Not that Freddie Jackson (TRY NOT TO HEX IT THIS TIME, JADEN!)
The last game against James Madison as conference rivals was an instant classic Saturday afternoon, when Aaron Estrada scored a career-high 35 points — including nine in overtime — as he led the Flying Dutchmen to a much-needed 85-78 win. The Dutchmen will look to win an even bigger game this afternoon, when they are slated to host first-place UNC Wilmington in a rare 5 PM weekday start. Here’s a look back at the win over the Dukes and a look ahead to the Seawolves.
THE MOST RECENT GAME SUMMARIZED IN ONE PARAGRAPH
Aaron Estrada, playing in front of Charles Jenkins and Justin Wright-Foreman for the first time, went into a takeover mode either one would have admired as he willed the Dutchmen to victory by scoring 16 of their last 23 points over the final 10-plus minutes. Estrada’s big overtime came after the Dutchmen gave up all of a 10-point second-half lead and nearly frittered the game away over the final 2:48 of regulation, a span in which James Madison went on a 7-0 run while the Dutchmen went 0-for-3 with four turnovers — including Estrada’s errant in-bounds pass intended for Zach Cooks with 2.9 seconds left, which allowed Julien Wooden to heave a 60something-footer that banked off the side of the backboard. Yes, we absolutely still have PTSD over Frantz Massenat. Vado Morse opened overtime with a free throw to give James Madison its first lead in more than 14 minutes, but Darlinstone Dubar answered with a 3-pointer to give the Dutchmen the lead for good. Following a turnover by the Dukes, Estrada hit a jumper before Morse lofted an airball as the shot clock expired. Estrada then hit a 3-pointer, his career-best sixth, to put the Dutchmen up 79-72. James Madison twice got within three points, but Estrada answered with baskets both times. Estrada finished with six rebounds, tied for second on the team, and three assists. Cooks had 16 points, four assists and two steals while Jalen Ray returned to the starting lineup and did his best Loren Stokes impersonation ever by filling up the boxscore with eight points, eight assists and a career-high five steals in 44 minutes. Dubar finished with 12 points, five rebounds and two steals.
3 STARS OF THE GAME (vs. James Madison, 2/5)
3: Aaron Estrada
2: Jalen Ray
1: Zach Cooks
SEASON STANDINGS
Aaron Estrada 44
Darlinstone Dubar 27
Jalen Ray 24
Zach Cooks 18
Abayomi Iyiola 12
Omar Silverio 8
Kvonn Cramer 4
Caleb Burgess 1
WAS THIS A UNICORN SCORE?
Yes! This breaks a streak of four straight non-unicorn score wins dating back to…the Dutchmen’s previous win over James Madison, which came by the remarkably similar score of 87-80. The Dutchmen came within one point of an 85-78 win just once before — an 85-77 win over Brown on Nov. 26, 1985 — and within two points only two other times via an 87-78 win over Long Island rival Adelphi during the 1966-67 season and an 86-77 win over Chicago State (hi Dave!) in the first round of the ECC Tournament (hi Litos!) on Mar. 4, 1994.
This is the ninth unicorn score victory of the season for the Dutchmen, who 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.
http://www.faithandfearinflushing.com/2015/08/22/a-unicorn-is-born/
11/24/21: 87-49 over Molloy
11/27/21: 98-84 over Detroit Mercy
12/1/21: 81-77 over Princeton
12/4/21: 88-69 over Bucknell
12/12/21: 102-52 over John Jay
12/18/21: 89-81 over Arkansas
12/22/21: 77-71 over Monmouth
1/9/22: 87-80 over James Madison
2/5/22: 85-78 over James Madison
THE FLYING DUTCHMEN AFTER TWENTY-THREE GAMES
With Saturday’s win, the Dutchmen improved to 14-9, which is tied for the 24th-best start in program history. It’s the first time the Dutchmen have opened 14-9 since the 2017-18 season and the ninth time overall in program history. Here is how some notable Hofstra teams (including last year’s, for reasons that will soon be very obvious) have fared through 23 games.
