I usually like to reference "The Gang Goes To The Jersey Shore" here, but the chance to post a 1980 Topps card supersedes everything else.
The two-headed monster officially has three heads. Jaquan Carlos flirted with Hofstra history Wednesday night, when he teamed up with Tyler Thomas and Aaron Estrada to lead the Flying Dutchmen to a 72-53 win over Northeastern. The Dutchmen will look to extend their winning streak and maintain their share of first place in the CAA this afternoon, when they are slated to visit Monmouth. Here’s a look back at the win over the Huskies and a look ahead to the Hawks. Alliteration! Sort of!
THE MOST RECENT GAME SUMMARIZED IN ONE PARAGRAPH
Jaquan Carlos (10 points, nine rebounds, nine assists) came about as close as possible to recording the second triple-double in program history as he sparked the second-half surge that finished off Northeastern. The Dutchmen raced out to a 7-0 lead NICE FOOTBALL score before Northeastern inched back and took its lone lead at 18-17 on a jumper by Jahmyl Telfort. Tyler Thomas responded with a 3-pointer and Telfort hit another jumper before Warren Williams put the Dutchmen ahead for good with two free throws. Thomas scored 14 first half points — all before Aaron Estrada, who was held scoreless for the first 17 minutes, mounted an 8-2 run to end the half and extend the Dutchmen’s lead to 37-29. Carlos then took over, scoring all his points while pulling down six rebounds and collecting seven assists in the second half. He had all seven assists in the final 12 minutes, a span in which the Dutchmen outscored Northeastern 23-14 NICE FOOTBALL SCORE Thomas finished with a game-high 18 points while Estrada added 13 points, five assists, four rebounds and two steals. Williams had six points and six rebounds while German Plotnikov scored eight points on 4-of-4 shooting.
3 STARS OF THE GAME (vs. Northeastern, 2/8)
3: Jaquan Carlos
2: Tyler Thomas
1: Aaron Estrada
SEASON STANDINGS
Aaron Estrada 49
Tyler Thomas 36
Darlinstone Dubar 24
Jaquan Carlos 20
Warren Williams 10
Nelson Boachie-Yiadom 7
Amar’e Marshall 6
German Plotnikov 2
Bryce Washington 1
Griffin Barrouk 1
WAS THIS A UNICORN SCORE?
Yes! The Dutchmen previously earned wins by scores of 72-50 (over Northeastern in Boston on Jan 22, 2022), 72-51 and 72-52 and had at least 10 other scores within two points of 72-53. But never 72-53 before Wednesday!
This is the Flying Dutchmen’s fourth unicorn score victory in their last five games and their ninth unicorn score victory of the season. The Dutchmen recorded 11 unicorn score victories last season after recording no unicorn scores in 2020-21, 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. You may also know it as a “Scorigami,” a term popularized in the NFL.
11/11/22: 83-78 over Iona
11/14/22: 85-80 over George Washington
11/17/22: 85-76 over San Jose State
12/22/22: 96-48 over Old Westbury
1/11/23: 77-57 over Monmouth
1/26/23: 82-65 over Not Twitter Guy
1/28/23: 85-81 over Charleston
2/2/23: 76-72 over Towson
2/8/23: 72-53 over Northeastern
WHO HAD THE KEITH HERNANDEZ?
Warren Williams made free throw-related history again Wednesday night, when he hit a pair of free throws, the first of which gave the Dutchmen the lead for good at 21-20, with 6:32 left in the first half. It’s the first time a single free throw has served as the Keith Hernandez, but the second time a free throw has been PART of the Keith Hernandez. And Williams has generated both — his only Keith Hernandezes so far! Williams collected his first Keith Hernandez by converting a nostalgic 3-point play to put the Dutchmen ahead for good against Delaware on Jan 24. The Dutchmen have collected two straight Keith Hernandezes in the first half, and within 22 seconds of one another, as you’ll see below!
