Stony Brook fans tailgate tonight and was nostalgically of all the times they didn't beat Hofstra in football and didn't send alums into the NFL's head coaching ranks.
Good news: The Flying Dutchmen played a great first half Saturday! Bad news: The second half was…not so great. The Dutchmen continued to struggle trying to put together 40 solid minutes Saturday, when they squandered a 13-point first-half lead and fell to Monmouth 81-78. The Dutchmen will seek that elusive complete game as they hit the midway point of the CAA season tonight, when our good pals Stony Brook visit the Arena for the second game between the teams in 10 days. But it’s spanning two months! Here’s a look back at the loss to the Hawks and a look ahead to the Seawolves.
THE MOST RECENT GAME SUMMARIZED IN ONE PARAGRAPH
Tyler Thomas (24 points) and Darlinstone Dubar (21 points) had big games, but Xander Rice was too much for the Dutchmen to overcome in what would have been an instant classic at the Jersey Shore if the result was a little different (and if the officials were a little better — OK, a lot better). The Dutchmen, ice cold from 3-point land most of the CAA season, hit their first four 3s — two by Thomas and one apiece by Dubar and German Plotnikov — in taking a 16-13 lead at the first media timeout. The pace slowed a bit until the Dutchmen got hot again from outside during a half-ending 14-4 run that began with KiJan Robinson (two) and Jaquan Carlos hitting a trio of 3-pointers and ended with three free throws by Carlos to give the Dutchmen a 50-39 lead. Thomas drained a 3-pointer with 16:34 left to put the Dutchmen ahead by double digits for the last time at 57-47 before Monmouth began its comeback. The Hawks went on a 30-13 surge and seemed to be in control up 77-70 with 1:21 left, but Dubar and Thomas hit 3-pointers and Bryce Washington capped an 8-1 run by sinking a pair of free throws to tie the game with 26 seconds left. But the Hawks held for the last shot and Rice benefited form the home whistle when Washington was called for a foul as Rice hoisted a 3-pointer with two seconds left. Rice hit all three shots for the last of his 31 points and the Dutchmen couldn’t get a shot off before the buzzer. Thomas snapped his lengthy shooting slump by going 5-for-10 from 3-point land and added seven rebounds and four assists. Washington (seven points, seven rebounds, two blocks, one steal) had another solid game as the defensive spark off the bench while Robinson scored nine points via a trio of 3-pointers. Jacco Fritz had six points and six rebounds but fouled out in 24 minutes while Carlos finished with six points, eight assists and four reboudns but also committed five turnovers.
3 STARS OF THE GAME (vs. Monmouth, 1/27)
3: Tyler Thomas
2: Darlinstone Dubar
1: Bryce Washington
SEASON STANDINGS
Darlinstone Dubar 43
Tyler Thomas 40
Jaquan Carlos 21
Jacco Fritz 9
Bryce Washington 6
German Plotnikov 4
KiJan Robinson 2
Silas Sunday 1
THE FLYING DUTCHMEN AFTER TWENTY-ONE GAMES
With Saturday’s loss, the Dutchmen fell to 11-10. This ties the 2023-24 team for the 43rd-best record in school history through 21 games. This is the first time the Dutchmen have opened 11-10 since way back in 1984-85 — when I was in sixth grade! — and the sixth time overall in school history, That has got to be the farthest back we’ve gone to find the previous tie the Dutchmen had a certain record through ‘X’ games since we started this exercise in 2018-19. Here is how some notable Hofstra teams have fared through 21 games:
NCAA DIVISION I TOURNAMENT TEAMS
1975-76: 11-10 (over .500 for good)
1976-77: 15-6 (win in 21st game marked first win of nine-game winning streak that carried Dutchmen into the NCAAs)
1999-2000: 16-5 (win in 21st game marked ninth win of 10-game winning streak)
2000-01: 17-4 (win in 21st game marked ninth win in program-record 18-game winning streak)
2019-20 (IT COUNTS TO US): 14-7 (most recent 14-7 start)
NIT TEAMS
1998-99: 14-7
2004-05: 14-7
2005-06: 17-4 (most recent 17-4 start)
2006-07: 16-5 (most recent 16-5 start)
