fell to 20-4 in home finales in the DD era (1993-present). They previously suffered losses in 1994 (Army won 87-76), 2001 (Towson won 61-60) and 2013 (Delaware won 57-56).

Mihalich, meanwhile, dropped to 16-3 in regular season home finales as a head coach. The loss snapped a 10-game home finale winning streak for Mihalich dating back to the 2006 season, when Niagara lost to Manhattan, 82-81. The only other time a Mihalich-coached team lost a home finale was 2001, when Niagara fell to Canisius, 85-70.

THE RACE FOR THE LAST BYE

Despite losing twice last week, the Dutchmen enter the final weekend of the regular season still harboring slim hopes of earning a first-round bye in the CAA Tournament and getting out of “Pillowfight Friday” a week from tomorrow. Here are are bottom of the CAA standings entering tonight.

6.) Northeastern 7-9

7.) James Madison 6-10

8.) HOFSTRA 5-11

9.) Delaware 5-11

10.) Drexel 3-13

The Dutchmen are technically the eighth seed at the moment by virtue of their season sweep of Delaware.

The Dutchmen will finish sixth if they win their final two games (at William & Mary, at James Madison) and if Northeastern loses its final two games (at Elon, at UNC Wilmington). In this scenario, the Dutchmen would either win the two-way tiebreaker with Northeastern by virtue of sweeping the season series or the three-way tiebreaker with Northeastern and James Madison by virtue of going 3-1 against the Huskies and Dukes. 

The Dutchmen will ensure themselves no worse than the no. 9 seed with either one more win or one more loss by Drexel. The Dutchmen will ensure themselves no worse than the no. 8 seed with one more win and one more loss by Delaware. The Dutchmen will ensure themselves no worse than the no. 7 seed with two more wins and two losses by James Madison. The Dutchmen cannot win a two-way tie for the no. 7 seed with James Madison because the Dukes would have a better record against the teams ahead of them in the standings (4-8) than the Dutchmen (2-9, pending tonight’s game).

ROK NATION BACK?

Junior Rokas Gustys, in his third game back following a four-game absence due to an undisclosed injury, scored 14 points and pulled down 12 rebounds on Saturday. It was the second straight double-double for Gustys, who hadn’t produced back-to-back double-doubles since Dec. 13-22 against SUNY-Stony Brook and Siena. Gustys has 10 double-doubles this season — five apiece in CAA play and non-league play. 

WRIGHT-FOREMAN’S SOPHOMORE SURGE

Justin Wright-Foreman has played at least 10 minutes in every game but one this season and has scored in double figures in 23 of 29 games, including the last 19. He scored more than four points and played more than 10 points in just one game last season, when he collected nine points in 17 minutes against Division II Molloy. 

Wright-Foreman, who scored 44 points in 27 games last season, has scored 503 points this season, which is already the fourth-most by a Hofstra sophomore in the CAA era. He has averaged 21.9 points over his last 19 games. If he maintains that pace over the three guaranteed games the Dutchmen have left (two regular season games and one CAA tournament game), he would surpass both Loren Stokes and Antoine Agudio and sit behind only Charles Jenkins.

The only players in the top 10 to score fewer points as a freshman than Wright-Foreman are David Imes, who scored 25 points as a freshman in 2009-10 before scoring 251 points as a sophomore, and Ziggy Sestokas, who scored 29 points as a freshman in 2005-06 before scoring 219 points as a sophomore.

1.) Charles Jenkins 629 (2009-10)

2.) Antoine Agudio 566 (2005-06)

3.) Loren Stokes 549 (2004-05)

4.) JUSTIN WRIGHT-FOREMAN 503 (2016-17)

5.) Kenny Adeleke 468 (2002-03) 

6.) Rokas Gustys 459 (2015-16)

7.) Mike Radziejewski 265 (2002-03)

8.) David Imes 251 (2010-11)

9.) Woody Souffrant 244 (2002-03)

10.) Ziggy Sestokas 219 (2006-07)

WRIGHT-FOREMAN GOING NATIONAL

With 503 points this season, Wright-Foreman enters today 22nd among sophomores in scoring, according to College Basketball Reference. Only one player ahead of Wright-Foreman scored fewer than 100 points as a freshman last season. Albany’s David Nichols, who has 516 points this season, scored 40 points in 15 games last year.