Jaquan Carlos tie-breaking 3-pointer vs. Princeton, 11/7/22 (1:11 left 2H)
Tyler Thomas tie-breaking 3-pointer vs. Iona, 11/11/22 (:35.2 left 2H)
Darlinstone Dubar go-ahead layup vs. George Washington, 11/14/22 (5:09 left 2H)
German Plotnikov go-ahead 3-pointer vs. San Jose State. 11/17/22 (6:32 left 2H)
Tyler Thomas tie-breaking jumper vs. UNC Greensboro, 11/26/22 (14:56 left 1H)
Aaron Estrada go-ahead jumper vs. Quinnipiac, 11/27/22 (17:28 left 1H)
Tyler Thomas go-ahead 3-pointer vs. Old Westbury, 12/22/22 (19:02 left 1H)
Tyler Thomas tie-breaking jumper vs. Delaware, 12/29/22 (19:42 left 1H)
Aaron Estrada tie-breaking 3-pointer vs. Hampton, 1/5/23 (19:27 left 1H)
Aaron Estrada tie-breaking jumper vs. William & Mary, 1/7/23 (8:37 left 1H)
German Plotnikov tie-breaking 3-pointer vs. Monmouth, 1/11/23 (7:50 left 1H)
Warren Williams tie-breaking nostalgic 3-pointer vs. Delaware 1/14/23 (14:28 left 1H)
Aaron Estrada tie-breaking jumper vs. UNC Wilmington, 1/19/23 (19:02 left 2H)
Tyler Thomas tie-breaking jumper vs. Not Twitter Guy, 1/26/23 (14:03 left 2H)
Darlinstone Dubar tie-breaking jumper vs. Charleston, 1/28/23 (15:24 left 2H)
Tyler Thomas tie-breaking jumper vs. Towson, 2/2/23 (:58.6 left 2H)
Tyler Thomas tie-breaking jumper vs. Stony Brook, 2/4/23 (6:54 left 1H)
Warren Williams free throw vs. Northeastern, 2/8/23 (6:32 left 1H)
Tyler Thomas 7
Aaron Estrada 4
Warren Williams 2
Darlinstone Dubar 2
German Plotnikov 2
Jaquan Carlos 1
THE FLYING DUTCHMEN AFTER TWENTY-SIX GAMES
With Wednesday’s win, the Dutchmen improved to 18-8. This ties the 2022-23 team for the 16th-best record in school history through 25 games. This is the first time the Dutchmen have been 18-8 through 26 games since 2015-16 and just the seventh time they’ve opened 18-8 in program history. Here is how some notable Hofstra teams have fared through 26 games:
NCAA DIVISION I TOURNAMENT TEAMS
1975-76: 15-11 (win in 26th game marked third win of six-game winning streak that carried Dutchmen into the NCAAs)
1976-77: 20-6 (win in 26th game marked sixth win of nine-game winning streak that carried Dutchmen into the NCAAs)
1999-2000: 20-6 (the 67-64 win over Maine in 26th game locked up the no. 1 seed in the America East tournament, most recent 20-6 start)
2000-01: 22-4 (win in 26th game marked 14th win in program-record, single-season 18-game winning streak)
2019-20 (IT COUNTS TO US): 19-7 (most recent 19-7 start, win in 26th game was fifth win of eight-game winning streak)
NIT TEAMS
1998-99: 18-8
2004-05: 19-7 (win in 26th game was fifth win of seven-game winning streak)
2005-06: 21-5 (most recent 21-5 start)
2006-07: 19-7
2015-16: 18-8
2018-19: 22-4 (most recent 22-4 start)
NCAA DIVISION II TOURNAMENT TEAMS
1958-59: 20-6 (win in 2nd round of NCAAs was final win of season)
1961-62: 23-3 (won Middle Atlantic Championship with win in 26th game, best 26-game record in school history)
1962-63: 20-6 (win in regular season finale was ninth win of 11-game winning streak)
1963-64: 21-5
Some other notable 26-game records:
2022-23: 17-9 (most recent 17-9 start)
2017-18: 15-11 (most recent 15-11 start)
2016-17: 12-14 (most recent 12-14 start)
2014-15: 16-10 (most recent 16-10 start)
2013-14: 8-18 (most recent 8-18 start, Joe Mihalich’s first team)
2012-13: 6-20 (most recent 6-20 start, tied for worst 26-game record in school history)
2009-10: 13-13 (most recent 13-13 start)
2007-08: 10-16 (most recent 10-16 start)
2002-03: 7-19 (only 7-19 start)
2001-02: 10-16 (loss in 26th game marked fifth loss of Tom Pecora-era record-tying eight-game losing streak)
1996-97: 12-14 (final win of season)
1995-96: 9-17 (most recent 9-17 start, final win of season)
1994-95: 9-17 (won regular season finale, Jay Wright’s first year)
1993-94: 6-20 (loss to ECC foe Northeastern Illinois in regular season finale, VBK’s last year)
1992-93: 9-17 (final win of season)
1991-92: 18-8 (win in 26th game was seventh in nine-game winning streak that ended in ECC title game)
1990-91: 14-12 (most recent 14-12 start, final win of season)
1987-88: 6-20 (lost regular season finale)
1986-87: 10-16 (final win of season)
1982-83: 18-8 (lost regular season finale)
1981-82: 11-15 (loss in regular season finale was final loss of eight-game losing streak)
1980-81: 12-14 (lost regular season finale)
1978-79: 8-18 (fourth loss of season-ending five-game losing streak)
1970-71: 18-8 (win in season finale completed season-ending five-game winning streak)
1969-70: 13-13 (won season finale)
1965-66: 16-10 (lost season finale)
1956-57: 11-15 (lost season finale)
1955-56: 22-4 (final win of season)
1954-55: 19-7 (lost known season finale)***
1950-51: 16-10 (fourth win of six-game winning streak)
1949-50: 17-9 (won known season finale)***
1948-49: 18-8 (lost known season finale)***
***records are incomplete for the 1948-59, 1949-50 and 1954-55 seasons
Hofstra has never been 26-0, 25-1, 24-2, 5-21, 4-22, 3-23, 2-24, 1-25 or 0-26 through 26 games.
