For two hours this afternoon, Tom, you are a MORTAL enemy!
Hey TP, we’re coming for you. The Flying Dutchmen snapped a two-game losing streak Saturday afternoon, when they led UNC Greensboro almost the entire way in a 65-53 victory. The Dutchmen will look to finish their trip to the National Grammar Rodeo with a winning record this afternoon, when they are slated to face Quinnipiac and assistant coach Tom Pecora. Here’s a look back at the win over the Spartans and a look ahead to the Fighting Pecoras (they’re actually the Bobcats).
THE MOST RECENT GAME SUMMARIZED IN ONE PARAGRAPH
Darlinstone Dubar (17 points) broke out of a lengthy slump for the Dutchmen, who led by at least five points for the final 32-plus minutes. Tyler Thomas scored all 14 of his points in the first half and had 10 points in a 15-3 run that gave the Dutchmen a 27-12 lead. UNC Greensboro got within 45-40 with 11:50 left, but the Spartans went 0-for-3 from the field with three turnovers over the next four minutes, a span in which the Dutchmen scored 11 unanswered points. The Dutchmen maintained a double-digit lead the rest of the way. Aaron Estrada was limited to seven points on 2-for-8 shooting from the field, but he added a team-high 10 rebounds and five assists. Budding freshman star Amar’e Marshall added 10 points off the bench. Thomas sat out the final 12:22.
3 STARS OF THE GAME (vs. UNC Greensboro, 11/26)
3: Darlinstone Dubar
2: Tyler Thomas
1: Aaron Estrada
SEASON STANDINGS
Aaron Estrada 15
Tyler Thomas 8
Darlinstone Dubar 7
Nelson Boachie-Yiadom 5
Jaquan Carlos 4
Amar’e Marshall 3
WAS THIS A UNICORN SCORE?
No! But it'd been more than 40 years since the Dutchmen’s previous 65-53 win, which they recorded against Delaware on Jan. 23, 1982. That was the day before Super Bowl XVI!
The Flying Dutchmen have three unicorn score victories this season after recording 11 unicorn score victories last season, 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.
WHO HAD THE KEITH HERNANDEZ?
Tyler Thomas hit the basket that put the Dutchmen ahead for good by draining a jumper with 14:56 left in the first half to give them a 14-12 lead. It is the earliest a Hofstra player has ever hit a known Keith Hernandez dating back to *flips calendar* when we began this feature earlier this month.
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)
This also, as you can see, makes Thomas the first player to record two Keith Hernandezes. History!
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 SEVEN GAMES
With Saturday’s win, the Dutchmen improved to 5-2. This ties the 2022-23 team for the 15th-best record in school history through seven games. Thirteen other teams began 5-2, most recently the 2015-16 squad. Here is how some notable Hofstra teams have fared through seven games:
NCAA TOURNAMENT TEAMS
1975-76: 3-4
1976-77: 6-1
1999-2000: 3-4
2000-01: 5-2
2019-20 (IT COUNTS TO US): 4-3
NIT TEAMS
1998-99: 3-4
2004-05: 7-0 (most recent 7-0 start)
2005-06: 5-2
2006-07: 4-3 (over .500 for good)
2015-16: 5-2
2018-19: 4-3 (marked first win in the 16-game winning streak)
NCAA DIVISION II TOURNAMENT TEAMS
1958-59: 4-3
1961-62: 6-1
1962-63: 5-2
1963-64: 6-1
Some other notable seven-game starts:
2021-22: 3-4 (most recent 3-4 start)
2020-21: 4-3 (most recent 4-3 start)
2013-14: 2-5 (most recent 2-5 start)
2012-13: 3-4 (under .500 for good because…well, you know)
2011-12: 3-4 (under .500 for good)
2008-09: 6-1 (most recent 6-1 start)
2002-03: 1-6 (most recent 1-6 start)
1994-95: 2-5 (Jay Wright’s first team)
1993-94: 1-6 (VBK’s last team)
1982-83: 6-1 (first loss in 7th game)
1978-79: 3-4 (under .500 for good)
1973-74: 1-6 (win snapped the most recent season-opening six-game losing streak, the Dutchmen have never begun 0-7)
1960-61: 7-0
1959-60: 7-0
1955-56: 7-0
1954-55: 7-0
1951-52: 7-0
1947-48: 7-0
1943-44: 3-4 (under .500 for good)
Hofstra has never been 0-7 through seven games. It’s the first record they’ve never experienced! Let’s keep it that way.
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 THIRTY-NINE
With Saturday afternoon’s win, Speedy Claxton improved to 26-13 (.667) as head coach. That’s the third-best known winning percentage for a Hofstra coach through his first 38 games at the helm.