OVER THE AIR

Hofstra will provide a video and radio feed of today’s game at the Pride Productions hub.

SCOUTING WILLIAM & MARY

The Tribe, under 14th-season head coach Tony Shaver, is 15-12 this season and tied for fourth (with Elon) in the CAA with a 9-7 record in league play. William & Mary earned only its second CAA road win last Saturday, when it beat Delaware, 85-64. You probably remember the Tribe’s first CAA road win. 

The Dutchmen and Tribe had no common foes during non-league play.

The Dutchmen, who were picked sixth in the CAA preseason poll, enter today ranked 190th at KenPom.com and 200th in the RPI. The Tribe, which was picked third, is ranked 122nd at KenPom.com and 112th in the RPI.

Per the wise guys in Vegas, for entertainment purposes only, the Tribe are 6-point favorites.

(Warning: The next paragraph may bring about violent flashbacks)

William & Mary won the first game this season against the Dutchmen on Jan. 2, when Daniel Dixon hit a 30-footer as time expired to lift the Tribe to a 95-93 win at the Arena. DAMNIT. Well, you’ve come this far, you may as well relive it here. 

The Dutchmen are third among CAA teams in scoring (76.9 ppg) but are allowing 76.7 ppg, the third-most in the league.

The Dutchmen rank seventh in the CAA in field goal percentage (44.4%), a little more than one-hundredth of a percentage point behind sixth-place James Madison and less than two-hundredths of a percentage point behind fifth-place Towson, and third in 3-point field goal percentage (36.7%) They are allowing opposing teams to shoot 46.0 percent overall, eighth in the league, and 36.9 percent from beyond the arc, which is last. 

The Tribe ranks second in the CAA in scoring (81.6 ppg) and is allowing 76.5 ppg, which is seventh in the league and two-tenths of a point ahead of the Dutchmen. 

The Tribe leads the CAA in both field goal percentage (49.0%) and 3-point field goal percentage (38.8%). They are fourth in both field goal percentage defense (43.8%) and 3-point field goal percentage defense (34.1%).

ALL-TIME VS. WILLIAM & MARY

Hofstra is 17-12 against William & Mary in a series that began when the Dutchmen joined the CAA prior to the 2001-02 season. The Tribe is seeking its third regular season series sweep (2009-10, 2014-15).

REPLACING THE MISSING SCORING—AND THEN SOME

The Dutchmen lost a whopping 50.3 ppg from last year’s squad via the graduations of Juan’ya Green (17.8 ppg), Ameen Tanksley 15.9 ppg), Denton Koon (11.4 ppg) and Malik Nichols (5.2 ppg). But they have “found” 55.6 ppg this season via five players who didn’t play for the team in 2015-16, plus the emergence of sophomore Justin Wright-Foreman. 

Justin Wright-Foreman (16.1)***

Eli Pemberton (12.8)

Deron Powers (12.7)

Ty Greer (6.0)

Hunter Sabety (4.3)

Jamall Robinson (3.7)

***The Wright-Foreman average subtracts the 1.2 ppg he averaged last season to better account for the “found” points.

PEMBERTON HITS THE TOP 5

Eli Pemberton, who was the first Hofstra freshman since Antoine Agudio (2004-05) to open his career by scoring in double digits in his first five games, is already the 19th Dutchmen freshman in the CAA era to score at least 100 points in his debut season. He ranks fifth on the CAA-era freshman scoring list and is 17 points shy of surpassing Loren Stokes for fourth place.

1.) Antoine Agudio, 452 (2004-05)

2.) Charles Jenkins, 436 (2007-08)

3.) Kenny Adeleke, 433 (2001-02)

4.) Loren Stokes, 374 (2003-04)

5.) ELI PEMBERTON, 358 (2016-17)

6.) Chaz Williams, 325 (2009-10)

7.) Jamall Robinson, 312 (2013-14)

8.) Halil Kanacevic, 294 (2009-10)

9.) Carlos Rivera, 226 (2003-04)

10.) Nathaniel Lester, 189 (2007-08)

THINGS YOU CAN SHOUT ON TWITTER IF CALLS GO DO NOT GO HOFSTRA’S WAY

This is probably the last time Daniel Dixon can hurt us bias! (Probably, there’s always the possibility of re-rematch in the CAA Tournament, or Dixon gaining 10 more years of eligibility)

Our coaches loathe each other bias! (C’mon folks, pay attention)

You also have alums coaching in the NFL bias! (Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin and new Bills head coach Sean McDermott both played at William & Mary)

Not that Marcus Thornton bias! (The William & Mary Marcus Thornton is in Italy. The other non-William & Mary Marcus Thornton was traded to the Nets this week and promptly waived.)