NCAA DIVISION I TOURNAMENT TEAMS
1975-76: 12-11 (loss in 23rd game was the final loss of the regular season)
1976-77: 17-6 (win in 23rd game marked third win of nine-game winning streak that carried Dutchmen into the NCAAs)
1999-2000: 17-6 (loss in 23rd game snapped 10-game winning streak)
2000-01: 19-4 (win in 23rd game marked 11th win in program-record 18-game winning streak)
2019-20 (IT COUNTS TO US): 16-7 (most recent 16-7 start)
NIT TEAMS
1998-99: 16-7
2004-05: 16-7
2005-06: 18-5 (most recent 18-5 start)
2006-07: 17-6 (most recent 17-6 start)
2015-16: 16-7
2018-19: 19-4 (most recent 19-4 start, loss in 23rd game snapped the 16-game winning streak)
NCAA DIVISION II TOURNAMENT TEAMS
1958-59: 18-5
1961-62: 20-3 (most recent 20-3 start)
1962-63: 17-6 (sixth win of 11-game winning streak)
1963-64: 19-4
Some other notable 23-game records:
2020-21: 13-10 (the Dutchmen’s shortest season — at least in terms of games played — since 1957-58 ends with a 76-58 loss to Elon in the CAA Tournament semifinals)
2016-17: 10-13 (most recent 10-13 start)
2013-14: 7-16 (most recent 7-16 start, Joe Mihalich’s first team)
2012-13: 5-18 (most recent 5-18 start, tied for worst 23-game record in school history)
2009-10: 11-12 (most recent 11-12 start)
2007-08: 8-15 (most recent 8-15 start)
1995-96: 7-16 (loss in 23rd game marked last loss of Jay Wright-era record nine-game losing streak)
1994-95: 8-15 (Jay Wright’s first year)
1993-94: 5-18 (VBK’s last year)
1991-92: 15-8 (most recent 15-8 start; win in 23rd game was fourth in nine-game winning streak that ended in ECC title game)
1990-91: 12-11 (most recent 12-11 start)
1986-87: 9-14 (most recent 9-14 start)
1981-82: 11-12 (under .500 for good, fifth loss of eight-game losing streak)
1978-79: 8-15 (first loss of season-ending five-game losing streak)
1971-72: 11-12 (under .500 for good, second loss of season-ending four-game losing streak)
1964-65: 11-12 (final win of season)
1959-60: 22-1 (only 22-1 start & Hofstra’s winningest team, percentage-wise; win in 23rd game was 12th win of season-ending 13-game winning streak)
1957-58: 15-8 (won season finale)
1955-56: 20-3 (had only back-to-back losses in games 22-23)
1953-54: 14-9 (last loss of season)
1950-51: 13-10 (first 13-10 start and the only one until 2020-21)
Hofstra has never been 23-0, 21-2, 6-17, 4-19, 3-20, 2-21, 1-22 or 0-23 through 23 games.
Eleven seasons were completed in fewer than 23 games:
1936-37: 10-7
1937-38: 10-4
1938-39: 10-8
1939-40: 12-9
1940-41: 13-7
1941-42: 15-6
1942-43: 15-6
1943-44: 7-12
1944-45: 8-13
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-THREE
With Saturday’s win, Speedy Claxton improved to 14-9 as head coach. He is the second coach to open 14-9 at Hofstra, following in the footsteps of Mo Cassara in 2010-11, and the seventh to post a winning record through 23 games in his first season (or the first season of a second stints). Jack McDonald steered the Dutchmen to a 17-6 start in the first (and only) season of his second stint while Butch van Breda Kolff began 20-3 in his first stint (1955-56). Paul Lynner opened 17-6 in 1962-63 and Joe Harrington started 12-11 in his lone season in 1979-80 before Mike Farrelly went 13-10 in his lone season last year. (Frank Reilly’s first team finished 13-6 in 1947-48)
GOOD DAY, DUKES
There may be non-conference games — perhaps via clashes in an MTE — and maybe a CBI game (KIDDING) in the future between Hofstra and James Madison, But with Saturday’s win, the Dutchmen finish 23-16 against James Madison as conference foes. That winning percentage of .590 ranks as the Dutchmen’s sixth-best against a conference foe during the CAA era (2001-present). Here’s the full list (again, only including league games, so the win over Elon during 2009-10 doesn’t count, nor does any pre-CAA games against the rest of the America East five, etc):
Elon 9-4 (.692)
Georgia State 9-4 (.692)
Delaware 31-15 (.674)
Towson 28-15 (.651)
William & Mary 24-15 (.615)
James Madison 23-16 (.590)
Charleston 8-7 (.533)
Drexel 23-21 (.523)
UNC Wilmington 24-23 (.511)
Northeastern 17-19 (.472)
Old Dominion 9-14 (.391)
George Mason 8-15 (.348)
VCU 5-15 (.250)
THEY REALLY DID GET TO THE WORKIN’ OVERTIME PART
Props to me and Molly for calling that one several hours apart Saturday! (Molly actually called OT at 44-44) The overtime game was the eighth between the Dutchmen and James Madison, which is not only the most overtime games the Dutchmen have played against a CAA foe since joining the league in 2001-02 but is also the most overtime game the Dutchmen have played against ANYONE. Ever! How wild is that? In fact, the Dutchmen have played as many as six overtime games against just one other foe — Drexel, whom Hofstra has played 95 times, a mere 56 more times than they’ve opposed James Madison. Maybe the Dutchmen and Dragons can cut into that deficit Thursday night!