2015-16: 15-6 (most recent 15-6 start)
2018-19: 18-3 (most recent 18-3 start, win in 21st game marked 15th win in the 16-game winning streak)
2022-23: 13-8 (most recent 13-8 start, win in 21st game marked first win of 12-game winning streak that continued into the CAA Tournament)
NCAA DIVISION II TOURNAMENT TEAMS
1958-59: 16-5
1961-62: 18-3 (only other 18-3 start)
1962-63: 15-6 (fourth win of 11-game winning streak)
1963-64: 17-4
Some other notable 21-game records:
2020-21: 12-9 (most recent 12-9 start, loss in 21st game marked the unplanned and unexpected regular season finale because of, well, you know)
2016-17: 10-11 (most recent 10-11 start; win in 21st game snapped Mihalich-era record six-game losing streak)
2013-14: 7-14 (most recent 7-14 start, Joe Mihalich’s first team)
2012-13: 5-16 (most recent 5-16 start)
2009-10: 9-12 (most recent 9-12 start, season-low three games under .500)
2001-02: 10-11 (last time within one win of .500, Tom Pecora’s first team)
1996-97: 10-11 (under .500 for good)
1995-96: 7-14 (loss in 21st game marked seventh loss of Jay Wright-era record nine-game losing streak)
1994-95: 6-15 (most recent 6-15 start, Jay Wright’s first year)
1993-94: 4-17 (most recent 4-17 start, VBK’s last year)
1991-92: 13-8 (win in 21st game was second in nine-game winning streak that ended in ECC title game)
1988-89: 8-13 (most recent 8-13 start)
1987-88: 4-17 (loss in 21st game was 11th loss of program-record 12-game losing streak)
1974-75: 8-13 (last loss of season)
1972-73: 8-13 (last win of season)
1971-72: 11-10 (over .500 for the last time, last win of season)
1970-71: 13-8 (last loss of season)
1960-61: 19-2 (only 19-2 start)
1959-60: 20-1 (most recent 20-1 start & Hofstra’s winningest team, percentage-wise; win in 21st game was 10th win of season-ending 13-game winning streak)
1955-56: 20-1 (first 20-1 start)
1944-45: 8-13 (lost season finale)
1939-40: 12-9 (won season finale)
Hofstra has never been 21-0, 3-18, 2-19, 1-20 or 0-21 through 21 games.
More quirky quirkiness: With 11-10 now having been achieved, the only other 21-game record combinations the Dutchmen haven’t experienced this century aside from the above-mentioned records are 20-1, 19-2, 8-13, 6-15 and 4-17.
Seven seasons were completed in fewer than 21 games:
1936-37: 10-7
1937-38: 10-4
1938-39: 10-8
1940-41: 13-7
1943-44: 7-12
1945-46: 12-7
1947-48: 13-6
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 EIGHTY-EIGHT
With Saturday’s loss, Speedy Claxton fell to 57-31 (.648) as head coach. That’s tied for the third-best known winning percentage for a Hofstra coach through his first 88 games at the helm.
Frank Reilly 58-30 (.667, 88th game was the 17th game of his fourth season in 1950-51)
Paul Lynner 58-30 (.655, 88th game was the fourth game of his fourth season in 1965-66)
Butch van Breda Kolff I 57-31 (.644, 88th game was the 13th game of his fourth season in 1958-59)
SPEEDY CLAXTON 57-31 (.648, 88th game was the 21st game of his third season in 2023-24)
Dick Berg 46-42 (.517, 88th game was the sixth game of his fourth season in 1983-84)
Joe Mihalich 45-43 (.506, 88th game was the 21st game of his third season in 2015-16)
Butch van Breda Kolff II 44-44 (.494, 88th game was the third game of his fourth season in 1991-92)
Mo Cassara 36-52 (.414, 88th game was the 23rd game of his third season in 2012-13)
Roger Gaeckler 35-53 (.402, 88th game was the 16th game of his fourth season in 1975-76)
Jay Wright 35-53 (.391, 88th game was the sixth game of his fourth season in 1997-98)
Tom Pecora 34-54 (.379, 88th game was the 27th game of his third season in 2003-04)
Some quirky history here with ties for first, third and ninth place. I believe this is the first time Speedy Claxton has fallen out of sole possession of a top-three spot since at least the start of last season.
The records are incomplete for Jack McDonald’s first stint from 1936 through 1943 as well as the tenure of Jack Smith (1943-46). But not Frank Reilly (1947-55) anymore!
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.
