The only Tesla we recognize around here (shout out Torrington HS Class of '91). Also: The double bye is all around us, yeaaaaah, the double bye, we're outside its door)
What was once a long-shot pursuit of a double bye in the CAA Tournament grew increasingly realistic over a 48-hour span for the Flying Dutchmen, who closed out a perfect final homestand of the season by cruising past Elon 87-64 on Saturday night before Campbell delivered a big present with Monday night’s 105-100, double-overtime upset of UNC Wilmington. Thanks, Fighting Camels! This mostly makes up for that not nice 69-68 loss at your joint a few weeks ago. The Dutchmen will have a chance to lock up a double bye and clinch the tiebreaker over UNC Wilmington when the two teams clash tomorrow night. Make sure to stop by in the morning for the in-depth Quirky breakdown of the win over Elon and a look ahead to the Seahawks, but in the meantime, here’s the boilerplate postgame material (plus some bonus Senior Day/Night content) in the postgame Keep It Perky!
THE MOST RECENT GAME SUMMARIZED IN ONE PARAGRAPH
Tyler Thomas (25 points, seven rebounds) continued his push for CAA Player of the Year honors for the Flying Dutchmen, who were never threatened after taking control with a 15-0 run around the midway point of the first half. Elon, a week removed from ruining UNC Wilmington’s homecoming, scored seven straight points following a game-opening layup by Jacco Fritz and led 9-5 at the under-16 media timeout. But the Dutchmen scored the next seven points once play resumed and outscored the Phoenix 15-6 prior to the next media stoppage, a stretch that ended with Fritz and German Plotnikov scoring on consecutive possessions to begin the decisive surge. The Dutchmen opened up a double-digit lead for good at 25-15 on Jaquan Carlos’ jumper with 9:20 left and led by as many as 23 before entering halftime with a 47-30 lead. The Phoenix kept the deficit within 20 points for most of the first six-plus minutes of the second half before Thomas hit consecutive 3-pointers to extend the lead to 64-41 with 12:30 left. The Dutchmen led by at least 20 the rest of the way and emptied the bench for Senior Night exits with 3:16 left. Thomas added four assists and three steals in another impressive all-around performance. Fritz (14 points, 10 rebounds) posted a double-double while Carlos (eight points, nine rebounds) and Darlinstone Dubar (17 points, nine rebounds) each flirted with a double-double. Plotnikov had 11 points and a career-high five assists. Four reserves — senior Bryce Washington along with freshmen KiJan Robinson, Khalil Farmer and Jayden Henriquez — hit a 3-pointer apiece, with Henriquez’s banked trey providing the first points of the season by a walk-on. That’ll never not be cool.
3 STARS OF THE GAME (vs. Elon, 2/24)
3: Tyler Thomas
2: Jacco Fritz
1: Darlinstone Dubar
SEASON STANDINGS
Tyler Thomas 60
Darlinstone Dubar 50
Jaquan Carlos 30
Jacco Fritz 14
German Plotnikov 10
Bryce Washington 6
Silas Sunday 2
KiJan Robinson 2
WAS THIS A UNICORN SCORE?
YES! Whoohoo! And in an especially quirky twist, the closest the Dutchmen had come to an 87-64 victory prior to Saturday was an 86-63 win over…Elon on Jan. 30, 2020. Appreciate both teams making an extra free throw last Saturday! This is the Dutchmen’s seventh victory score of the season.
11/6/23: 101-48 over St. Joseph’s (NY)
11/20/23: 102-68 over Buffalo
11/22/23: 97-92 (OT) over High Point
11/30/23: 82-63 over South Florida
2/1/24: 72-71 over Stony Brook
2/3/24: 59-56 over Towson
2/24/24: 87-64 over Elon
The Dutchmen recorded 12 unicorn score victories last season after recording 11 unicorn score victories in 2021-22, 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?
Darlinstone Dubar snapped a tie atop the season standings with Tyler Thomas by hitting the tie-breaking layup to put the Dutchmen ahead 14-12 with 12:18 left in the first half. It’s the fourth straight victory in which Dubar or Thomas has recorded the Keith Hernandez.
