Keep It Perky: Towson postgame

Here's a scary tale for you...

Well, that wasn’t fun. The Flying Dutchmen authored their biggest collapse in five years Thursday night, when they squandered a 18-point first-half lead in a 65-60 loss to Towson. The loss drops the Dutchmen to 2-3 in the CAA and creates what amounts to another must-win tomorrow afternoon at Drexel. At least that won’t be the only Hofstra-Drexel game of the season, right? Right?

As will hopefully remain the case throughout the CAA season (5-for-5 so far!), here’s the postgame boilerplate material in Keep It Perky form. The individual news and notes from Thursday night and the Drexel preview will be posted early tomorrow morning. Enjoy! (As much as you can, anyway)

THE MOST RECENT GAME SUMMARIZED IN ONE PARAGRAPH

The Flying Dutchmen got off to an atypically hot offensive start, but Towson began inching back thanks in part to a last-second basket (no, not that!) and the Dutchmen never got untracked in the second half following an extended absence by Jean Aranguren due to foul trouble. The Dutchmen had perhaps their best seven-minute stretch of the season when they scored on 10 of 11 possessions — including their last eight — during a 22-4 run that extended their lead to 39-21 with 3:07 left. But Towson scored on five of its last six trips and capped an 11-2 surge when Messiah Jones stole Cruz Davis’ inbounds pass and hit a layup at the buzzer. Aranguren opened the second half with a layup but collected his third and fourth fouls in a 36-second span CRYPT KEEPER BIAS and exited with the Dutchmen ahead 43-32. The Dutchmen missed their next six shots and were 2-of-11 from the field with four turnovers before Aranguren returned with 9:50 left and Towson within 47-45. Aranguren immediately hit a layup and KiJan Robinson scored two possessions later, but the Dutchmen had two more field goals the rest of the way. Towson missed seven shots and committed two turnovers with a chance to tie the score or take the lead in a span of more than six minutes before Jones sank two free throws to put the Tigers up 59-58 with 1:07 left. German Plotnikov responded with two free throws 13 seconds later, but Dylan Williamson sank the go-ahead 3-pointer with 31 seconds remaining. Aranguren missed a layup and Caleb Embeya iced the win by going 3-of-4 from the free throw line the rest of the way. Aranguren had 14 points and five assists in just 25 minutes. TJ Gadsden scored 11 points while sinking a season-high three 3-pointers, including the Dutchmen’s final field goal with 4:39 left. Michael Graham had eight of his 12 points during the first-half run and added seven rebounds. Cruz Davis had eight points and six assists but also committed seven turnovers. Robinson added eight points off the bench.

3 STARS OF THE GAME (vs. Towson, 1/16)

3: Jean Aranguren

2: TJ Gadsden

1: Michael Graham 

SEASON STANDINGS

Jean Aranguren 39

Cruz Davis 20

Jaquan Sanders 12

Michael Graham 11

KiJan Robinson 9

TJ Gadsden 5

Khalil Farmer 5

German Plotnikov 3

Silas Sunday 2

Eric Parnell 2

THE FLYING DUTCHMEN AFTER EIGHTEEN GAMES

With Thursday’s loss, the Dutchmen fell to 10-8 this season. We’re gonna win the AFC and NFC South in an upcoming season! This ties the 2024-25 team for the 35th-best record in school history through 18 games. It’s the first time the Dutchmen have opened 10-8 since way back in 1997-98 and the seventh time overall in school history. Here is how some notable Hofstra teams have fared through 18 games:

NCAA DIVISION I TOURNAMENT TEAMS

1975-76: 9-9

1976-77: 13-5

1999-2000: 13-5

2000-01: 14-4 (marked fifth win in program-record 18-game winning streak)

2019-20 (IT COUNTS TO US): 13-5 (most recent 13-5 start)

NIT TEAMS

1998-99: 12-6

2004-05: 12-6

2005-06: 14-4 (most recent 14-4 start)