I’ll Be Quirky: UNCW

Poor Casey Stanley looks tired after fielding all those "wrong number" calls to his hotel room last night.

A late comeback by the Flying Dutchmen fell just short Thursday night, when they trailed by 15 points with eight minutes remaining yet had the ball with a chance to take the lead in the final seconds of a 76-72 loss to Charleston. The Dutchmen will get one more chance to take on a CAA title contender this afternoon, when they host defending league champion UNC Wilmington (it still hurts) in the Senior Day home finale at the Arena. Doesn’t it seem early for a home finale? It is. Here’s  quick look back at the loss to the Cougars and a look ahead to the Seahawks.

THE MOST RECENT GAME SUMMARIZED IN ONE PARAGRAPH

Justin Wright-Foreman scored a game-high 26 points (ho hum) but had his potential go-ahead 3-pointer “blocked” with four seconds left as the Dutchmen fell short against Charleston. Replays showed Charleston’s Nick Harris appeared to hit Wright-Foreman’s arm as he shot. Joe Mihalich earned a technical for arguing the call and the Cougars hit two free throws to cover the spread and either infuriate or enthrall degenerate gamblers throughout the land. Brian Bernardi scored 21 points on seven 3-pointers, one shy of his single-game school record, while Rokas Gustys had 16 points (his most in conference play this season) and 12 rebounds in his first double-double since Jan. 26. Deron Powers had two points but collected 11 assists the most by a Hofstra player this season.

3 STARS OF THE GAME (vs. Charleston 2/16)

3: Justin Wright-Foreman

2: Brian Bernardi

1: Rokas Gustys

SEASON STANDINGS

Justin Wright-Foreman 48

Deron Powers 31

Eli Pemberton 26

Brian Bernardi 23

Rokas Gustys 19

Ty Greer 9

Hunter Sabety 7

Jamall Robinson 5

THE RACE FOR THE LAST BYE

Despite losing on Thursday, the Dutchmen still retain slim hopes of earning a first-round bye in the CAA Tournament and getting out of “Pillowfight Friday.” Northeastern lost to UNC Wilmington on Thursday, which leaves the Dutchmen two games behind the Huskies with three games to play. The Dutchmen would win any tiebreaker with Northeastern by virtue of sweeping the season series. Here are are bottom of the CAA standings entering today.

6.) Northeastern 7-8

7.) James Madison 6-9

8.) HOFSTRA 5-10

9.) Delaware 5-10

10.) Drexel 3-12

The Dutchmen are technically the eighth seed at the moment by virtue of their season sweep of Delaware. The Dutchmen are 0-1 against James Madison, whom they visit in the regular season finale next Saturday. 

SLOW START, FAST FINISH?

The Dutchmen, Delaware and Drexel all went 1-6 through seven CAA games this season, but at 5-10 in league play, both the Dutchmen and Delaware have already exceeded the average finish of the 22 teams that opened 1-6 or worse between 2001-02 and 2015-16. Those 22 teams finished with an average of 3.5 CAA wins.

In addition, the Dutchmen and Delaware have also matched or exceeded the CAA win total of 18 of their predecessors. The Dutchmen and Blue Hens are trying to become the fourth and fifth teams to win as many as six CAA games after starting 1-6 or worse. William & Mary finished 7-11 in 2012-13 while James Madison (2001-02) and Northeastern (2010-11) each went 6-12.

ROK NATION BACK?

Junior Rokas Gustys, in his second game back following a four-game absence due to an undisclosed injury, scored 16 points (on 8-of-11 shooting) and pulled down 12 rebounds on Thursday night. The 16 points and eight field goals were the most for Gustys since he scored 20 points and hit nine field goals against St. Bonaventure on Dec. 6. The double-double was the fourth of the CAA season for Gustys, who had five double-doubles in non-league play. 