ESTRADA WORKIN’ IN OVERTIME
Aaron Estrada scored nine points in overtime Saturday afternoon, which was the most points scored in a single overtime period since Justin Wright-Foreman scored nine points in the overtime period of an 81-80 loss to Drexel on Jan. 26, 2017. Wright-Foreman had 15 points in the three overtimes against William & Mary on Jan. 10, 2019, when he scored six points in the first overtime, five in the second overtime and four in the third overtime as the Dutchmen finally edged the Tribe, 93-90.
GOOD COMPANY FOR ESTRADA
Anyone ending up in the same sentence as Eli Pemberton, Justin Wright-Foreman and Charles Jenkins is doing something right. Aaron Estrada’s 35 points were the most by a Hofstra player in a single game since Pemberton scored 35 points against James Madison in a 97-81 win on Feb. 29, 2020. It was the third 30-point game of the season for Estrada, the most by a Hofstra player in a season since Wright-Foreman had 12 30-point games as a senior in 2018-19. And given the Dutchmen were playing James Madison, the big effort from Estrada — who also had six rebounds and three assists —was certainly reminiscent of Jenkins’ monster game against the Dukes on Jan. 24, 2011, when Jenkins scored 35 points and added three rebounds and five assists in the 92-90 overtime win.
THE 30-AND-5 CLUB
Remember when there was Major League Baseball and a player got no-trade rights once he had 10 seasons of service time, including five with his current club? There’s no real point to that, other than to lament the owners’ never-ending lockout and to segue into Aaron Estrada finishing with 35 points and six rebounds Saturday. It was the second time this season Estrada had at least 30 points and five rebounds in a game (he finished with 30 points and five rebounds against Charleston on Jan 27). Estrada is the first Hofstra player to have at least 30 points and five rebounds in at least two games in the same season since Desure Buie had two such games during the 2019-20 season.
A PERFECT 10 FOR ESTRADA
Aaron Estrada scored in double figures for the 10th straight game Saturday. It’s the longest active streak of double-digit scoring performances by a Hofstra player and the second-longest streak of the season for the Dutchmen, Zach Cooks scored in double figures in each of his first 11 games from Nov. 9 through Dec. 12.
NO MORE MR. MIDRANGE?
Aaron Estrada set a career high for 3-pointers Saturday, when he went 6-for-10 from beyond the arc. Prior to Saturday, Estrada had hit as many as four 3-pointers in a game just twice — on Jan. 27 against Charleston and Feb. 14, 2020 for Saint Peter’s against Quinnipiac. Estrada is 16-for-31 (51.6 percent) from 3-point land in his last five games after going 23-of-94 (24.5 percent) from beyond the arc in his first 18 games of the season.
A QUARTET FOR NUMBER FOUR
Aaron Estrada earned his league-leading fourth CAA Player of the Week award earlier today after finishing last week with 57 points, seven rebounds and 10 assists in two games last week. That leads to today’s math word problem: What line did Estrada finish with against Towson on Thursday? Estrada is the first player to win four CAA Player of the Week awards since Desure Buie and William & Mary’s Nathan Knight each won four Player of the Week awards during the 2019-20 season.
THE GOOD KIND OF THIEVERY
Jalen Ray collected a career-high five steals Saturday. He is the fourth player this season to have at least one five-steal game, following Aaron Estrada (five steals against John Jay on Dec. 12 and six steals against William & Mary on Dec. 29), Zach Cooks (five steals against Detroit Mercy on Nov. 27) and Darlinstone Dubar (five steals against Arkansas on Dec. 18). It’s the first time the Dutchmen have had four players with at least one five-steal game since the 2009-10 season, when Chaz Williams had a pair of five-steal games and Charles Jenkins, Nathaniel Lester and Cornelius Vines all had one five-steal game each. Speaking of which, our guy Corny was there too on Saturday! Since joining the CAA in 2001-02, the Dutchmen have never had a season in which more than four players had at least one five-steal game.
DIAL 8-8-5
Jalen Ray filled up the stat sheet in his return to the starting lineup Saturday afternoon, when he finished with eight points, eight assists and five steals. He is the first Hofstra player to have at least eight points, eight assists and five steals since — and I love it when a good stat comes together — Charles Jenkins had 35 points, eight assists and five steals in a 88-81 overtime win over UNC Wilmington on Feb. 28, 2009. That was Jenkins’ 20th birthday! He also scored his 1,000th point that day.
Loyal reader EvanJ also notes Ray is the first Hofstra player since 2010-11 — the first season in which player game logs are available at College Basketball Reference — to have eight points, eight assists, five steals and four rebounds in a game. The previous player to do it for the Dutchmen? Who else but Jenkins, who added exactly four rebounds against UNC Wilmington on Feb. 28, 2009.
