Trask doesn't need to get doubly excited for a Saturday night game against Hofstra, but here's a halftime ceremony honoring the 2002 NCAA Tournament team anyway!
Aaron Estrada added another line to his CAA Player of the Year resume Thursday night, when he scored 30 points — including the go-ahead 3-pointer with 3:08 left — as the Flying Dutchmen edged Charleston, 76-73. The win sets up a potential midseason classic tonight, when the Dutchmen are slated to visit unbeaten UNC Wilmington. A Saturday night at UNC Wilmington, what could poss-i-bly go wrong? Here’s a look back at the win over the Cougars and a look ahead to the Seahawks.
THE MOST RECENT GAME SUMMARIZED IN ONE PARAGRAPH
The Dutchmen squandered all of a 15-point first-half lead before Aaron Estrada went all Charles Jenkins/Justin Wright-Foreman by scoring the last 14 points over the final 5:11. Estrada, who had 23 second-half points, gave the Dutchmen a pair of four-point leads before Raekwon Horton hit a 3-pointer with 1:26 left. The teams traded three misses before John Meeks, an 82.8 percent foul shooter up to that moment, was fouled with eight seconds left. Meeks missed both free throws, Estrada hit two free throws after being fouled prior to the inbounds and Meeks then missed a 3-pointer just before the buzzer. Estrada also had seven assists, five rebounds and three steals. Dubar had 16 points, including 12 in the first half, and three blocks. Omar Silverio and Zach Cooks had nine points apiece while Abayomi Iyiola scored just four points but had 12 rebounds, two steals and a block.
3 STARS OF THE GAME (vs. Charleston, 1/27)
3: Aaron Estrada
2: Darlinstone Dubar
1: Abayomi Iyiola
SEASON STANDINGS
Aaron Estrada 35
Darlinstone Dubar 25
Jalen Ray 20
Zach Cooks 16
Abayomi Iyiola 12
Omar Silverio 8
Kvonn Cramer 4
WAS THIS A UNICORN SCORE?
No! That’s four straight non-unicorn wins in a row, which sure beats not having to look up unicorn score possibilities. The Dutchmen’s most recent 76-73 win was a memorable one barely three years ago — on Jan. 11, 2018, when Jalen Ray hit a buzzer-beating 3-pointer in transition to beat Towson. This makes two straight wins whose previous final score came over a Baltimore-area opponent. Watch out, UMBC!
The Dutchmen have recorded eight unicorn score victories this season. The Dutchmen recorded no unicorn scores last season after recording 13 unicorn scores in 2019-20 and 10 unicorn scores in 2018-19. 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.
THE FLYING DUTCHMEN AFTER TWENTY GAMES
With Thursday's win, the Dutchmen improved to 13-7, which is tied for the 23rd-best start in program history. It’s the first time the Dutchmen have opened 13-7 since the 2008-09 season and just the fifth time overall in program history. Here is how some notable Hofstra teams have fared through 20 games.
