The Flying Dutchmen closed out one of their most successful non-conference performances of the CAA era Saturday, when they cruised to a 107-54 win over Division III Rosemont. The games really begin to count tonight, when the Dutchmen open CAA play against old rival Delaware. Here’s a look back at the win over Rosemont. Later today, we’ll take a look back at the non-conference season and a look ahead to the Fightin’ Blue Hens.
THE MOST RECENT GAME SUMMARIZED IN ONE PARAGRAPH
The Dutchmen spotted Rosemont the game’s first four points before taking control and earning the program’s most lopsided win of the Division I era. Kenny Wormley, who hadn’t played in any of the previous eight games, led all players with a career-high 20 points. Jacquil Taylor (18 points on 7-of-7 shooting from the field and 4-of-4 shooting from the line in just 12 minutes) and walk-on Connor Klementowicz (nine points) also registered new career highs while Desure Buie (13 points on 4-of-4 shooting from the field and 2-of-2 shootings from the line) collected the rare points-assists double-double. Justin Wright-Foreman had 14 points in just 22 minutes while Stafford Trueheart added a career-high 13 rebounds.
3 STARS OF THE GAME (vs. Rosemont 12/22)
3: Jacquil Taylor
2: Desure Buie
1: Kenny Wormley
SEASON STANDINGS
Justin Wright-Foreman 34
Eli Pemberton 12
Tareq Coburn 10
Desure Buie 9
Jacquil Taylor 5
Jalen Ray 4
Stafford Trueheart 2
Kenny Wormley 1
Dan Dwyer 1
COACHSPEAK: “Here’s some of the things we talked about in the locker room: Taking care of business, but more importantly, we talked about respect on three levels. Respect the game, respect yourself and respect the opponent. And I thought our guys did that.”
WAS THIS A UNICORN SCORE?
Yes! Not surprisingly, since this was the most lopsided win of the Division I era. The Dutchmen have now recorded four unicorn scores this season.
11/14/18: 92-72 over North Carolina A&T
12/8/18: 89-73 over Rider
12/10/18: 80-50 over Manhattan
12/22/18: 107-54 over Rosemont
The term unicorn score was coined by Mets superfan, historian and blogger Greg Prince to describe a score by which the Mets had never previously won.
NOT-SO-RANDOM SELECTION FROM THE 1993-94 JUKEBOX
I can see clearly now, the non-conference slate is over. I can see all the #CAAHoops teams in our way… (Is it going to be a bright sunshiny day?)
EXHALE
The win over Rosemont marked the Dutchmen’s 19th straight against a non-Division I foe. The Dutchmen haven’t lost to a non-Division I opponent since a 70-54 loss to Division II Florida Southern during the 1988-89 season.
WE’RE GOING STREAKING
The Dutchmen won their seventh straight game Saturday. It is the longest winning streak for the program since an eight-game run during the 2015-16 season and the 30th time in school history the Dutchmen have won at least seven straight games.
HOME SWEET HOME
With the win over Rosemont, the Dutchmen improved to 7-0 at home this season while extending their overall home winning streak to 10 games dating back to Feb. 15. The seven straight wins to open the home schedule are the most by a Dutchmen squad since the 2006-07 team won its first eight home games. Per Hofstra SID Stephen Gorchov, the longest home winning streak for the Dutchmen in the CAA era (2001-present) is a 21-game streak from Jan. 22, 2005 to Mar. 16, 2006.
LOPSIDED WINS
The 53-point margin of victory was the largest for the Dutchmen since they joined Division I. The previous most lopsided win for the Dutchmen at the Division I level was a 102-53 victory over Southampton on Dec. 2, 1978. In addition, the margin of victory Saturday was tied for the sixth-largest in program history.
65 (75-10 USMMA, 1955-56)
59 (73-14 Queens, 1937-38)
55 (77-22 Bloomfield, 1940-41)
54 (80-26 Webb, 1951-52)
54 (95-41 Hillyer, 1951-52)
53 (88-35 Queens, 1940-41)
53 (85-32 Mitchel Field, 1941-42)
53 (107-54 Rosemont, 12/22/18)
THEY’RE GONNA SCORE TONIGHT
The 107 points by the Dutchmen were tied for the most in the shot clock era (1985-present) — the Dutchmen also scored 107 against Molloy on Nov. 30, 2017 — and tied for the most since the Dutchmen scored a program-record 118 points in a 118-88 win over over Wagner on Jan. 28, 1972 (so long ago, I wasn’t even conceived yet). It was also tied for the seventh-highest scoring effort in program history.
