Live look Thursday at the Dutchmen and the Dragons.
Turns out last-second shots are a lot like making fun of other kids. It’s not as much fun when it happens to you. The Flying Dutchmen fell in the waning moments again Thursday night, when Kevin Anderson drove the length of the floor and hit the tie-breaking basket with 0.3 seconds left to lift Delaware to a 73-71 win. The Dutchmen will look to snap their first regular season losing streak in almost two years this afternoon, when they host Drexel. Here’s a look back at the losses to the Blue Hens and Charleston and a look ahead to the Dragons.
THE MOST RECENT GAME SUMMARIZED IN ONE PARAGRAPH
The Flying Dutchmen fell behind by nine points in the first half, went on an 18-0 run, gave up a 14-0 run, trailed at the half, fell behind by 11 points in the second half and took the lead three times in the waning minutes before Anderson experienced no resistance at all on his way to the game-winning basket. It was an eventful night. Desure Buie had a team-high 19 points and a game-high six assists for the Dutchmen while Isaac Kante (16 points, nine rebounds) flirted with another double-double despite playing a little more than 28 minutes due to foul trouble (did we mention Delaware committed the game’s first eight fouls before the Dutchmen out-fouled the Blue Hens 17-10 the rest of the way?) Jalen Ray and Eli Pemberton had 11 points each, albeit on just 7-of-24 shooting combined, while Stafford Trueheart had seven points, five rebounds and a whopping +18 in a little more than 15 minutes.
3 STARS OF THE GAME (vs. Delaware 1/23)
3: Desure Buie
2: Isaac Kante
1: Stafford Trueheart
SEASON STANDINGS
Desure Buie 41
Eli Pemberton 27
Isaac Kante 22
Tareq Coburn 19
Jalen Ray 13
Stafford Trueheart 2
Omar Silverio 2
COACHSPEAK: “We weren’t tough for 40 minutes tonight. We had stretches of toughness. We came out soft and we had some soft stretches in the second half. The game honors toughness. This game honors toughness. And if you’re not tough, you’re going to be successful.”
THIS IS THE 25TH ANNIVERSARY OF FRIENDS’ FIRST SEASON, WHAT WOULD THIS GAME BE TITLED IF IT WAS AN EPISODE OF FRIENDS?
The One With All The Runs Before We Made Kevin Anderson Look Like Danny Ainge
THE FLYING DUTCHMEN AFTER TWENTY-ONE GAMES
With their second straight last-second loss, the Dutchmen fell to 14-7. This ties the 2019-20 team for the 21st-best record through 21 games. Five other teams began 14-7, most recently the 2014-1 squad. Here is how some other notable Hofstra teams have fared through 20 games:
NCAA DIVISION I TOURNAMENT TEAMS
1975-76: 11-10 (over .500 for good)
1976-77: 15-6 (win in 21st game marked first win of nine-game winning streak that carried Dutchmen into the NCAAs)
1999-2000: 16-5 (win in 21st game marked ninth win of 10-game winning streak)
2000-01: 17-4 (win in 21st game marked ninth win in program-record 18-game winning streak)
NIT TEAMS
1998-99: 14-7
2004-05: 14-7
2005-06: 17-4 (most recent 17-4 start)
2006-07: 16-5 (most recent 16-5 start)
2015-16: 15-6
2018-19: 18-3 (win in 21st game marked 15th win in the 16-game winning streak)
NCAA DIVISION II TOURNAMENT TEAMS
1958-59: 16-5
1961-62: 18-3 (only other 18-3 start)
1962-63: 15-6 (fourth win of 11-game winning streak)
1963-64: 17-4
Some other notable 21-game records:
2017-18: 12-9 (most recent 12-9 start)
2016-17: 10-11 (most recent 10-11 start; win in 21st game snapped Mihalich-era record six-game losing streak)
2013-14: 7-14 (most recent 7-14 start, Joe Mihalich’s first team)