Paul Lynner 31-8 (.795, 39th game was the ninth game of his second season in 1963-64)
Butch van Breda Kolff I 28-11 (.718, 39th game was the 13th game of his second season in 1956-57)
SPEEDY CLAXTON 26-13 (.667, 39th game was the seventh game of his second season in 2022-23)
Mo Cassara 24-15 (.615, 39th game was the sixth game of his second season in 2011-12)
Dick Berg 18-21 (.462, 39th game was the 12th game of his second season in 1981-82)
Butch van Breda Kolff II 17-22 (.436, 39th game was the 10th game of his second season in 1989-90)
Jay Wright 15-24 (.385, 39th game was the 11th game of his second season in 1995-96)
Joe Mihalich 14-25 (.359, 39th game was the sixth game of his second season in 2013-14)
Tom Pecora 13-26 (.333, 39th game was the seventh game of his second season in 2002-03)
Roger Gaeckler 10-29 (.256, 39th game was the 15th game of his second season in 1973-74)
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 fewer than 33 games 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.
INTERNATIONAL BRIGHT YOUNG THINGS
The Dutchmen earned a win outside of the United States for the first time since Nov. 20, 2015, when they upset Florida State 82-77 in a Paradise Jam game in the Virgin Islands.
THE DEFENSE DIDN’T REST (part one)
The Dutchmen limited UNC Greensboro to 35.7 percent shooting (20-of-56), including just 16.7 percent (4-of-24) from 3-point land. The overall shooting percentage was the worst by a Dutchmen opponent since Jan. 22, 2022, when Northeastern shot 35 percent (21-of-60) as Hofstra rolled to a 72-50 win. And the last Division I team to shoot as poorly from 3-point land was Duquesne, which shot 12.5 percent (3-of-24) from beyond the arc in the Dutchmen’s 73-63 win on Nov. 13, 2021. The Dutchmen later limited Division II Molloy to 11.5 percent (3-of-26) from 3-point land in an 87-49 win on Nov. 24, 2021.
THE DEFENSE DIDN’T REST (part two)
The 53 points allowed by the dutchmen were the fewest since that 72-50 win over Northeastern, With Saturday’s victory, the Dutchmen have won 34 straight games in which they’ve surrendered 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.
D-STONE’S BIG DAY
Darlinstone Dubar, who was scoreless against Saint Mary’s and had just four points Friday night against Middle Tennessee, scored 17 points while going 7-of-10 from the field, including 2-of-3 from the 3-point line, over 31 minutes. Dubar was 1-of-10 from the field, including 0-for-5 from beyond the arc, while playing just 41 minutes in the previous two games. In addition, Dubar led the Dutchmen in scoring for the first time since he scored 24 points in a 102-51 win over Division III John Jay on Dec. 12, 2021.
STAT STUFFER
Aaron Estrada was limited to just seven points Saturday, but he also pulled down 10 rebounds, finished with five assists and made six turnovers. It’s the second time Estrada’s had at least five points, five rebounds, five assists and five turnovers in a game for the Dutchmen and the first time since he finished with 28 points, six rebounds, seven assists and seven turnovers in a 73-71 win over UNC Wilmington on Feb. 28, 2022. Three other players have had at least five points, five rebounds, five assists and five turnovers in the same game since the 2010-11 season, the start of the Play Index era at College Basketball Reference. Juan’ya Green did it four times and Stevie Mejia and Eli Pemberton had one such game apiece.
AARON BOARDS
Aaron Estrada’s 10 rebounds Saturday led the Dutchmen. It was the first time he’d led the Dutchmen in rebounding since he also had 10 rebounds in an 83-67 win over William & Mary on Feb. 26.
AARON CLOSES IN ON 1,000
Aaron Estrada’s seven points Saturday afternoon night increased his career total to 983 points in four seasons between Saint Peter’s, Oregon and Hofstra. That means he needs *carries the one, drops the remainder* 17 points to reach 1,000 for his career. The most recent Hofstra player to record his 1,000th career point for Hofstra after beginning his career elsewhere was Brian Bernardi, who began his career at SMU in 2012-13 but recorded his 1,000th career point during the 2016-17 season. He also finished with more than 1,000 points at Hofstra (1,186, to be exact). Both Tareq Coburn (St. John’s) and Isaac Kante (Long Island University) recorded their 1,000th career points last season after scoring the bulk of their points during their second collegiate stops at Hofstra.
NO DOUBTING THOMAS
Tyler Thomas also snapped out of a slump Saturday, when he scored 14 points. It was a bit of a hot-and-cold effort for Thomas, who scored all his points while hitting his first five shots from the field and both his free throw attempts. He then went 0-for-6 from the field before exiting for good a little under eight minutes into the second half. Thomas had just 10 points in his previous two games, a span in which he shot 5-of-15 from the field.