Twenty-four seasons were completed in fewer than 26 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)
1953-54 (15-9)
1957-58 (15-8)
1959-60 (23-1)
1960-61 (21-4)
1964-65 (11-14)
1966-67 (12-13)
1967-68 (13-12)
1968-69 (12-13)
1971-72 (11-14)
1972-73 (8-16)
1973-74 (8-16)
1974-75 (11-13)
2020-21 (13-10)
Full records not available for the following seasons: 1936-37, 1941-42, 1942-43, 1945-46, 1948-49, 1949-50, 1951-52, 1954-55.
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 FIFTY-EIGHT
With Saturday’s win, Speedy Claxton improved to 39-19 (.672) as head coach. That’s the second-best known winning percentage for a Hofstra coach through his first 58 games at the helm. These last five games mark the highest Claxton has been in the all-time game-to-game standings since he became head coach last season.
Paul Lynner 46-12 (.789, 58th game was the 28th game of his second season in 1963-64)
SPEEDY CLAXTON 39-19 (.672, 58th game was the 26th game of his second season in 2022-23)
Butch van Breda Kolff I 36-22 (.632, 58th game was the sixth game of his third season in 1957-58)
Mo Cassara 29-29 (.509, 58th game was the 25th game of his second season in 2011-12)
Butch van Breda Kolff II 27-31 (.474, 58th game was the first game of his third season in 1989-90)
Dick Berg 27-31 (.456, 58th game was the third game of his third season in 1982-83)
Joe Mihalich 26-32 (.439, 58th game was the 25th game of his second season in 2014-15)
Jay Wright 22-36 (.368, 58th game was the third game of his third season in 1996-97)
Roger Gaeckler 19-39 (.333, 58th game was the 10th game of his third season in 1974-75)
Tom Pecora 19-39 (.316, 58th game was the 26th game of his second season in 2002-03)
Two ties created as Dick Berg climbs into a tie for fifth place with Butch van Breda Kolff II and Tom Pecora moves out of sole possession of last and into a tie for ninth place with Roger Gaeckler. And this Jay Wright guy has never lost with a freshman point guard named Speedy Claxton, maybe we should give him a couple more years! This also marks the last time Mo Cassara will have a .500 record.
The records are incomplete for Jack McDonald’s first stint from 1936 through 1943 as well as the tenures of Jack Smith (1943-46) and Frank Reilly (1947-55).
Three coaches had one-season tenures lasting at Hofstra. McDonald went 18-6 in the lone season of his second stint in 1946-47 while Joe Harrington went 14-14 in 1979-80 and Mike Farrelly went 13-10 in 2020-21.
ALMOST A WIRE-TO-WIRE WIN
The Dutchmen trailed just once Wednesday — at 18-17 with 8:17 left in the first half. While this wasn’t their sixth wire-to-wire win of the season, it was something almost as impressive and maybe even more unique (or quirkier, if you will). The win over Northeastern marks the sixth time the Dutchmen have won a game in which they never trailed by more than a possession.
vs. George Washington: trailed by two points 11/14/22
vs. UNC Greensboro: trailed by two points 11/26/22
vs. Quinnipiac: trailed by one point 11/27/22
vs. Old Westbury: trailed by two points 12/22/22
vs. William & Mary: trailed by two points 1/7/23
vs. Northeastern: trailed by one point 2/8/23
And there’s a defeat in which the Dutchmen never trailed by more than a possession — the 81-79 loss to North Carolina A&T on Dec. 31, when the Aggies took their biggest lead on the buzzer-beating tap-in by Tyrese Elliott. Quirky!