2012-13: 5-16 (most recent 5-16 start)
2009-10: 9-12 (most recent 9-12 start, season-low three games under .500)
1988-89: 8-13 (most recent 8-13 start)
2001-02: 10-11 (last time within one win of .500, Tom Pecora’s first team)
1997-98: 13-8 (most recent 13-8 start)
1996-97: 10-11 (under .500 for good)
1995-96: 7-14 (loss in 21st game marked seventh loss of Jay Wright-era record nine-game losing streak)
1994-95: 6-15 (most recent 6-15 start, Jay Wright’s first year)
1993-94: 4-17 (most recent 4-17 start, VBK’s last year)
1991-92: 13-8 (win in 21st game was second in nine-game winning streak that ended in ECC title game)
1987-88: 4-17 (loss in 21st game was 11th loss of program-record 12-game losing streak)
1984-95: 11-10 (most recent 11-10 start)
1974-75: 8-13 (last loss of season)
1972-73: 8-13 (last win of season)
1971-72: 11-10 (over .500 for the last time, last win of season)
1970-71: 13-8 (last loss of season)
1959-60: 20–1 (most recent 20-1 start & Hofstra’s winningest team, percentage-wise; win in 21st game was 10th win of season-ending 13-game winning streak)
1944-45: 8-13 (lost season finale)
1939-40: 12-9 (won season finale)
Hofstra has never been 21-0, 3-18, 2-19, 1-20 or 0-21 through 21 games.
The following seasons were completed in fewer than 21 games: 1947-48 (13-6), 1945-46 (12-7), 1943-44 (7-12), 1940-41 (13-7), 1938-39 (10-8), 1937-38 (10-4), 1936-37 (10-7)
Full records not available for the following seasons: 1941-42, 1942-43, 1948-49, 1951-52, 1954-55, 1957-58
This feature is inspired by Greg Prince, who measures how the current Mets compare, record-wise, to previous teams through the same point in the season.
WE’RE STREAKING (but not in the good way)
The back-to-back losses to Charleston and Delaware mark the first time the Dutchmen have lost consecutive regular season games since Jan. 20-25, 2018, when they were beaten by Charleston (76-70) and Northeastern (81-67). It’s the longest Hofstra has gone between regular season losing streaks since joining the CAA prior to the 2001-02 season. The Dutchmen went without a multi-game regular season losing streak between a four-game skid from Jan. 8-19, 2005 and a season-opening three-game streak from Nov. 11-23, 2006.
TEAM BARBASOL
The Dutchmen played their fourth straight game decided by two points on Thursday. That’s the longest streak of games decided by two points or fewer since a four-game run during the 1978-79 season. I didn’t even know what a Hofstra was back then!
12/19/78: Florida 68-67 W
12/23/78: Manhattan 72-70 W
1/4/79: Rider 62-60 L
1/10/79: Saint Peter’s 70-69 L
The Dutchmen haven’t played five straight games decided by two points or fewer since December 1976:
12/11/76: Southern Illinois 67-66 W
12/16/76: St. Francis (NY) 95-94 W
12/18/76: Rhode Island 87-86 L
12/20/76: Catholic 79-77 W
12/27/76: Villanova 64-62 L
The run of four straight games decided by two points or fewer is the longest in the CAA since Delaware had a six-game streak from Feb. 11-27, 2013.
ISAAC KAN DO
Through 21 games, Isaac Kante has quietly matched the performance of his predecessor, Jacquil Taylor. Kante is averaging 10.4 points and 7.4 rebounds over 27.6 minutes while collecting five double-doubles. Through 21 games last season, Taylor was averaging 7.0 points and 7.8 rebounds over 23.9 minutes with one double-double. Now Kante needs to match what Taylor did down the stretch, when the graduate transfer averaged a double-double (10.6 points and 10.2 rebounds over 30.8 minutes) in the final 14 games.