1/28/72: 118-88 over Wagner
1954-55: 115-68 over Delaware
1963-64: 110-59 over USMMA
1967-68: 109-76 over Susquehanna
1966-67: 109-89 over USMMA
1963-64: 109-78 over Western Maryland
12/22/18: 107-54 over Rosemont
11/30/17: 107-72 over Molloy
DOING THE WORMLEY
With his career-high 20 points Saturday, Kenny Wormley became only the second player other than Justin Wright-Foreman or Eli Pemberton to lead the Dutchmen in scoring over the last 57 games dating back to Jan. 14, 2017, when Deron Powers had 20 points in an 84-76 loss to UNC Wilmington. But Wormley is the second player other than Wright-Foreman or Pemberton to lead the Dutchmen in scoring in the last three games. Tareq Coburn collected 22 points against Manhattan on Dec. 10.
TAYLOR PULLS A LAETTNER (minus everybody hating him)
Jaquil Taylor did his best Christian Laettner impersonation Saturday by scoring 18 points on perfect shooting from the field (7-for-7) and free throw line (4-for-4). It was the most field goals and free throws without a miss for a Hofstra player in a single game in the CAA era (2001-present). A player has made at least five field goals without a miss 14 times in the CAA era — Taylor is the first player other than Rokas Gustys to achieve the feat since Ameen Tanksley on Dec. 2, 2014 — but only Kenny Adeleke was also perfect from the line, and he had just two free throw attempts against Illinois State on Nov. 25, 2001.
Jacquil Taylor 7/7 vs. Rosemont 12/22/18
Rokas Gustys 5/5 vs. UNCW 3/4/18 (CAA Tournament)
Rokas Gustys 6/6 vs. Northeastern 1/25/18
Rokas Gustys 8/8 vs. Towson 2/18/16
Rokas Gustys 5/5 vs. St. Bonaventure 11/28/15
Rokas Gustys 6/6 vs. Vermont 3/18/15
Ameen Tanksley 9/9 vs. Norfolk State 12/2/14
Darren Payen 6/6 vs. Fairleigh Dickinson 11/10/13
Stephen Nwaukoni 5/5 vs. Belmont 11/24/13
Stephen Nwaukoni 5/5 vs. Cleveland State 11/26/11
Greg Washington 6/6 vs. William & Mary 1/22/11
David Imes 8/8 vs. Drexel 1/3/11
Adrian Uter 6/6 vs. Nebraska 3/16/06
Kenny Adeleke 6/6 vs. Illinois State 11/25/01
DIMES FOR DESURE
Desure Buie didn’t just join a select club Saturday, he likely created one. Buie was also perfect from the field (4-for-4) and free throw line (2-for-2) while tying a career-high with 10 assists. It is very likely no Hofstra player in the CAA era has ever been perfect from the field while collecting at least 10 assists. The only 10-assist player whose shooting line I could not confirm was Woody Souffrant, who had a pair of 10-assist games during the 2001-02 season. Alas, I couldn’t find those boxscores.
RESPECT, WALK-ON, ARE YOU TALKING TO HIM?
Junior walk-on Connor Klementowicz, who entered Saturday with six career points in 23 minutes of action spread out over 13 games, scored nine points in 17 minutes Saturday. The nine points were technically the most by a walk-on since Anthony Noble scored 15 points against UNC Wilmington on Feb. 15, 2003. But Noble was not a traditional walk-on that season, during which he scored 85 points while playing in 24 games before transferring to SUNY-Stony Brook. Other than Noble, the only other walk-on in the Defiantly Dutch era (1993-present) to score at least nine points in a game was Tom Marich, who had nine points against Drexel on Jan. 6, 1996. That was the Shaq of the NAC era!
SCHUTTE JOINS THE HOFSTRA SCORING LIST
The Hofstra scoring list isn’t a thing—yet—but redshirt freshman Kevin Schutte joined it by registering his first career points on a dunk with 3:40 left in the first half. Schutte, appearing in his fifth game, finished with six points.
ALL BY HIMSELF
With his 14 points against Rosemont, Justin Wright-Foreman extended his streak of double-digit scoring efforts to 66 straight games, the most by a Hofstra player since 1989-90 (as far back as my records go, at least at home). In addition, Wright-Foreman’s streak is now the second-longest active streak in Division I, per Hofstra SID Stephen Gorchov.