NCAA DIVISION I TOURNAMENT TEAMS
1975-76: 10-10 (loss in 20th game was final regular season loss)
1976-77: 14-6
1999-2000: 15-5
2000-01: 16-4 (marked eighth win in program-record 18-game winning streak)
2019-20 (IT COUNTS TO US): 14-6 (most recent 14-6 start)
NIT TEAMS
1998-99: 13-7
2004-05: 14-6
2005-06: 16-4 (most recent 16-4 start)
2006-07: 15-5 (most recent 15-5 start)
2015-16: 14-6
2018-19: 17-3 (most recent 17-3 start, win in 20th game marked 13th win in the 16-game winning streak)
NCAA DIVISION II TOURNAMENT TEAMS
1958-59: 15-5
1961-62: 18-2 (most recent 18-2 start)
1962-63: 14-6
1963-64: 17-3
Some other notable 20-game records:
2020-21: 12-8 (most recent 12-8 start)
2016-17: 9-11 (most recent 9-11 start; loss in 20th game marked final loss of Mihalich-era record six-game losing streak)
2013-14: 7-13 (most recent 7-13 start, Joe Mihalich’s first team)
2012-13: 5-15 (most recent 5-15 start)
2007-08: 6-14 (most recent 6-14 start)
2003-04: 8-12 (most recent 8-12 start)
2001-02: 9-11 (Tom Pecora’s first team)
1996-97: 10-10 (most recent 10-10 start, last time at .500)
1995-96: 7-13 (loss in 20th game marked sixth loss of Jay Wright-era record nine-game losing streak)
1994-95: 6-14 (first 6-14 start, win in 20th game marked final win of three-game winning streak, the first winning streak of Wright’s first year)
1993-94: 3-17 (only 3-17 start, VBK’s final team)
1991-92: 12-8 (win in 20th game was first in nine-game winning streak that ended in ECC title game)
1990-91: 11-9 (most recent 11-9 start)
1987-88: 4-16 (only 4-16 start, loss in 20th game was 10th loss of program-record 12-game losing streak)
1960-61: 18-2 (first 18-2 start)
1959-60: 19-1 (most recent 19-1 start & Hofstra’s winningest team, percentage-wise; win in 20th game was ninth win of season-ending 13-game winning streak)
1955-56: 19-1 (first 19-1 start, VBK’s first year)
1944-45: 8-12 (win in penultimate game was final win of season)
1940-41: 13-7 (won regular season finale)
Hofstra has never been 20-0, 2-18, 1-19 or 0-20 through 20 games.
Six seasons were completed in fewer than 20 games:
1936-37: 10-7
1937-38: 10-4
1938-39: 10-8
1943-44: 7-12
1945-46: 12-7
1947-48: 13-6
Full records not available for the following seasons: 1936-37, 1941-42, 1942-43, 1945-46, 1948-49, 1949-50, 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.
NUMBER TEN THROUGH TWENTY
With Thursday’s win, Speedy Claxton improved to 13-7 as head coach. He is the first coach to open 13-7 at Hofstra and the seventh to post a winning record through 20 games in his first season (or the first season of a second stints). Jack McDonald steered the Dutchmen to a 15-5 start in the first (and only) season of his second stint while Butch van Breda Kolff began 19-1 in his first stint (1955-56). Paul Lynner opened 14-6 in 1962-63, Joe Harrington started 12-8 in his lone season in 1979-80 and Mo Cassara opened 14-6 in 2010-11. (Frank Reilly’s first team finished 13-6 in 1947-48)
IT’S BEEN SUCH A LONG TIME
The Dutchmen and Charleston played Thursday for the first time since Feb. 13, 2020 — a span of 713 days. A lot happened in between. It’s obviously the longest the Dutchmen have gone in between playing a conference foe. The previous longest gap between conference games for Hofstra in the CAA was a 414-day span between games against James Madison on Jan. 5, 2006 and Feb. 24, 2007. Gaps of a year-plus between games against conference foes could return next year, when the round-robin schedule is likely to disappear when the CAA expands to 12 teams.
WINNERS WIN
The win over Charleston broke the all-time series tie (the Dutchmen now lead it 8-7) just 10 days after a win over Drexel snapped the all-time series tie there (the Dutchmen lead it 48-47) and resulted in this terrific note from loyal reader EvanJ: Hofstra now has the all-time series lead against every current CAA opponent and against every future CAA opponent except Monmouth (tied 6-6) and Hampton (never played). Like certain other things in American life, the majority is a shaky one: In addition to the tie with Monmouth and the narrow all-time leads over Charleston and Drexel, the Dutchmen lead the series against Northeastern (27-25) and UNC Wilmington (24-22) by two wins apiece. But that’s enough for a mandate! Right?
SIZZLING START…
The Dutchmen raced out to a 13-0 lead Thursday, which was their biggest game-opening run of the season and their biggest since they also took a 13-0 lead against Delaware on Jan. 17, 2021. The Dutchmen almost squandered a 20-point lead in that game, which they won 68-67. We bring this up because…
…MIDDLING MIDDLE
The Dutchmen led by as many as 15 points in the first half before falling behind for the first time with 11:35 left in the game, when a dunk by Charleston’s John Meeks put the Cougars up 52-51. Charleston led by as many as four before the Dutchmen (and Aaron Estrada) mounted their comeback. The 15-point lead was the biggest squandered in a game in which the Dutchmen fell behind before winning since Jan. 31, 2021, when they led UNC Wilmington by 17 and trailed by one multiple times in the second half before earning an 89-83 victory.