DOUBLE DIGITS NOT ENOUGH
The Dutchmen squandered a double-digit lead in a loss for the second time this season and the ninth time since Speedy Claxton became head coach for the 2021-22 season. The Dutchmen led Saint Louis by 11 points in the first half of a 71-68 loss on Dec. 9.
UNLUCKY THIRTEEN
The Dutchmen frittered away a 13-point lead Saturday, their biggest blown lead in a loss since they led North Carolina A&T by 13 points in the second half of an 81-79 loss on Dec. 31, 2022.
ONLY HALFWAY THERE
The Dutchmen, who led Monmouth by 11 points at the half Saturday, lost a game in which they had a double-digit lead at intermission for the first time since Jan. 7, 2021, when they squandered a 17-point halftime lead in an 81-78 overtime loss to Northeastern. Apparently 81-78 losses with squandered double-digit leads are our thing?
STREAKING NO MORE
The loss Saturday ended the Dutchmen’s seven-game winning streak against Monmouth — which dated all the way back to Dec. 5, 2017, when Joel Angus II and Kenny Wormley were in the starting lineup and Jalen Ray hit the miraculous 3-pointer off Justin Wright-Foreman's purposely missed free throw with under two secnds left to lift Hofstra to an 85-84 win. The Dutchmen’s longest active winning streak is now a seven-game streak against Delaware dating back to Mar. 7, 2021. Will that streak be put on the line in a CAA game again?
FAST START
The Dutchmen led Monmouth 16-13 at the first media timeout Saturday, which arrived with 15:51 left in the first half (obviously). The 16 points are the most the dutchmen have scored this season prior to the first media timeout. They led Buffalo 15-6 when the under-16 timeout arrived with 15:57 left in the first half of a 102-68 win on Nov. 20. The Dutchmen didn’t score their 16th (and 17th and 18th, thanks to a Darlinstone Dubar 3-pointer) points until there was 15:45 left in the first half of the ECC clash.
NOT NOT A FIRST-HALF TEAM SATURDAY
The Dutchmen led 50-38 at the half Saturday. It marked the second time this season the Dutchmen have scored at least 50 points in the first half and the first time since they racked up 59 points in the first 20 minutes of the 102-68 win over Buffalo on Nov. 20.
NOT A SECOND-HALF TEAM SATURDAY
The Dutchmen scored just 28 points in the second half Saturday, their fewest of the season and their fewest since they scored 28 points in the second half of the 79-65 loss to Cincinnati in the second round of the NIT last Mar. 18. Even after having a far better first half than second half Saturday the Dutchmen are averaging 44.8 points per second half (848 points overall) as opposed to averaging 34.5 points per first half (725 points overall). I’d have to imagine that’s one of the biggest discrepancies in Division I. (These figures don’t include the nine points the Dutchmen scored in overtime of the 97-92 win over High Point on Nov. 22)
20-20 NOT ENOUGH
A truly quirky thing continued happening Saturday, when Tyler Thomas (24 points) and Darlinstone Dubar (21 points) each scored 20 points in a loss for the Dutchmen. It marked the fourth time this season the Dutchmen have lost a game in which both Thomas and Dubar scored at least 20 points. All four losses have come in the last nine games dating back to the 84-79 loss to St. John’s on Dec. 30. Entering this season, the Dutchmen had two players score at least 20 points in a loss just four times in the previous five seasons combined,
DUBAR MOVIN’ ON UP
Darlinstone Dubar moved into 33rd place on the all-time Hofstra scoring list Monday, when his 21 points increased his career total to 1,131 points and lifted him past Mike Moore. Dubar is two points away from moving past Wandy Williams for 32nd place, nine points away from surpassing Nathaniel Lester for 31st place and 29 points away from moving ahead of Ted Jackson for 30th place.
29.) Rokas Gustys 1,184
30.) Ted Jackson 1,159
31.) Nathaniel Lester 1,139
32.) Wandy Williams 1,132
33.) DARLINSTONE DUBAR 1,131
34.) Mike Moore 1,128
35.) Richie Swartz 1,107
THOMAS MOVIN’ ON UP, TOO
Tyler Thomas, who joined Dubar in the 1,000-point club last Thursday, moved into 40th place on the all-time Hofstra scoring list Saturday, when his 24 points increased his career total to 1,027 points and lifted him past John Irving and James Shaffer. Thomas is 19 points away from moving past Percy Johnson for 39th place and 34 points away from surpassing Darius Burton for 38th place.