THE DEFENSE DIDN’T REST
The Dutchmen improved to 7-0 this season when allowing fewer than 60 points and have won 39 straight games when surrendering fewer than 60 points. The Dutchmen last lost when giving up fewer than 60 points on Feb. 10, 2014, when they fell to James Madison, 59-53.
SEVEN TIMES FIVE
Is 35! But that’s not the point of this exercise. The Dutchmen had at least seven players finish with at least five points Wednesday. Actually, it was seven players finishing with at least six points, but five is a rounder number. Anyway, it’s the fourth time this season the Dutchmen have had seven players score at least five points following well-distributed wins against San Jose State on Nov. 17, Old Westbury on Dec. 22 and Delaware on Jan. 14. Four different months!
FLIRTING WITH THE TRIP-DUB
Jaquan Carlos almost came as close as possible to compiling a triple-double without doing so Wednesday, when he finished with 10 points, nine rebounds and nine assists. Not surprisingly, the only player to come closer to a triple-double without finishing with one in the Defiantly Dutch era (1993-pres) was…who else but Speedy Claxton, who had 10 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists against Maine on Feb. 22, 1998. I love it when a quirky fact comes together!
WELCOME BACK
Aaron Estrada returned from a one-game absence due to a stomach illness Wednesday, when he finished with 13 points, five assists, four rebounds and two steals in 32 minutes. Estrada has scored in double digits in each of his last 15 games, in 21 of the 22 games in which he’s played this season and in 48 of 54 games since debuting for Hofstra last season. He scored in double figures in 13 of the 37 games in which he played for Saint Peter’s and Oregon from 2019 through 2021.
ESTRADA HOLDS STEADY
Aaron Estrada remained in 37th place on the all-time Hofstra scoring list Wednesday, when his 13 points increased his career total to 1,059 points and pulled him within two points of surpassing Darius Burton for 36th place. Estrada is 11 points shy of moving past Derrick Flowers into 35th place and 32 points shy of surging past Ameen Tanksley into 34th place.
33.) Richie Swartz 1,107
34.) Ameen Tanksley 1,090
35.) Derrick Flowers 1,069
36.) Darius Burton 1,060
37.) AARON ESTRADA 1,059
38.) Percy Johnson 1,045
39.) James Shaffer 1,022
40.) John Irving 1,018
NO DOUBTING THOMAS
Tyler Thomas’ strong season continued Wednesday, when he led the Dutchmen with 18 points. It was the sixth straight game in which Thomas has scored in double figures as well as the 12th time in 13 CAA games and the 20th time in 26 games overall.
PERFECT PLOTNIKOV
German Plotnikov had his second straight solid game Wednesday, when he scored eight points while going 4-of-4 from the field. Plotnikov scored a career-high 14 points against Stony Brook on Feb. 4, which gives him *carries the one, drops the remainder* 22 points in his last two games. That’s the most prolific two-game stretch of the season for Plotnikov, who scored 20 points combined against Princeton and Iona from Nov. 7-11.
PERFECT SQUARED
Nelson Boachie-Yiadom (3-for-3) joined Plotnikov in posting a perfect shooting game. Plotnikov and Boachie-Yiadom are the first set of Hofstra teammates to post perfect shooting games (minimum three attempts) since Jacquil Taylor (7-of-7) and Desure Buie (4-of-4) did so in a 107-54 win over Division III Rosemont on Dec. 22, 2018. The previous pair of teammates to achieve the feat against a Division I foe were Rokas Gustys (6-of-6) and Moussa Kone (3-of-3) in an 85-81 loss to Vermont in the CBI on Mar. 18, 2015. Of COURSE that happened in the CBI.
TWO FOR TOMASCO
Christian Tomasco closed out the scoring Wednesday with an emphatic dunk (off a pass from, who else, Jaquan Carlos). The points were the first for Tomasco since he scored two points against Princeton in the season opener on Nov. 7.