30 FOR 30
Where to start with Aaron Estrada’s monster game? Well, due to two first-half fouls, the second of which forced him to the bench for the final 4:26, he needed just 30 minutes to score his 30 points — the fewest minutes for any Hofstra 30-point scorer in the CAA era. The only players to previously score at least 30 points in as few as 31 minutes are Justin Wright-Foreman, who scored 30 points in 31 minutes against William & Mary on Jan. 2, 2017, and Eli Pemberton, who scored 35 points in 31 minutes against James Madison on Feb. 29, 2020.
SURGING SECOND HALF
Aaron Estrada scored 23 points in the second half Thursday, the most points scored by a Hofstra player in the second half since Desure Buie scored 26 second-half points on his way to finishing with a career-high 44 points in an 102-75 win over Elon on Jan. 4, 2020.
THE 30-30 CLUB
The 30 points tied a career high for Aaron Estrada, who also had 30 points against Delaware on Jan. 15. Estrada is the 14th Hofstra player to have at least two 30-point games since 1991 and the first to join the club since Jalen Ray, who scored 30 points against Drexel last Feb. 6 and 34 points against Delaware in the CAA Tournament quarterfinals last Mar. 7.
THE 30/5/5/3 CLUB
Aaron Estrada finished with 30 points, five rebounds, seven assists and three steals Thursday. He’s the first Hofstra player with at least 30 points, five rebounds, five assists and three steals since Juan’ya Green had 30 points, eight rebounds, seven assists and four steals against William & Mary on Jan. 24, 2016.
DEUCES FOR D-STONE
Darlinstone Dubar was perfect from inside the 3-point arc Thursday, when he was 6-of-6 on 2-point field goals. It was the second time this season Dubar was perfect (minimum five attempts) from inside the 3-point arc. He was also 6-of-6 on 2-point field goals against Princeton on Dec. 1.
RECORD-TYING RAY (part one)
By entering the game with 13:33 left in the first half Thursday night, Jalen Ray officially played in his 141st career game, which tied former teammate Desure Buie for the most games played in program history. Ray, of course, is on pace to break the record tonight.
RECORD-TYING RAY (part two)
And by draining a 3-pointer on his first shot of the game a mere 21 seconds later, Ray tied another former teammate, Justin Wright-Foreman, for second place on the program's all-time 3-pointer list with 277. Alas, as noted before, as much as we all like seeing Ray in a Hofstra uniform, he’s probably not going to get the eligibility needed to catch Antoine Agudio, whose 357 3-pointers might just be the untouchable modern-day version of Bill Thieben’s rebounding record.
RAY REINED IN
That 3-pointer ended up being the only basket of the day for Ray, who finished with three points one game after being limited to two points against Northeastern. The back-to-back single-digit efforts are the first for Ray since Feb. 22-27, 2020, when he had four points against Delaware before going scoreless against Towson.
NOT BAD TO HAVE IN RESERVE
Zach Cooks and Jalen Ray both served as reserves again Thursday, meaning it’s been at least two straight games in which the Dutchmen have had two 1,500-point scorers coming off the bench! Only five other teams even HAVE two 1,500-point scorers on their roster, and only two have more combined points than Cooks and Ray, who enter tonight with 3,596 points. Richmond’s Grant Golden and Jacob Gilyard have combined for 3,836 points while Alabama-Birmingham’s Michael Ertle and Quan Jackson have combined for 3,612 points. UAB is scheduled to play Marshall tonight.
In addition to playing Richmond this season, Hofstra also opposed another team with a tandem of 1,500-point scorers in Arkansas, whose duo of Stanley Umude and JD Notae have combined for 3,416 points.
OVER THE AIR
If tonight’s game is played, it will be carried live on FloHoops.com (subscription required). Hofstra will provide a radio feed as well as live stats at the Pride Productions hub.