37.) Derrick Flowers 1,069
38.) Darius Burton 1,060
39.) Percy Johnson 1,045
40.) TYLER THOMAS 1,027
41.) James Shaffer 1,022
42.) John Irving 1,018
NO DOUBTING THOMAS
Tyler Thomas snapped his shooting slump Saturday, when he scored 24 points while going 9-of-16 from the field, including 5-of-10 from the 3-point line. Thomas entered Saturday with 38 points over his previous three games, a span in which he was 14-of-47 from the field, including 2-of-25 from beyond the arc. Thomas has scored in double figures in 44 of his last 46 games and 49 times overall in the last two seasons. The 24-point effort Saturday marked the 14th time this season Thomas has scored at least 20 points and the 26th time he’s done so at Hofstra.
TYLER FROM THREE
Tyler Thomas ended an even longer slump Saturday by going 5-of-10 from 3-point land. Thomas entered Saturday having gone just 5-of-33 from beyond the arc in his previous four games.
D-STONE DEALING
Darlinstone Dubar continued his impressive season Thursday, when he finished with 21 points. Dubar has scored in double figures in all 21 games this season, which is his longest single-season stretch of consecutive double-figure efforts, and in 23 straight games overall dating back to the 88-86 overtime win over Rutgers in the first round of the NIT on Mar. 14. The latter streak is the longest by a Hofstra player since Aaron Estrada ended his career with the Dutchmen by scoring in double figures in his final 24 games last season, That stretch actually spanned 28 games because Estrada missed three games due to an ankle injury and one game due to illness.
SEVEN WISHES
Bryce Washington continued to fare well coming off the bench Saturday, when he finished with seven points and seven rebounds. The seven rebounds were the most for Washington since he arrived at Hofstra and his most since he had 10 rebounds for Pennsylvania way back on Jan. 26, 2019, when he collected 23 points in his lone double-double for the Quakers.
SEVEN THE HARD WAY
Alas, one quirky stat took a hit Saturday, when the Dutchmen lost even though Bryce Washington scored seven points. The Dutchmen are 10-2 this season when Washington scores at least seven points and just 1-8 when he scores fewer than seven points.
(This really works well today because it's the title of an album by Pat Benatar, who attended Stony Brook before dropping out to pursue her musical career)
JAQUAN’S TRIP FIVES
Jaquan Carlos had an up-and-down game Saturday, when he finished with six points, eight assists and four rebounds but also committed five turnovers. It was the third time this season Carlos has collected at least five points and five assists while committing five turnovers. He did so just once last season.
FRITZ’S PAIR OF SIXES
Jacco Fritz finished with six points and six rebounds Saturday. It was the sixth time this season Fritz has collected at least six points and six rebounds — Iron Maiden interested in funding an NIL for Fritz? — but the first time the Dutchmen have lost the game. That makes them *drumroll* 5-1 when Fritz has at least six points and six rebounds!
HERE’S TO YOU, KIJAN ROBINSON
KiJan Robinson provided another first-half spark Saturday, when he scored all nine of his points via a trio of 3-pointers before halftime. Robinson was scoreless in three-plus minuets in the second half, when he missed his lone shot. He has scored his last 17 points in the first half dating back to Jan. 18, when Robinson had eight points against Hampton.
GERMAN GIVING A HAND
German Plotnikov, fresh off his best performance with the Dutchmen in last Thursday’s 64-55 win over William & Mary, had just five points Saturday but added a career-high five assists — two more than his previous single-game best, achieved against St. John’s in an 84-79 loss on Dec. 30.
A FOUL FREE THROW DISCREPANCY
The Dutchmen had just 12 free throw attempts Saturday — a whopping 20 fewer than Monmouth. Of course, that’s not a season-high for free throw differential going in the wrong way. St. John’s hoisted 31 free throws — 24 more than the Dutchmen! — in its 84-79 win at UBS Arena (i.e. Carnesecca Arena east) on Dec. 30.
OVER THE AIR
Tonight’s game will be carried live in the metro New York area on MSG, which is channel 72 in the Optimum/Altice Are Our Overlords Universe. You can also catch it on the MSG app if you have an Optimum/Altice Are Our Overlords subscription or somehow paid one billion dollars (approx) for the app. It will also be carried live on Flo Hoops. For subscription options, click here. Hofstra will also provide a radio feed as well as live stats at the Pride Productions hub.