Darlinstone Dubar go-ahead layup vs. St. Joseph’s (NY), 11/6/23 (14:30 left 1H)
Jaquan Carlos tie-breaking 3-pointer vs. Buffalo, 11/20/23 (19:33 left 1H)
Tyler Thomas tie-breaking free throw vs. Wright State, 11/21/23 (4:16 left 2H)
Darlinstone Dubar tie-breaking jumper vs. High Point, 11/22/23 (4:47 left OT)
Darlinstone Dubar tie-breaking layup vs. South Florida, 11/30/23 (19:42 left 1H)
Jacco Fritz tie-breaking jumper vs. Iona, 12/6/23 (12:37 left 1H)
Tyler Thomas tie-breaking 3-pointer vs. Norfolk State, 12/16/23 (13:45 left 2H)
Tyler Thomas go-ahead 3-pointer vs. Delaware, 1/6/24 (17:46 left 1H)
Bryce Washington go-ahead 3-pointer vs. Hampton, 1/18/24 (5:24 left 2H)
Darlinstone Dubar go-ahead jumper vs. Stony Brook, 1/22/24 (6:52 left 2H)
Darlinstone Dubar tie-breaking layup vs. William & Mary, 1/25/24 (19:47 left 1H)
Tyler Thomas go-ahead jumper vs. Stony Brook, 2/1/24 (:0.4 left 2H)
Jacco Fritz tie-breaking layup vs. Towson, 2/3/24 (2:16 left 2H)
Silas Sunday tie-breaking layup vs. Hampton, 2/8/24 (3:48 left 2H)
Darlinstone Dubar tie-breaking 3-pointer vs. North Carolina A&T, 2/10/24 (17:16 left 1H)
Tyler Thomas tie-breaking layup vs. Northeastern, 2/17/24 (18:08 left 1H)
Tyler Thomas tie-breaking 3-pointer vs. Drexel, 2/22/24 (9:43 left 2H)
Darlinstone Dubar tie-breaking layup vs. Elon, 2/24/24 (12:18 left 1H)
SEASON STANDINGS
Darlinstone Dubar 7
Tyler Thomas 6
Jacco Fritz 2
Silas Sunday 1
Bryce Washington 1
Jaquan Carlos 1
ALL-TIME STANDINGS (or at least since last season)
Tyler Thomas 16
Darlinstone Dubar 12
Aaron Estrada 4
Warren Williams 3
Jacco Fritz 2
Jaquan Carlos 2
German Plotnikov 2
Silas Sunday 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 TWENTY-NINE GAMES
With Saturday’s win, the Dutchmen improved to 18-11. This ties the 2023-24 team for the 19th-best record in school history through 28 games. This is the first time the Dutchmen have opened 18-11 since 2017-18 and the sixth time overall in school history, which makes 18-11 the most common 29-game record. The Dutchmen were also 14-10 after 24 games, 15-10 after 25 games, 15-11 after 26 games, 16-11 after 27 games and 17-11 after 28 games for the first time since 2017-18. That’s pretty quirky! Here is how some notable Hofstra teams have fared through 29 games:
NCAA DIVISION I TOURNAMENT TEAMS
1975-76: 18-11 (win in 29th game came in ECC Tournament championship game, marked sixth win of six-game winning streak and sent the Dutchmen to the NCAAs for the first time as a D-I program)
1976-77: 22-7 (win in 29th game came in ECC Tournament championship game, marked ninth win of nine-game winning streak and sent to the Dutchmen to the NCAAs for the second straight season)
1999-2000: 23-6 (win in 29th game came in America East tournament semifinals)
2000-01: 25-4 (win in 29th game came in America East tournament semifinals and marked 17th win in program-record, single-season 18-game winning streak, only 25-4 start in school history)
2019-20 (IT COUNTS TO US): 22-7 (most recent 22-7 start, win in 29th game clinched tie for the CAA regular season title and was eighth win of eight-game winning streak)
NIT TEAMS
1998-99: 21-8 (win in 29th game came in America East quarterfinals, was final win of season)
2004-05: 21-8 (loss in 29th game came in CAA semifinals)
2005-06: 24-5 (win in 29th game came in the CAA semifinals — THE TONY SKINN GAME — and locked up at least an at-large bid for the Dutchmen, or so we thought THANKS TOC, only 24-5 start in school history)
2006-07: 21-8
2015-16: 21-8
2018-19: 23-6 (most recent 23-6 start, loss in 29th game came in home finale to James Madison, final regular season loss)
NCAA DIVISION II TOURNAMENT TEAMS
1962-63: 23-6 (loss in first round of NCAAs was final loss of season)
1963-64: 23-6 (season ended with first-round loss in NCAAs)
The 1958-59 team, Hofstra’s first to reach the NCAA Tournament, completed its season in 27 games (20-7), while the 1961-62 team, Hofstra’s second to reach the NCAA Tournament, completed its season in 28 games (24-4).
Some other notable 29-game records:
2021-22: 19-10 (most recent 19-10 start)
2016-17: 13-16 (only 13-16 start)
2013-14: 8-21 (most recent 8-21 start, Joe Mihalich’s first team)
2012-13: 7-22 (only 7-22 start, win in 29th game was final win for Mo Cassara, worst 29-game record in school history)
2011-12: 9-20 (most recent 9-20 start)
2009-10: 16-13 (only 16-13 start, win in 29th game marked fourth win of seven-game winning streak)
2007-08: 12-17 (only 12-17 start, win in 29th game was final win of season)
2003-04: 14-15 (most recent 14-15 start, season ended w/loss to Old Dominion in CAA quarterfinals)
2002-03: 8-21 (season ended w/loss to UNC Wilmington in CAA quarterfinals)
2001-02: 10-19 (only 10-19 start, loss in 29th game ended regular season and marked eighth loss of Tom Pecora-era record-tying eight-game losing streak)
1997-98: 18-11 (won regular season finale)
1993-94: 9-20 (ECC champs! Beat Northeastern Illinois in 2 OTs to win ECC title in VBK’s final game)
1991-92: 20-9 (season ended w/loss to Towson State in ECC championship and ended nine-game winning streak, only 20-9 start)
1988-89: 14-15 (season ended w/loss in ECC semifinals)
1985-86: 17-12 (only 17-12 start, win in ECC semifinals was final win of season)
1984-85: 14-15 (season ended w/loss in ECC semifinals)
1951-52: 26-3 (won known season finale, best 29-game record in school history)
1950-51: 18-11 (lost season finale)
Hofstra has never been 29-0, 28-1, 27-2, 15-14, 11-18, 6-23, 5-24, 4-25, 3-26, 2-27, 1-28 or 0-29 through 29 games.