MARSHALL’S LAW
Amar’e Marshall finished with 10 points and went 6-for-6 from the free throw line Saturday. It was the second straight double-digit scoring performance for Marshall, who scored a career-high 16 points against Middle Tennessee State on Friday night, and the first time he’s scored at least 10 points in back-to-back games.
TURNOVER AND OVER AND OVER
The Dutchmen finished with 20 turnovers Saturday (though the last one was a shot clock violation in the waning seconds…you know who wouldn’t do that? Jim Larranaga. Too bad Hofstra’s not playing a team once associated with Larranaga later this week HEY WAIT A MINUTE). It’s the first time they’ve committed at least 20 turnovers in a win since the Dutchmen also had 20 turnovers in a 96-88 victory over Monmouth on Dec 15, 2020. UNC Greensboro also had 20 turnovers Saturday, which marks the first time in the Play Index era that both the Dutchmen and an opponent committed at least 20 turnovers in the same game.
OVER THE AIR
This afternoon’s game is slated to be carried live on the Northern Classic website. It’s $25 (covers the entire tournament) and there’s no audio. I don’t hear anyone complaining about FloHoops now, do I? The good news is Hofstra will provide a radio feed as well as live stats at the Pride Productions hub.
QUINNIPIAC AND THE MAAC
Quinnipiac, under sixth-year head coach Baker Dunleavy, is 7-0 this season after beating Montana State, 70-53, on Saturday night. It was the most lopsided wino f the season for the Bobcats, whose previous double-digit win over a Division I foe was Friday’s 58-44 win over Stephen F. Austin.
The Bobcats were picked to finish fourth in the MAAC while redshirt senior guard Matt Balanc was selected to the preseason all-MAAC first team and junior guard Dezi Jones was a preseason all-MAAC third team selection. Balanc leads Quinnipiac with 13.7 points per game while junior guard Luis Kortright is averaging 10.9 points per game. Junior forward Paul Otieno is averaging a team-high 7.4 rebounds per game.
At KenPom.com, Quinnipiac is ranked 192nd nationally in offensive efficiency (100.7 points per 100 possessions) and 141st in defensive efficiency (100.4 points per 100 possessions) while ranking 56th in tempo (71.2 possessions per 40 minutes).
The Dutchmen and Bobcats have just one common opponent despite playing this weekend in the same “tournament.” Quinnipiac is slated to play Iona twice in MAAC play. Hofstra edged the Gaels, 83-78, on Nov. 11.
This is the second meeting between Hofstra and Quinnipiac in men’s basketball. Quinnipiac edged the Dutchmen, 71-68, in the championship game of the Hofstra Holiday Tournament on Dec. 1, 2002. That’s right, Hofstra once hosted a holiday tournament!
At KenPom.com this morning, Hofstra is ranked 123rd while Quinnipiac is ranked 163rd. KenPom.com predicts a 76-73 win for the Dutchmen. Per the wise guys in Vegas, for entertainment purposes only, the Dutchmen are 4-point favorites. The Dutchmen are 4-3 against the spread this season.
Hofstra is 104-120 all-time against current MAAC schools. The Dutchmen are playing at least two MAAC schools for the 15th time in the last 17 seasons. (Apologies, I forgot Quinnipiac was a MAAC school while writing the Iona preview — I still think of them as a Northeast Conference school, apparently)
REUNITED
This afternoon marks the first coaching reunion involving a Hofstra head coach and a former co-worker AT Hofstra, since Dec. 21, 2009, when the Flying Dutchmen fell to Davidson, 61-52, at Madison Square Garden. Hey! Another neutral site game! Then-Hofstra head coach Tom Pecora was an assistant coach to then-Davidson head coach Bob McKillop at Long Island Lutheran from 1984-87. But this is the second coaching reunion for Claxton, who coached against one of his former NBA coaches last season when the Dutchmen beat Arkansas 89-81 on Dec. 18. Arkansas head coach Eric Mussleman coached Claxton with the Golden State Warriors during the 2003-04 season.
THINGS YOU CAN SHOUT ON TWITTER IF CALLS GO DO NOT GO HOFSTRA’S WAY
Tom Pecora bias! (Shouting this no matter what)
Vinny Simone bias! (Our friend and fellow local college basketball scribe Vinny Simone graduated from Quinnipiac)
Mike Dunleavy bias! (Baker’s Dad is longtime NBA player and coach Mike)
I used to cover the Nutmeg State Games on your campus in Hamden bias! (Showing off my Connecticut ties here)
No comments:
Post a Comment