WRIGHT-FOREMAN’S SOPHOMORE SURGE

Sophomore guard Justin Wright-Foreman scored a team- and game-high 26 points on Saturday. It was the eighth straight game in which Wright-Foreman has at least shared the team lead in points, the 10th time he has done so during CAA play and the 13th time overall this season.

       

Wright-Foreman has played at least 10 minutes in every game but one this season and has scored in double figures in 22 of 28 games, including the last 18. He scored more than four points and played more than 10 points in just one game last season, when he collected nine points in 17 minutes against Division II Molloy. 

Wright-Foreman, who scored 44 points in 27 games last season, has scored 477 points this season, which is already the fourth-most by a Hofstra sophomore in the CAA era. He moved past Rokas Gustys and Kenny Adeleke on Thursday night. Wright-Foreman has averaged 21.6 points over his last 18 games. If he maintains that pace over the four guaranteed games the Dutchmen have left (four regular season games and one CAA tournament game), he would surpass Loren Stokes for third place on the list and finish just two points behind Antoine Agudio.

The only players in the top 10 to score fewer points as a freshman than Wright-Foreman are David Imes, who scored 25 points as a freshman in 2009-10 before scoring 251 points as a sophomore, and Ziggy Sestokas, who scored 29 points as a freshman in 2005-06 before scoring 219 points as a sophomore.

1.) Charles Jenkins 629 (2009-10)

2.) Antoine Agudio 566 (2005-06)

3.) Loren Stokes 549 (2004-05)

4.) JUSTIN WRIGHT-FOREMAN 477 (2016-17)

5.) Kenny Adeleke 468 (2002-03) 

6.) Rokas Gustys 459 (2015-16)

7.) Mike Radziejewski 265 (2002-03)

8.) David Imes 251 (2010-11)

9.) Woody Souffrant 244 (2002-03)

10.) Ziggy Sestokas 219 (2006-07)

WRIGHT-FOREMAN GOING NATIONAL

With 477 points this season, Wright-Foreman enters today 22nd among sophomores in scoring, according to College Basketball Reference. Only one player ahead of Wright-Foreman scored fewer than 100 points as a freshman last season. Albany’s David Nichols, who has 478 points this season, scored 40 points in 15 games last year.

OVER THE AIR

Today's game will be broadcast live on SNY (and other American Sports Network affiliates outside the New York area). Hofstra will provide a radio feed of today’s game at the Pride Productions hub.

IT REALLY DOES GET LATE EARLY AROUND HERE

Today’s game marks the earliest regular season home finale for the Dutchmen in the CAA era. The previous earliest home finale took place during the 2003-04 season, when the Dutchmen exited the Arena by edging James Madison, 65-61, on Feb. 21.

This is the earliest regular season home finale for the Dutchmen since the 2000-01 season, the program’s last in the America East. The Dutchmen beat Hartford, 73-54, on Feb. 11, though they did play one more game at home four Saturdays later. You might remember it. 

FUN FINALE?

The home finale has traditionally been a happy occasion for both the Flying Dutchmen and Joe Mihalich. The Dutchmen are 20-3 in home finales in the DD era (1993-present) with the lone losses being absorbed in 1994 (Army won 87-76), 2001 (Towson won 61-60) and 2013 (Delaware won 57-56).

In addition, Mihalich is 16-2 in regular season home finales as a head coach and has a 10-game winning streak dating back to the 2006 season, when Niagara lost to Manhattan, 82-81. The only other time a Mihalich-coached team lost a home finale was 2001, when Niagara fell to Canisius, 85-70.

SENIOR DAY FOR POWERS AND BERNARDI

The Dutchmen will honor their two seniors, Brian Bernardi and Deron Powers, prior to the game. Bernardi is on pace to become just the third player in the last 10 years to start every game in which he plays for Hofstra (after Antoine Agudio and Charles Jenkins). Powers, the third senior to play one season at Hofstra under Mihalich, likely would have joined graduate transfers Zeke Upshaw (2013-14) and Denton Koon (2015-16) as one-year seniors to start every game but came off the bench due to illness on Jan. 7.

For more on Bernardi and Powers, check out today’s feature on the seniors.

SCOUTING UNC WILMINGTON

The Seahawks, under third-year head coach Kevin Keatts, are 23-5 this season and sit alone atop the CAA with a 12-3 record in league play. The 23 wins are a school record. UNC Wilmington blew almost all of a 20-point lead Thursday before hanging on to edge Northeastern, 66-65. It was the second straight one-point decision and the third such game in the last five contests for the Seahawks, who fell to Elon 77-76 last Saturday and lost to Charleston, 67-66, on Feb. 2.