SCOUTING STONY BROOK
The Seawolves, under fifth-year head coach Geno Ford, are 11-10 this season and 4-4 in CAA play following an 86-78 overtime win over UNC Wilmington on Saturday. Hey! Once again, their records are the same as ours! Did we just become best friends?
The Dutchmen and Seawolves had one common opponent in non-conference play. The Dutchmen beat St. Joseph’s (NY) 101-48 on Nov. 6, four days before the Seawolves earned a 91-50 win over the local Division III foe. In CAA play, both teams have lost to Charleston. The Dutchmen lost to Northeastern, who fell to Stony Brook, and beat Delaware, who beat the Seawolves. Stony Brook beat Monmouth, which defeated the Dutchmen.
The Dutchmen, who were picked to finish fourth in the CAA preseason poll, are ranked 142nd at KenPom.com. They’ve slipped following each of the last five games despite being 3-2 in that span. The Seawolves, who were picked to finish ninth, are ranked 213th.
According to KenPom.com, the Dutchmen rank seventh in the CAA in conference-only offensive efficiency (106.4 points per 100 possessions) and fourth in defensive efficiency (104.6 points per 100 possessions) while averaging 68.3 possessions per 40 minutes, the third-most in the league. The Seawolves rank ninth in the CAA in offensive efficiency (106.1 points per 100 possessions) and sixth in defensive efficiency (105.4 per 100 possessions) while averaging 65.9 possessions per 40 minutes, the ninth-most in the league.
Graduate student Tyler Stephenson-Moore, who was selected to the preseason all-CAA second team, leads the Seawolves with 14.8 points per game. Graduate student Aaron Clarke, who played four seasons at Sacred Heart and spent three seasons as teammates with Tyler Thomas, is averaging 12.9 points per game. Graduate student Keenan Fitzmorris, who began his career at Stanford, is averaging 10.4 points per game. Sophomore guard Andre Snoddy, who played his first two seasons at Central Connecticut, leads Stony Brook with 6.7 rebounds per game while graduate student Chris Maidoh, who played four seasons at Fairfield, is averaging 6.3 rebounds per game.
KenPom.com predicts a 74-68 win for the Dutchmen. Per the wise guys in Vegas, for entertainment purposes only, the Dutchmen are 7-point favorites. The Dutchmen are 7-13 against the spread this season.
FEBRUARY = CRUNCH TIME
The Flying Dutchmen have fared well in February, which, as you likely know, begins today. Since joining the CAA in 2001-02, the Dutchmen are 112-68 (.622) in regular season games played on or after Feb. 1, including a perfect 8-0 last February.
HELLO WE MEET AGAIN
The Dutchmen are playing Stony Brook for the second time this season just 10 days after facing the Seawolves for the first time. However, that means these games span two months! This is the fastest the Dutchmen have completed a season series against an opponent since they split with Elon over a nine-day span from Feb. 15-24, 2022.
ALL-TIME VS. STONY BROOK
Hofstra is 27-6 all-time against Stony Brook, including 9-2 since the series resumed in 2014. Darlinstone Dubar tied his career-high with 30 points and Jaquan Carlos scored a career-high 30 points last Monday night, when the Dutchmen overcame a nine-point first-half deficit to earn an 80-74 win out east. The Dutchmen are trying to sweep the season series for the second straight year.
Hofstra is 45-38-2 in all sports against Stony Brook since the two schools began scheduling each other again in the spring of 2014, including 41-27-2 since the 2016-17 school year began. Hofstra is 10-5-1 (NICE JETS RECORD IN 1981) against the Seawolves dating back to last Feb. 18, when the Flying Dutchmen basketball team beat Stony Brook 68-65.
THINGS YOU CAN SHOUT ON TWITTER IF CALLS GO DO NOT GO HOFSTRA’S WAY
Why aren’t your former football players and coaches getting NFL head coaching gigs bias? (Dan Quinn joined Raheem Morris in the NFL head coaching ranks today, which is really remarkable)
Nicolls Road bias! (That’s a really long road)
How many Andrei Semenov types do you have anyway bias! (The Seawolves have SIX graduate students on their roster, I feel like there’s a Rodney Dangerfield joke about class to be made here)
We’ve won as many football games since the start of the school year as you bias! (I know this was used last week but I’m sorry, facts are facts)
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