I'm not saying A.J.Wills' game-winning shot was the biggest surprise game-winner since John Paxson clinched the 1993 NBA Finals for the Bulls. I'll wait until March to say that.
If you weren’t already on the bandwagon before Saturday…well, you probably were, because why else would you be reading this? But the Flying Dutchmen did their best to coax others into believing by surviving their biggest test of the CAA season thus far and remaining unbeaten with a 67-64 overtime win over Monmouth.
As will hopefully remain the case for the rest of the season all the way through the NCAA Tournament — as always, I said what I said — here’s the Keep It Perky featuring the usual postgame boilerplate material. The individual news and notes from the victory over the Hawks and a preview of Stony Brook will be posted tomorrow. Enjoy!
THE MOST RECENT GAME SUMMARIZED IN ONE PARAGRAPH
Preston Edmead scored a career-high 24 points and drained his final eight free throw attempts. Cruz Davis scored 16 of his 19 points after halftime and A.J. Wills delivered the quirkiest Keith Hernandez of all-time (spoiler alert!) as the Dutchmen edged Monmouth in a rock fight of an instant classic. The Dutchmen shot just 22.2 percent (6-of-27) in the first half, when they endured three scoreless droughts lasting at least three minutes while falling behind by nine points, their biggest deficit of the CAA season. But the Dutchmen limited Monmouth to 35.7 percent shooting (10-of-28) over the first 20 minutes and entered the locker room down 29-24. Jason Rivera-Torres, whom you’ll read about plenty tomorrow, opened the second half with a 3-pointer for the Hawks before Edmead and Davis teamed up for all the points in a 14-0 run. Andrew Ball, who will be hitting 3-pointers against Hofstra long after the heat death of the universe, sandwiched a pair of 3-pointers around a basket by Edmead, after which the teams were never separated by more than four points for the final 18:46. Consecutive baskets by Wills and Silas Sunday gave the Dutchmen a 58-54 lead with 2:27 left, but Monmouth scored six of the next eight points, including a nostalgic 3-point play by Dok Muordar with 50 seconds left. Davis and Stefanos Spartalis swapped missed layups, after which Jaeden Roberts’ shot form just inside midcourt rimmed out at the buzzer. Wills, who didn’t appear n the game until there was 6:17 left in regulation, opened halftime with a 3-pointer — the last field goal of the game for the Dutchmen. Rivera-Torres twice pulled Monmouth within a point, first via a jumper and then by sinking two free throws, but Edmead and Davis answered with a pari of free throws each time. Sunday also blocked a potential go-ahead layup by Rivera-Torres with 1:45 left and Rivera-Torres missed a potential game-tying 3-pointer with 1:07 remaining before Joshua DeCady forced Rivera-Torres to step out of bounds with fife seconds left and the Dutchmen clinging to a 65-64 lead Edmead hit two more free throws and Jack Colins, who has been playing at Monmouth since Bruce Springsteen was a kid, missed a long 3-pointer at the buzzer. Edmead and Davis had six rebounds each while combining to go 21-of-23 from the free throw line for the Dutchmen, who finished 29-of-33. Sunday had eight points and 11 rebounds in a season-high 29 mints while DeCady had five points and nine rebounds. Victory Onuetu also finished with nine rebounds.
3 STARS OF THE GAME (vs. Monmouth, 1/10)
3: Preston Edmead
2: Cruz Davis
1: Silas Sunday
SEASON STANDINGS
Cruz Davis 42
Preston Edmead 27
Biggie Patterson 9
German Plotnikov 7
Victory Onuetu 6
Silas Sunday 5
Joshua DeCady 4
Jaeden Roberts 2
WAS THIS A UNICORN SCORE?
Nope! And as a matter of fact, it may be the most anti-unicorn score of all-time! This is at least the seventh 67-64 win for the Dutchmen and the first since Jan. 22. 2011, when they edged William & Mary. That was not the Charles Jenkins turns into The Wolf game, which was an 81-78 overtime win on Feb. 15, 2011. How is that almost 15 years ago?
The Dutchmen have recorded three unicorn score victories this season and 63 unicorn score victories since the start of the 2018-19 season, when we first started tracking unicorn scores.