The Dutchmen and Seahawks had one mutual foe during non-league play. The Dutchmen fell to St. Bonaventure, 81-75, while UNC Wilmington edged the Bonnies, 81-80.

Per the wise guys in Vegas, for entertainment purposes only, the Seahawks are 5-point favorites.

UNC Wilmington won the first game this season against the Dutchmen on Jan. 14, when the Seahawks came back from an eight-point first half deficit and held off a late rally to earn an 84-76 win. The Dutchmen trailed by three points in the final minute.

The Dutchmen are third among CAA teams in scoring (76.9 ppg) but are allowing 76.5 ppg, the third-most in the league.

The Dutchmen rank seventh in the CAA in field goal percentage (44.4%), less than one-hundredth of a percentage point behind both sixth-place Towson and fifth-place James Madison, and third in 3-point field goal percentage (36.9%) They are allowing opposing teams to shoot 46.0 percent overall, eighth in the league, and 37.0 percent from beyond the arc, which is last. 

The Seahawks lead the CAA in scoring (85.1 ppg) and are allowing 74.4 ppg, which is seventh in the league.

The Seahawks are second in the CAA in field goal percentage (48.0%) and fourth in 3-point field goal percentage (36.1%). They are last in field goal percentage defense (47.4%) and third in 3-point field goal percentage defense (33.7%).

ALL-TIME VS. UNC WILMINGTON

Hofstra is 18-18 against UNC Wilmington in a series that began when the Dutchmen joined the CAA prior to the 2001-02 season. The Seahawks are looking for their first season sweep of the Dutchmen since 2007-08. UNC Wilmington has won three of the last four games between the teams, including an 80-73 overtime win in the CAA championship game last Mar. 7. *cries more* 

REPLACING THE MISSING SCORING—AND THEN SOME

The Dutchmen lost a whopping 50.3 ppg from last year’s squad via the graduations of Juan’ya Green (17.8 ppg), Ameen Tanksley 15.9 ppg), Denton Koon (11.4 ppg) and Malik Nichols (5.2 ppg). But they have “found” 55.5 ppg this season via five players who didn’t play for the team in 2015-16, plus the emergence of sophomore Justin Wright-Foreman. 

Justin Wright-Foreman (15.8)***

Eli Pemberton (12.6)

Deron Powers (12.6)

Ty Greer (6.2)

Hunter Sabety (4.4)

Jamall Robinson (3.9)

***The Wright-Foreman average subtracts the 1.2 ppg he averaged last season to better account for the “found” points.

PEMBERTON HITS THE TOP 5

Eli Pemberton, who was the first Hofstra freshman since Antoine Agudio (2004-05) to open his career by scoring in double digits in his first five games, is already the 19th Dutchmen freshman in the CAA era to score at least 100 points in his debut season. He ranks fifth on the CAA-era freshman scoring list.

1.) Antoine Agudio, 452 (2004-05)

2.) Charles Jenkins, 436 (2007-08)

3.) Kenny Adeleke, 433 (2001-02)

4.) Loren Stokes, 374 (2003-04)

5.) ELI PEMBERTON, 341 (2016-17)

6.) Chaz Williams, 325 (2009-10)

7.) Jamall Robinson, 312 (2013-14)

8.) Halil Kanacevic, 294 (2009-10)

9.) Carlos Rivera, 226 (2003-04)

10.) Nathaniel Lester, 189 (2007-08)

THINGS YOU CAN SHOUT ON TWITTER IF CALLS GO DO NOT GO HOFSTRA’S WAY

Dawson’s Creek bias! (I learned this week that One Tree Hill was not the only CW/WB teen drama shot in Wilmington)

Jerry Wainwright bias! (He was the coach when UNC Wilmington ruled the CAA during Hofstra’s early years in the league)

Coach Casey Stanley is a dork bias! (The UNCW assistant made a Hofstra football joke on Twitter yesterday)

Kevin Keatts was nice to my wife and daughter last year bias! (He crouched down to say hi to Molly after the CAA title game last year and made a graceful exit after seeing my wife wearing a Hofstra T-shirt and a forlorn look)