Justin Wright-Foreman: 66 straight games 12/11/16-present
Charles Jenkins 58 straight games 12/12/09-3/15/11***
Antoine Agudio 48 straight games 3/6/06-1/17/08****
Juan’ya Green: 43 straight games 11/14/14-12/9/15
Loren Stokes 41 straight games 2/20/06-3/14/07***
Loren Stokes: 34 straight games 1/14/04-1/31/05
***streak ended with the end of the player’s Hofstra career
****Agudio had three DNPs during his streak
JWF IS A TOP TEN HIT
Justin Wright-Foreman remained in ninth place on the all-time Hofstra scoring list Saturday. He is 118 points away from eighth-place David Taylor, so Wright-Foreman will probably spend multiple games in ninth place. Probably.
8.) David Taylor 1,818 (1979-83)
9.) JUSTIN WRIGHT-FOREMAN 1,701 (2015-present)
10.) Norman Richardson 1,677 (1997-2001)
11.) Frank Walker 1,437 (1985-89)
12.) Leroy Allen 1,435 (1983-87)
A “QUIET” GAME FOR JWF
Justin Wright-Foreman was held to 14 points Saturday for the second time int he last three games. He also had 14 points against Manhattan on Dec. 10. The 14 points are tied for the second-fewest Wright-Foreman has scored during his double-digit scoring streak. He had 11 points against James Madison on Feb. 22, 2018. He has scored fewer than 20 points just 16 times since his streak began Dec. 11, 2016 and been limited to 15 points or fewer only nine times.
INJURED ELI STALLS OUT
Eli Pemberton, the newest member of the Hofstra 1,000-point club, didn’t play Saturday due to an undisclosed injury suffered against SUNY-Stony Brook on Dec. 19. Pemberton is tied with Percy Johnson for 34th place on the all-time scoring list at 1,045 points. Health permitting, Pemberton enters tonight within striking distance of Darius Burton for 33rd place (16 points) and Derrick Flowers for 32nd place (25 points).
32.) Derrick Flowers 1,069 (1987-91)
33.) Darius Burton 1,060 (1993-97)
34t.) ELI PEMBERTON 1,045 (2016-present)
34t.) Percy Johnson 1,045 (1950-53)
36.) Jim Shaffer 1,022 (1991-95)
37.) John Irving 1,018 (1974-77)
A DESURE THING
Desure Buie drained both of his free throw attempts Wednesday night and has hit his last 30 free throws dating back to Nov. 11. Buie’s streak is the third-longest of the Joe Mihalich Era (2013-present), ranking behind only Brian Bernardi, who sank 32 straight free throws during the 2016-17 season, and Justin Wright-Foreman, who hit 31 straight free throws spanning the 2016-17 and 2017-18 seasons.
Brian Bernardi, 32-for-32 (12/11/16-2/25/17)
Justin Wright-Foreman, 31-for-31 (2/11/17-11/10/17)***
DESURE BUIE, 30-for-30 (11/11/18-present)
Juan’ya Green 24-for-24 (11/22/15-12/6/15)
Dion Nesmith 23-for-23 (11/25/14-1/13/15)
***Wright-Foreman hit his final 29 free throw attempts of the 2016-17 season and his first two attempts of the 2017-18 season
For the season, Buie is shooting a robust 94.6 percent (35-of-37) from the line, which, through Wednesday’s games had him in a flat-footed tie with Oklahoma State’s Lindy Waters III, who was also 35-of-37. At his current rate, Buie would break the Hofstra single-season record for free throw percentage of 91.3 percent, which was set by Steve Nisenson during the 1963-64 season. Nisenson and Brian Appel (90.5 percent during the 1977-78 season) are the only players to shoot at least 90 percent from the line over a full season for the Dutchmen (minimum two free throws made per game).
THE BEST THINGS IN LIFE ARE FREE (which unfortunately was released in 1992)
It’s early, but you’re not wrong if you’re thinking you’ve never seen a Dutchmen team shoot free throws this well. The Dutchmen were 14-of-21 from the line against Rosemont, which actually dropped their season-long percentage to 79.3 percent. But that was, and I can’t believe I’m typing these words, still the third-best percentage in the country through Tuesday’s games. The Dutchmen rank just behind Incarnate Word (80.2 percent) and Toledo (80.1 percent) and are ahead of La Salle (78.8 percent) and Nicholls State (78.6 percent). At this rate, the Dutchmen would shatter the program record for free throw percentage set by the 2010-11 team, which drained 76.1 percent of its free throws.
In addition, as reader Evan Jones notes, the Dutchmen are just behind the pace set last season by William & Mary, which set the single-season CAA record by shooting .810 from the free throw line. Technically, the Tribe were at 81.049 percent (479-for-591).
Last year’s Dutchmen shot 68.2 percent from the free throw line. But subtracting Rokas Gustys’ performance (45-of-120, 37.5 percent), the Dutchmen would have shot 74.7 percent, which would have been the third-best single-season mark in program history.
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