Keep It Perky: Stony Brook

When you run out of Lemon tree/turnip juice references. 

Unbeaten conference seasons are for losers anyway. And so is beating your local rival. What’s the fun in that? Seriously. I’ve forgotten what that’s like after the Flying Dutchmen suffered their fourth straight loss to Stony Brook, which led for the final 25-plus minutes Thursday night in a 76-71 victory.

As will hopefully remain the case for the rest of the season all the way through the NCAA Tournament — one day later, I still believe! — here’s the Keep It Perky featuring the usual postgame boilerplate material. The individual news and notes from the loss to the Seawolves and a preview of Not Twitter Guy will be posted tomorrow. Oh great I’ve got to write that a bunch tonight. Enjoy!

THE MOST RECENT GAME SUMMARIZED IN ONE PARAGRAPH

Preston Edmead (22 points, eight rebounds) flirted with a double-double, A.J Wills set season-highs with 10 points in 32 minutes and Cruz Davis scored all 16 of his points in the second half, but the Dutchmen rarely got within striking distance of Stony Brook following the Seawolves’ decisive surge late in the first half. Stony Brook an early 10-0 run to take a 12-3 lead before Edmead scored during a 16-6 run NICE FOOTBALL SCORE that ended with Edmead draining a 3-pointer to give the Dutchmen their final lead. Erik Pratt scored six unanswered points to begin a half-ending 14-6 run ANOTHER NICE FOOTBALL SCORE that gave the Seawolves a 32-25 lead. German Plotnikov opened the second half with a 3-pointer for the Dutchmen, but Stony Brook shot a robust 50 percent (14-of-28) the rest of the way, including 46.7 percent (7-of-15 from 3-point land, and opened a pair of 12-point leads while not allowing the Dutchmen to pull within a possession until Plotnikov’s free throws accounted for their final points with 10 seconds left. Edmead set a career high in rebounding for the second time in three games and shot 8-of-15 from the field, including 4-of-9 from beyond the arc. But the rest of the Dutchmen were just 16-of-46 overall, including 10-of-30 inside the 3-point line. Davis and Plotnikov (12 points) were a combined 0-for-12 on 2-point field goals. Davis added seven assists while Wills had three assists. Victory Onuetu scored four points and pulled down a game-high 11 rebounds.

3 STARS OF THE GAME (vs. Stony Brook, 1/15)

3: Preston Edmead

2: A.J. Wills

1: Cruz Davis

SEASON STANDINGS

Cruz Davis 43

Preston Edmead 30

Biggie Patterson 9

German Plotnikov 7

Victory Onuetu 6

Silas Sunday 5

Joshua DeCady 4

A.J. Wills 2

Jaeden Roberts 2

THE FLYING DUTCHMEN AFTER EIGHTEEN GAMES

The Dutchmen fell to 13-5 with Thursday night’s loss. This ties the 2025-26 team for the 12th-best record in school history through 18 games. This is the first time the Dutchmen have opened 13-5 since 2019-20 and the eighth time overall in program 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

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:

2024-25: 10-8 (most recent 10-8 start)

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 FIFTY-ONE

With Thursday’s loss, Speedy Claxton fell to 94-57 (.623) as head coach. That’s tied for the third-best known winning percentage for a Hofstra coach through his first 151st games at the helm.

Butch van Breda Kolff I 112-39 (.747, 151st game was the 25th and final game of his sixth season in 1960-61)

Frank Reilly 109-42 (.727, 151st game was the 22nd game of his sixth season in 1952-53) 

Paul Lynner 94-57 (.627, 151st game was the 16th game of his sixth season in 1967-68) 

SPEEDY CLAXTON 94-57 (.623, 151st game was the 18th game of his fifth season in 2025-26) 

Tom Pecora 80-71 (.527, 151st game was the 31st game of his sixth season in 2005-06) 

Joe Mihalich 80-71 (.527, 151st game was the 18th game of his fifth season in 2017-18) 

Dick Berg 76-75 (.500, 151st game was the 12th game of his sixth season in 1985-86) 

Jay Wright 74-77 (.493, 151st game was the sixth game of his fifth season in 1998-99) 

Roger Gaeckler 73-78 (.487, 151st game was the 19th game of his sixth season in 1977-78) 

Butch van Breda Kolff II 71-80 (.473, 151st game was the 10th game of his sixth season in 1993-94) 

A quirky game no. 151 as the top four coaches on this list and seven out of10 overall all drop game no. 151. The sixth (and penultimate) season of Butch van Breda Kolff’s first tenure ends with a 45-44 loss to Albright in the Middle Atlantic Conference championships. A one-point, season-ending loss. That tracks. Even the biggest win here is bittersweet as the NIT run (which should have been an NCAA Tournament run) for Tom Pecora and the generational 2005-06 team begins with a 73-62 win over Nebraska. The other game no. 151 wins are earned by Joe Mihalich and Dick Berg, the latter of whom climbs over .500 all-time. 

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.