2006-07: 13-5

2015-16: 12-6 (most recent 12-6 start)

2018-19: 15-3 (most recent 15-3 start, win in 18th game marked 12th win in the 16-game winning streak)

2022-23: 11-7 (most recent 11-7 start)

NCAA DIVISION II TOURNAMENT TEAMS

1958-59: 13-5

1961-62: 16-2 (most recent 16-2 start)

1962-63: 12-6

1963-64: 15-3

Some other notable 18-game starts:

2023-24: 9-9 (most recent 9-9 start)

2016-17: 9-9 (last time at .500)

2013-14: 6-12 (most recent 6-12 start, Joe Mihalich’s first team)

2012-13: 5-13 (most recent 5-13 start)

2003-04: 8-10 (most recent 8-10 start)

1995-96: 7-11 (most recent 7-11 start, loss in 18th game was fourth loss of Jay Wright-era record nine-game losing streak)

1994-95: 4-14 (most recent 4-14 start, Jay Wright’s first team)

1993-94: 2-16 (only 2-16 start, worst 18-game start in school history, VBK’s last team)

1987-88: 4-14 (loss in 18th game was ninth loss of program-record 12-game losing streak)

1981-82: 11-7 (win in 18th game was the fourth straight but immediately preceded an eight-game losing streak)

1964-65: 9-9 (last time at .500)

1960-61: 16-2 (first 16-2 start)

1959-60: 17-1 (most recent 17-1 start & Hofstra’s winningest team, percentage-wise; win in 17th game was seventh win of season-ending 13-game winning streak)

1956-57: 9-9 (last time at .500)

1955-56: 17-1 (first 17-1 start, first year of VBK’s first stint)

1938-39: 10-8 (lost season finale)

Hofstra has never been 18-0, 3-15, 1-17 or 0-18 through 18 games.

Quirky quirkiness: The Dutchmen have had every 18-game record between 5-13 and 15-3 this century except 7-11. 

Two seasons were completed in fewer than 18 games:

1937-38: 10-4 

1936-37: 7-10

Full records not available for the following seasons: 1936-37, 1941-42, 1942-43.

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 ONE HUNDRED AND EIGHTEEN

With Thursday’s loss, Speedy Claxton fell to 76-42 (.644) as head coach. That’s the fourth-best known winning percentage for a Hofstra coach through his first 117 games at the helm.

Butch van Breda Kolff I 83-35 (.701, 118th game was the 16th game of his fifth season in 1959-60)

Frank Reilly 82-36 (.692, 118th game was the 18th game of his fifth season in 1951-52)

Paul Lynner 77-41 (.650, 118th game was the eighth game of his fifth season in 1966-67)

SPEEDY CLAXTON 76-42 (.644, 118th game was the 18th game of his fourth season in 2024-25)

Joe Mihalich 63-55 (.538, 118th game was the 17th game of his fourth season in 2016-17)

Butch van Breda Kolff II 62-56 (.521, 118th game was the fourth game of his fifth season in 1992-93)

Dick Berg 61-57 (.513, 118th game was the eighth game of his fifth season in 1984-85)

Roger Gaeckler 56-62 (.470, 118th game was the 16th game of his fifth season in 1976-77)

Tom Pecora 55-63 (.462, 118th game was the 28th game of his fifth season in 2004-05)

Jay Wright 52-66 (.436, 118th game was the fifth game of his fifth season in 1998-99)

Claxton’s loss drops him a game behind Paul Lynner and accounts for the only different in the standings as they were through 117 games. Tom Pecora notches what will be the Dutchmen’s final win of the 2004-05 season to remain three games ahead of fellow perpetual slacker Jay Wright. Perpetual slackers!

The records are incomplete for Jack McDonald’s first stint from 1936 through 1943 as well as the tenure of Jack Smith (1943-46).

Smith finished 27-32 in his three seasons while Mo Cassara finished 38-59 in his three seasons. 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.