Fifty-one seasons were completed in fewer than 29 games:
1936-37 (10-7)
1937-38 (10-4)
1938-39 (10-8)
1939-40 (12-9)
1940-41 (13-7)
1941-42 (15-6)
1942-43 (15-6)
1943-44 (7-12)
1944-45 (8-13)
1945-46 (12-7)
1946-47 (18-6)
1947-48 (13-6)
1948-49 (18-8)
1949-50 (17-9)
1952-53 (20-7)
1953-54 (15-9)
1954-55 (19-7)
1955-56 (22-4)
1956-57 (11-15)
1957-58 (15-8)
1958-59 (20-7)
1959-60 (23-1)
1960-61 (21-4)
1961-62 (14-14)
1964-65 (11-14)
1965-66 (16-10)
1966-67 (12-13)
1967-68 (13-12)
1968-69 (12-13)
1969-70 (13-13)
1970-71 (18-8)
1971-72 (11-14)
1972-73 (8-16)
1973-74 (8-16)
1974-75 (11-13)
1977-78 (8-19)
1978-79 (8-19)
1979-80 (14-14)
1980-81 (12-15)
1981-82 (12-16)
1982-83 (18-9)
1983-84 (14-14)
1986-87 (10-18)
1987-88 (6-21)
1989-90 (13-15)
1990-91 (14-14)
1992-93 (9-18)
1994-95 (10-18)
1995-96 (9-18)
1996-97 (12-15)
2020-21 (13-10)
More than half the previous Hofstra seasons were completed by this point.
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 NINETY-SIX
With Saturday’s win, Speedy Claxton improved to 64-32 (.667) as head coach. That’s tied for the best known winning percentage for a Hofstra coach through his first 96 games at the helm.
Paul Lynner 64-32 (.667, 96th game was the 12th game of his fourth season in 1965-66)
Butch van Breda Kolff I 64-32 (.667, 96th game was the 21st game of his fourth season in 1958-59)
SPEEDY CLAXTON 64-32 (.667, 96th game was the 29th game of his third season in 2023-24)
Frank Reilly 63-33 (.656, 96th game was the 25th game of his fourth season in 1950-51)
Joe Mihalich 51-45 (.531, 96th game was the 29th game of his third season in 2015-16)
Dick Berg 48-48 (.500, 96th game was the 14th game of his fourth season in 1983-84)
Butch van Breda Kolff II 46-50 (.479, 96th game was the 11th game of his fourth season in 1991-92)
Roger Gaeckler 40-56 (.417, 96th game was the 24th game of his fourth season in 1975-76)
Tom Pecora 40-56 (.417, 96th game was the sixth game of his fourth season in 2004-05)
Jay Wright 39-57 (.406, 96th game was the 14th game of his fourth season in 1997-98)
Mo Cassara 38-58 (.396, 96th game was the 31st game of his third season in 2012-13)
The top four remains the same for a third straight game as Paul Lynner, Butch van Breda Kolff I and Speedy Claxton all win their 96th games to stay tied for first and Frank Reilly wins his 96th game to remain a game behind. Roger Gaeckler and Tm Pecora both win game no. 96 as Pecora moves out of the bottom two for the first time. He’s one win ahead of that Jay Wright guy, whom I’m sure never amounted to anything!
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!
Smith finished 27-32 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.
SENSATIONAL ON SENIOR DAY (or Night)
The resounding victory last Saturday continued the Dutchmen’s tradition of thriving on Senior Day (or Night). The Dutchmen have won on Senior Day in each of the last three years to improve to 25-5 in home finales in the Defiantly Dutch era (1994-present), with losses absorbed in 1994 (Army won 87-76), 2002 (Towson won 61-60), 2013 (Delaware won 57-56), 2017 (UNC Wilmington won 83-76) and 2019 (James Madison won 104-99 in overtime). However, there were no seniors on the roster in 2002, which means the Dutchmen didn’t TECHNICALLY lose on Senior Day that year.
Not surprisingly, teams with Speedy Claxton either playing on the court or strolling the sideline have fared well on Senior Day. Claxton’s teams are now 12-2 on Senior Day — 4-0 when he was in uniform from 1997 through 2000, 8-2 since he joined the coaching staff for the 2013-14 season and 3-0 during his tenure as head coach.
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