2025-26: Three unicorn scores
2024-25: Seven unicorn scores
2023-24: Seven unicorn scores
2022-23: 12 unicorn scores
2021-22: 11 unicorn scores
2020-21: Zero unicorn scores (really)
2019-20: 13 unicorn scores
2018-19: 10 unicorn scores
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.
WHO HAD THE KEITH HERNANDEZ?
As you may have read by now, A.J. Wills made some history by hitting the tie-breaking 3-pointer that gave the Dutchmen the lead for good at 63-60 with 4:31 left in overtime. This is (deep breath here) Wills’ first Keith Hernandez, the first overtime Keith Hernandez since Cruz Davis hit the tie-breaking layup against Rice on Nov. 29, 2024 and the first Keith Hernandez by a reserve since Eric Parnell recorded his lone Keith Hernandez against North Carolina A&T in the regular season finale last Mar. 1. But the really quirky thing is Wills didn’t enter the game until there was 6:17 left in regulation and played just nine minutes Saturday, by far the fewest minutes for any player who has ever recorded a Keith Hernandez (at least since the 2022-23 season). Silas Sunday played 14 minutes apiece when he earned his Keith Hernandezes against Hampton on Feb. 8, 2024 and against Iona on Nov. 8, 2024. Wow! Nine months apart spanning two seasons! Wills is the 17th player to record a Keith Hernandez all-time (or at least since the 2022-23 season).
German Plotnikov go-ahead 3-pointer vs. Molloy, 11/10/25 (18:47 left 1H)
Preston Edmead go-ahead 3-pointer vs. Bucknell, 11/14/25 (13:30 left 2H)
Biggie Patterson tie-breaking free throw vs. La Salle, 11/28/25 (1:35 left 2H)
Preston Edmead tie-breaking 3-pointer vs. Merrimack, 11/29/25 (15:25 left 1H)
Biggie Patterson tie-breaking 3-pointer vs. Pennsylvania, 11/30/25 (18:03 left 2H)
Cruz Davis tie-breaking 3-pointer vs. Pittsburgh, 12/7/25 (8:38 left 1H)
Cruz Davis tie-breaking free throw vs. Old Westbury, 12/10/25 (19:50 left 1H)
German Plotnikov go-ahead 3-pointer vs. Syracuse, 12/13/25 (:31.9 left 2H)
Cruz Davis nostalgic 3-point play vs. Quinnipiac, 12/21/25 (3:54 left 2H)
Preston Edmead go-ahead 3-pointer vs. Campbell, 12/29/25 (12:05 left 1H)
German Plotnikov tie-breaking 3-pointer vs. Drexel, 1/3/26 (18:27 left 1H)
German Plotnikov go-ahead 3-pointer vs. Towson, 1/8/26 (3:33 left 1H)
A.J. Wills tie-breaking 3-pointer vs. Monmouth, 1/10/26 (4:31 left OT)
SEASON STANDINGS
German Plotnikov 4
Preston Edmead 3
Cruz Davis 3
Biggie Patterson 2
A.J. Wills 1
ALL-TIME STANDINGS (or at least since the 2022-23 season)
Tyler Thomas 16
Darlinstone Dubar 14
German Plotnikov 7
Cruz Davis 6
Jean Aranguren 5
Aaron Estrada 4
Preston Edmead 3
Michael Graham 3
Warren Williams 3
Biggie Patterson 2
Silas Sunday 2
Jacco Fritz 2
Jaquan Carlos 2
A.J. Wills 1
Eric Parnell 1
KiJan Robinson 1
Bryce Washington 1
The Keith Hernandez is bestowed upon the player who scores the points that put the Dutchmen ahead for good in a victory. The stat pays homage to Hernandez, the World Series-winning Cardinals and Mets first baseman who had a record 129 game-winning RBIs when the stat was inexplicably discontinued after the 1988 season.