OVER THE AIR
Tonight’s game will be carried live on SNY, which is channel 60 in the Optimum/Altice Are Our Overlords Universe. Hofstra will provide a radio feed as well as live stats at the Pride Productions hub.
SCOUTING MONMOUTH
The Hawks, under 12th-year head coach King Rice, are 5-20 overall and 4-8 in CAA play following a 61-54 win over Stony Brook on Wednesday. It was the fourth straight win for Monmouth following a 12-game losing streak.
The Dutchmen and Hawks had no common opponents in non-conference play. In CAA play, the Dutchmen have swept Delaware, whom Monmouth beat, and beat Stony Brook, with whom Monmouth split. The Dutchmen beat UNC Wilmington, which swept Monmouth, and beat Hampton and Charleston, each of whom beat the Hawks. Hofstra split with Towson, which beat Monmouth, and lost to North Carolina A&T, which fell to the Hawks.
The Dutchmen, who were picked to finish second in the CAA preseason poll, are ranked 94th at KenPom.com. The Hawks, who were picked to finish 10th, are ranked 350th.
According to KenPom.com, the Dutchmen rank first in the CAA in offensive-only efficiency (113.7 points per 100 possessions) and second in defensive efficiency (96.0 points per 100 possessions) while averaging 66.4 possessions per 40 minutes, the sixth-most in the league. The Hawks rank last in the CAA in offensive-only efficiency (89.1 points per 100 possessions) and sixth in defensive efficiency (101.6 points per 100 possessions) while averaging 65.5 possessions per 40 minutes, which ranks ninth in the league.
Junior forward Myles Foster leads the Hawks with 12.5 points and 6.6 rebounds per game. Freshman guard Jack Collins ranks second in scoring at 9.7 points per game while sophomore guard Tahron Allen ranks third in scoring at 8.0 points per game. Junior forward Klemen Vuga is second in rebounding at 5.0 rebounds per game. Per KenPom.com, Monmouth is the eighth least-experienced team in Division I with an average of 0.58 years of experience per player.
KenPom.com predicts a 75-62 win for the Dutchmen. Per the wise guys in Vegas, for entertainment purposes only, the Dutchmen are 12-point favorites. The Dutchmen are 14-9-2 against the spread this season after covering for the sixth straight game Wednesday night. They’re winning everywhere!
THE CAA RACE
The results Wednesday night were indeed pivotal in shaping the race for the regular season championship. Hofstra and Charleston remained tied for first at 11-2 by virtue of the Dutchmen’s win and the Cougars’ 93-61 rout of UNC Wilmington, That result dropped the Seahawks to 9-4 in the CAA but more importantly 0-3 against Hofstra and Charleston, which ensures they won’t have any tiebreakers against either team. Towson (9-3) is now the only other team with a realistic chance at the regular season title following an 86-72 win over Hampton. The Tigers split with Hofstra and lost to Charleston, whom they are slated to face in the penultimate game of the regular season on Feb. 23.
THE GAME BEFORE THE BIG GAME
Sure, the Super Bowl is tomorrow, but everyone knows the biggest game of the weekend is this afternoon! And because it seemed like a quirky thing to do, I looked up the Flying Dutchmen’s record in their final game before the Super Bowl. And it is…27-29! But it was 24-29 before a three-game winning streak the Dutchmen will put on the line this afternoon. Fun fact: The Dutchmen have played ON Super Bowl Sunday six times, most recently on Feb. 7, 2021, when the Dutchmen beat Drexel 79-74 hours before the Buccaneers beat the Chiefs.
ALL-TIME VS. MONMOUTH
Hofstra is 7-6 all-time against Monmouth in a series that began in 1983-84. The Dutchmen have beaten the Hawks in each of the last six seasons and earned a 77-57 victory in the first clash of the teams as conference rivals on Jan. 11.
THINGS YOU CAN SHOUT ON TWITTER IF CALLS GO DO NOT GO HOFSTRA’S WAY
Josh Newman misses the MAAC bias! (The beat writer for Utah athletics at The Salt Lake Tribune has fond memories of his days as a Monmouth beat writer, and also the days in which he could find a good bagel)
Rick Fox is King Rice’s best friend bias! (1990 me is marveling that I know this)
Ed Halicki bias! (The Monmouth grad threw a no-hitter for the Giants against the Mets in 1975)
Mac did steroids on a boat bias! (As always, there's a "The Gang Goes To The Jersey Shore" reference here)
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