SCOUTING UNC WILMINGTON
The Seahawks, under second-year head coach Takayo Siddle, are 13-5 this season and 7-0 in CAA play after beating Northeastern, 67-62, on Thursday. UNC Wilmington has won 10 straight overall dating back to Dec. 15, which is tied for the third-longest active winning streak in Division I and one win shy of tying the longest winning streak in program history, which was set in 2015-16. Grumble, grumble.
In addition, the Seahawks’ 7-0 CAA start marks the program’s most consecutive wins without a loss to open CAA play since they opened 9-0 on their way to a second straight CAA title in 2016-17. Grumble, grumble.
The Dutchmen and Seahawks had no common foes in non-league play. In the CAA, both teams have beaten Delaware, Charleston, James Madison and Northeastern (from whom the Seahawks have already swept the season series) while Hofstra has lost to Towson, which *checks notes* lost to UNC Wilmington.
The Dutchmen, who were picked to finish fifth in the CAA preseason poll, are ranked 110th at KenPom.com. The Seahawks, who were picked to finish ninth, are ranked 234th. Frankly, I’d use that as bulletin board material if I were Siddle.
According to KenPom.com. the Dutchmen rank second in the CAA in offensive efficiency (109.0) and third in defensive efficiency (103.0). The Seahawks rank seventh in offensive efficiency (100.2) and sixth in defensive efficiency (105.1). OK maybe that’s why KenPom has the Seahawks ranked seventh overall in the CAA.
Senior guard Jaylen Sims, who was a preseason honorable mention all-CAA selection, leads the Seahawks with 14.4 points and 5.6 rebounds per game. He also kept the Seahawks unbeaten in CAA play with this Daniel Dixon-esque buzzer-beater against James Madison on Jan. 20. Junior guard Shykeim Phillips, the reigning co-CAA Player of the Week, ranks second in scoring at 11.6 points per game while graduate senior guard Mike Okauru, who was also a preseason honorable mention all-CAA selection, is averaging 11.3 points per game. Freshman forward Trazarien White is second in rebounding at 4.6 rebounds per game.
KenPom.com predicts a 73-69 win for the Dutchmen. Per the wise guys in Vegas, for entertainment purposes only, the Dutchmen are 4 1/2-point favorites. The Dutchmen are 9-9 against the spread this season after Charleston covered as a 3-point underdog Thursday.
THE LAST OF THE UNBEATENS
Tonight marks the fourth time the Dutchmen have opposed the CAA’s last unbeaten team and the first time they’ve done so in almost exactly 15 years. The Dutchmen ended VCU’s hopes of a perfect CAA season with a 79-68 win on Jan 31, 2007. VCU’s 11-0 start remained unmatched until Delaware opened 11-0 in 2013-14. Hofstra lost to Old Dominion when the Monarchs were the last unbeaten team in consecutive seasons, falling 71-66 on Jan. 10, 2004 and 67-66 on Jan. 19, 2005.
ALL-TIME VS. UNC WILMINGTON
Hofstra is 24-22 against UNC Wilmington in a series that began when the Dutchmen joined the CAA prior to the 2001-02 season.The Dutchmen swept last season’s series, which consisted of back-to-back games at Trask Coliseum due to the pandemic. The Dutchmen earned an 82-73 win on Jan. 30 before recording an 89-83 victory the next day. The regular season sweep was the second straight for the Dutchmen.
THINGS YOU CAN SHOUT ON TWITTER IF CALLS GO DO NOT GO HOFSTRA’S WAY
First CAA title team of the Hofstra-in-the-CAA bias! (UNC Wilmington, which doesn’t need any help against the Dutchmen on Saturday nights at home, is honoring the 2002 team — which won the CAA and a first-round NCAA Tournament game — at halftime)
Saturday nights at Trask are nightmares bias! (Seriously, those 2017-19 losses — especially the 2019 one — still give us a jolt)
Devontae Cacok shouldn’t be in the G-League bias! (Because he should be in the NBA just for what he used to do to Hofstra alone)
You’re just mad over Charles Jenkins’ eight-point play bias! (Maybe the finest of the oldest but goodies)
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