THE FLYING DUTCHMEN AFTER SEVENTEEN GAMES
The Dutchmen improved to 13-4 with Saturday afternoon’s win. This ties the 2025-26 team for the eighth-best record in school history through 17 games. This is the first time the Dutchmen have opened 13-4 since 2014-15 and the ninth time overall in program history. Here is how some notable Hofstra teams have fared through 17 games:
NCAA DIVISION I TOURNAMENT TEAMS
1975-76: 9-8
1976-77: 12-5
1999-2000: 12-5
2000-01: 13-4 (marked fifth win in program-record 18-game winning streak)
2019-20 (IT COUNTS TO US): 12-5 (most recent 12-5 start)
NIT TEAMS
1998-99: 11-6
2004-05: 11-6
2005-06: 13-4
2006-07: 12-5
2015-16: 12-5
2018-19: 14-3 (most recent 14-3 start, win in 17th game marked 11th win in the 16-game winning streak)
2022-23: 10-7
NCAA DIVISION II TOURNAMENT TEAMS
1958-59: 12-5
1961-62: 15-2 (loss in 17th game snapped 14-game winning streak, most recent 15-2 start)
1962-63: 11-6
1963-64: 14-3
Some other notable 17-game starts:
2024-25: 10-7 (most recent 10-7 start)
2023-24: 8-9 (most recent 8-9 start)
2020-21: 11-6 (most recent 11-6 start)
2016-17: 9-8 (most recent 9-8 start, last time over .500)
2013-14: 6-11 (most recent 6-11 start, Joe Mihalich’s first team)
2012-13: 5-12 (most recent 5-12 start)
2007-08: 4-13 (most recent 4-13 start)
2003-04: 7-10 (most recent 7-10 start)
1994-95: 3-14 (most recent 3-14 start, Jay Wright’s first team)
1993-94: 2-15 (only 2-15 start, worst 17-game start in school history, VBK’s last team)
1987-88: 4-13 (loss in 17th game was seventh loss of program-record 13-game losing streak)
1985-86: 8-9 (last time under .500)
1964-65: 9-8 (last time over .500)
1960-61: 15-2
1959-60: 16-1 (most recent 16-1 start & Hofstra’s winningest team, percentage-wise; win in 17th game was sixth win of season-ending 13-game winning streak)
1957-58: 13-4 (loss in 17th game snapped 10-game winning streak)
1955-56: 16-1
1951-52: 16-1
1939-40: 9-8 (over .500 for good)
1936-37: 7-10 (season complete)
Hofstra has never been 17-0, 1-16 or 0-17 through 17 games.
One season was completed in fewer than 17 games:
1937-38 (10-4)
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 FIFTY
With Saturday’s win, Speedy Claxton improved to 94-56 (.627) as head coach. That’s tied for the fourth-best known winning percentage for a Hofstra coach through his first 150 games at the helm.
Butch van Breda Kolff I 112-38 (.747, 150th game was the 24th game of his sixth season in 1960-61)
Frank Reilly 109-41 (.727, 150th game was the 21st game of his sixth season in 1952-53)
Paul Lynner 94-56 (.627, 150th game was the 15th game of his sixth season in 1967-68)
SPEEDY CLAXTON 94-56 (.627, 150th game was the 17th game of his fifth season in 2025-26)
Tom Pecora 79-71 (.527, 150th game was the 30th game of his sixth season in 2005-06)
Joe Mihalich 79-71 (.527, 150th game was the 17th game of his fifth season in 2017-18)
Dick Berg 75-75 (.500, 150th game was the 11th game of his sixth season in 1985-86)
Jay Wright 74-76 (.493, 150th game was the fifth game of his fifth season in 1998-99)
Roger Gaeckler 73-77 (.487, 150th game was the 18th game of his sixth season in 1977-78)
Butch van Breda Kolff II 71-79 (.473, 150th game was the ninth game of his sixth season in 1993-94)
Speedy Claxton remains tied for third place with Paul Lynner after both men win their milestone 150th game at the helm. Tom Pecora’s generational 2005-06 team loses the CAA championship game to UNC Wilmington as he falls into a tie for fifth with Joe Mihalich. But I’m sure the selection committee will take into effect the fact Loren Stokes was comprised in the title game because a player from George Mason, whom Hofstra beat twice in the final 11 days of the season, punched him in the nuts and thus will give the Dutchmen an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament! Right? Anyway, Dick Berg climbs back to .500 and perpetual slacker Jay Wright climbs into eighth place, one game ahead of Roger Gaeckler. If my math is correct, Wright will never fall below eighth again. Still, not sure if he’s a long-term solution.
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.
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