COBURN GOES HOT AND COLD
Tareq Coburn scored 10 points in the first 2:33 of last Saturday’s game against Charleston, which was by far the fastest a Hofstra player has reached double digits since the start of the 2019-19 season. Justin Wright-Foreman needed 6:07 to score 10 points against Marshall on Nov. 11, 2018.
Coburn reached 13 points in just 3:37 and scored 16 points in the first half but didn’t score again. The 16 points without scoring in the second half were the most by a Hofstra player since Coburn scored all 21 of his points against Elon in the first half on Feb. 7, 2019. Coburn has scored in double figures in the first half without scoring gain three times. He also had 10 points against San Diego on Nov 27.
The streakiness continued Thursday, when Coburn was limited to five points in a little more than 23 minutes. He is just 1-of-9 from the field since his 3-pointer with 4:49 left in the first half last Saturday.
SCUFFLING PEMBERTON
Eli Pemberton endured one of his worst shooting games last Saturday when he was held to two points while going 1-of-8 from the field. It was just the second time Pemberton has made one or fewer field goals while taking at least eight attempts. He was 1-of-9 against UNC Wilmington in the CAA quarterfinals on Mar. 4, 2018. Pemberton was a bit better Thursday, when he scored 11 points on 4-of-14 shooting against Delaware. Still, this is the first time he’s been held to five or fewer field goals over a two-game span since he was a combined 5-of-13 against Rider and Manhattan from Dec. 8-10, 2018.
SURGING STAFFORD
Stafford Trueheart, who didn’t play the previous two games, scored seven points and pulled down five rebounds in 16 minutes Thursday. The seven points were more than Trueheart had scored in his previous five games (five points) combined dating back to Dec. 22 while the 16 minutes matched hist most in a CAA game this season.
A GAME OF RUNS
Call it the Taco Bell game. The Dutchmen went on an 18-0 run Thursday, their longest run since a 19-0 run against Charleston last Feb. 14. Alas, the Dutchmen lost, meaning they had a run of at least 10 unanswered points in a loss for the first time since Mar. 3, 2017, when they had a 10-0 run in an 81-76 loss to Delaware in the first round of the CAA Tournament. Maybe we shouldn’t have runs against Delaware anymore. The Blue Hens also had a 14-0 run later in the first half, the second-longest of the season against the Dutchmen, who surrendered a 20-0 run in a 73-45 loss to St. Bonaventure on Dec. 7.
NO ANSWER FOR MUTTS
Delaware’s Justyn Mutts had a monster game Thursday, when he scored 30 points while going 14-of-17 (82.4 percent) from the field. It’s just the 10th time the Dutchmen have allowed an opposing player to shoot 80 percent or better from the field (minimum 10 attempts) since 2010-11, the first season of game data at CollegeBasketballReference.com. Mutts’ percentage is also the highest amongst any opposing player who had more than 13 attempts from the field in that span.
DURABLE DESURE
Desure Buie won’t have to wait long today to set a school record. Assuming he’s on the court for the opening tip, Buie will appear in his 129th game, breaking a tie for first place all-time with Charles Jenkins and Nathaniel Lester. And assuming good health, Buie will get a chance to shatter the record, since the Dutchmen are scheduled to play at least another 10 games (nine regular season games and one CAA Tournament game) after today. Buie played eight games in 2016-17 before suffering a knee injury and receiving a redshirt.
BUIE MOVING ON UP (part one)
Desure Buie continued climbing the all-time scoring list over the last two games, when he vaulted past Darius Burton into 34th place by scoring 19 points against Charleston and moved ahead of Derrick Flowers into 33rd place by scoring another 19 points against Delaware. Buie enters today needing six points to move past Ameen Tanksley into 32nd place and 23 points to surpass Richie Swartz for 31st place.