LUCKY 13 OFF THE BENCH
Speedy Claxton broke up the 3,500-point bench combination Saturday, when Jalen Ray returned to the starting lineup and Zach Cooks scored 16 points as a reserve. The 16 points by Cooks marked the 13th time this season a reserve has scored in double figures for the Dutchmen. Omar Silverio has done it six times, with Ray achieving the feat four times and Cooks three times. The last time the Dutchmen had more double-digit efforts off the bench was in 2018-19, when a reserve scored at least 10 points 14 times.
FRUGAL FREE THROWS
The Dutchmen went 6-for-7 from the free throw line Saturday and are 12-for-13 from the stripe in the last two games. The 13 attempts in back-to-back games ties a season low, set against Houston (5-for-5) and Duquesne (5-for-8) in the first two games on Nov. 9-13. In addition, the Dutchmen have attempted fewer than 10 free throws in 10 games this season — as many games with single-digit free throw attempts as they had in their last 235 games, dating back to Jan. 27, 2014, entering 2021-22.
OVER THE AIR
If today’s game is played, it will be carried live on CBS Sports Network, which is channel 215 in the Cablevision/Altice Are Our Overlords Universe. 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 16-6 this season and 10-1 in CAA play after beating William & Mary, 92-70, on Saturday. The win for first-place UNC Wilmington came after the Seahawks’ bid for a perfect CAA season ended with a 78-65 loss to Elon last Thursday. That defeat snapped a school-record 12-game winning streak for UNC Wilmington, whose 9-0 CAA start was the longest season-opening stretch of perfection by a CAA team since Hofstra opened 9-0 in 2018-19.
The Dutchmen and Seahawks had no common foes in non-league play. In the CAA, both teams have beaten Delaware, Charleston, Drexel, Northeastern and James Madison. The Seahawks have already swept the season series from Northeastern while the Dutchmen have done the same against James Madison. Hofstra has lost to William & Mary, which fell to UNC Wilmington, and been swept by Towson, which lost to the Seahawks.
The Dutchmen, who were picked to finish fifth in the CAA preseason poll, are ranked 118th at KenPom.com. The Seahawks, who were picked to finish ninth, are ranked 207th.
According to KenPom.com. the Dutchmen rank sixth in the CAA in conference-only offensive efficiency (105.2) and fourth in defensive efficiency (102.7). The Seahawks rank first in conference-only offensive efficiency (111.1) and fifth in defensive efficiency (103.7). This marks the second straight game in which the Dutchmen have faced the CAA’s top team in conference-only offensive efficiency. James Madison entered Saturday first before being toppled by UNC Wilmington.
Senior guard Jaylen Sims, who was a preseason honorable mention all-CAA selection, leads the Seahawks with 14.5 points and 5.2 rebounds per game. Graduate senior guard Mike Okauru, who was also a preseason honorable mention all-CAA selection, is averaging 12.7 points per game while junior guard Shykeim Phillips is averaging 11.6 points per game. Graduate senior guard James Baker Jr., a transfer from Morehead State, is second in rebounding at 4.5 rebounds per game.
KenPom.com predicts a 77-69 win for the Dutchmen. Per the wise guys in Vegas, for entertainment purposes only, the Dutchmen are 8-point favorites. Depending on which line you used for entertainment purposes only Saturday, the Dutchmen are either 9-11-1 (the line I used) or 9-12 (the line my Dad and Crain used) against the spread this season.
ALL-TIME VS. UNC WILMINGTON
Hofstra is 24-23 against UNC Wilmington in a series that began when the Dutchmen joined the CAA prior to the 2001-02 season. The Seahawks won the first game between the seasons a mere nine days ago on Jan. 29, when they outlasted the Dutchmen 78-72 in one of the worst officiated games since James Naismith discovered a good use for peach baskets. Tonight’s game is the makeup of a game originally scheduled for Jan. 3 but postponed due to a, well, you-know-what outbreak within the UNC Wilmington roster. The Seahawks are seeking their first sweep of the Dutchmen since the 2016-17 season, which was Kevin Keatts’ last at the Dub.
THINGS YOU CAN SHOUT ON TWITTER IF CALLS GO DO NOT GO HOFSTRA’S WAY
Rock Me Tonight bias! (Not Rock Me Tonite bias that’d be entirely different — this one pays homage to former UNCW guard Freddie Jackson, not the singer Freddie Jackson THANKS JADEN)
Denton Koon committed the dumbest technical foul in recorded history in the 2016 CAA championship game bias! (That’s for Casey)
Jason Roach bias! (The ex-Mets pitcher, who made two big league appearances, is a deep cut for Larry)
Mark Byington played for you bias! (Can’t be too many times when the coach of the team that just played Hofstra played for the next team to oppose Hofstra)
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