31.) Richie Swartz 1,107 (1959-62)
32.) Ameen Tanksley 1,090 (2014-16)
33.) DESURE BUIE 1,085 (2016-present)
34.) Derrick Flowers 1,069 (1987-91)
35.) Darius Burton 1,060 (1993-97)
36.) Percy Johnson 1,045 (1950-53)
37.) James Shaffer, 1,022 (1991-95)
38.) John Irving 1,018 (1974-77)
BUIE MOVING ON UP (parts two and three)
Desure Buie could move up two more lists today as well. Buie enters tis afternoon seventh on the program’s all-time list with 460 assists, which leaves him just three behind Juan’ya Green. And he is also seventh in steals with 179, just one behind Loren Stokes.
SO WHO HAS A DOUBLE-DIGIT SCORING STREAK NOW?
Justin Wright-Foreman, as you may or may not recall, ended his Hofstra career by scoring in double figures in each of his last 88 games. The longest such streak now belongs to Desure Buie, who has 17 straight double-digit efforts.
NO REST FOR THE WEARY
According to KenPom.com, the Dutchmen enter today ranked last out of 353 Division I teams in bench usage (16.4 percentage of minutes).
OVER THE AIR
Today’s game will be aired on FloHoops.com (subscription). Hofstra will carry live audio and offer live stats here.
SCOUTING DREXEL
The Dragons, under fourth-year head coach Zach Spiker, are 12-9 this season and 5-3 in CAA play after their three-game winning streak was snapped with an 85-52 loss to Northeastern on Thursday. Drexel absorbed the most lopsided loss of the CAA season one game after beating previously unbeaten William & Mary, 84-57, in the third game of the CAA season decided by 27 points.
The Dutchmen and Dragons had one common foe in non-league play. Hofstra beat Princeton, 87-72 on Dec. 19 while Drexel handed the Tigers an 82-76 loss on Dec 4.
Both teams have beaten UNC Wilmington, James Madison and Elon in CAA play and fallen to Charleston. The Dutchmen beat Northeastern and Towson, both of whom beat Drexel, and fell to William & Mary and Delaware, each of whom were beaten by the Dragons.
The Dutchmen, who were picked first in the CAA preseason poll, are ranked 153rd at KenPom.com. The Dragons, who were picked eighth, are ranked 218th at KenPom.com.
According to KenPom.com, the Dutchmen rank fourth in the CAA in league-only offensive efficiency (108.2) and sixth in defensive efficiency (105.6). The Dragons rank eighth in the CAA in league-only offensive efficiency (101.2) and second in defensive efficiency (99.9).
Sophomore guard Camren Wynter, who grew up in Hempstead, leads the Dragons with 15.1 points and 5.3 assists per game. Junior forward James Butler is aveaging a double-double (12.6 points, 11.8 rebounds). Senior guard Zach Walton (11.9 points) is also scoring in double figures.
KenPom.com predicts a 76-69 win for the Dutchmen. Per the wise guys in Vegas, for entertainment purposes only, the Dutchmen are 8.5-point favorites. The Dutchmen are 13-7 against the spread this season.
ALL-TIME VS. DREXEL
Hofstra is 43-46 against Drexel in a series that began during the 1958-59 season. The Dutchmen swept the Dragons last season by earning an 89-75 win in Hempstead on Dec. 30 and escaping Philadelphia with an 80-77 win on Feb. 28. The season sweep was the fourth in the last five years for Hofstra, which has won 10 of the last 11 games between the teams dating back to the 2014-15 season. Today marks just the second time in that span that both teams enter the game with winning records in CAA play and the first time since Feb. 15, 2015.
The Dutchmen and Dragons have opposed one another as members of the East Coast Conference, the North Atlantic Conference/America East and the CAA. The only opponent Hofstra has faced more than Drexel is Delaware, whom the Dutchmen have played 91 times.
THINGS YOU CAN SHOUT ON TWITTER IF CALLS GO DO NOT GO HOFSTRA’S WAY
Joe Girardi bias! (We all know Terry Collins would have been a better choice)
Sweet Dee ran headfirst into a car door bias! (Know your Sunny, kids)
Zack Spiker went to college with Dane Fischer bias! (I didn’t know this until this season)
Parents Just Don’t Understand bias! (Know your Philadelphia-area rappers, kids)
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