The Dutchmen didn't win Thursday to improve to 13-11 for the first time since 1990-91, but the good news for us is this 1990-91 song remains relevant!
We’ve been spoiled for most of the last decade-plus, so we can’t really complain about a season that seems to be lurching towards an anticlimactic conclusion. But it’s still jarring to see the Flying Dutchmen’s slip into afterthought status continue as it did Thursday night, when another fade late in the first half led to a 77-68 loss to Northeastern. That’s right. The Huskies scored twice as many points Thursday as they did in Boston on Jan. 4! If these trends continue…
Speaking of trends, for the 11th time in as many games SPINAL TAP BIAS, here’s the postgame boilerplate material in Keep It Perky form. The individual news and news from Thursday’s loss and the Stony Brook preview (oh great, nothing can go wrong there) will be posted early tomorrow morning. Enjoy! Or, once again, avert your eyes after clicking, one or the other.
THE MOST RECENT GAME SUMMARIZED IN ONE PARAGRAPH
Jean Aranguren (35 points, 10 rebounds) had a monster game and Cruz Davis (18 points, seven assists) flirted with a double-double, but the two-man show wasn’t enough as the Dutchmen fell to 4-7 in the CAA and 12-12 overall. The teams weren’t separated by more than a possession until the Dutchmen missed their final eight shots of the first half while LA Pratt mounted his own 8-0 run to give Northeastern a 36-29 lead at intermission. The Dutchmen cooled off the Huskies in the second half, when Northeastern was 0-for-8 from 3-point land after going 6-for-12 in the first half, but their inability to get anybody else going offensively doomed the comeback attempt. Aranguren and Davis combined to score 33 of the 38 second-half points for the Dutchmen, who got within one possession twice before Aranguren sank a pair of free throws to tie the score at 56-56 with 5:16 left. But German Plotnikov got hurt while going airborne to try and block Rashad King’s go-ahead jumper 18 seconds left, which began a game-ending 21-12 RUSH BIAS run for the Huskies. Aranguren missed a potential game-tying free throw with 3:55 remaining and Davis hit a jumper to pull the Dutchmen within 62-59 with 2:39 left, but Rashad King scored on consecutive possession for the Huskies, who iced the win by going 10-of-11 from the line in the last 66 seconds. Michael Graham had 10 rebounds but scored just six points on 3-of-10 shooting before he missed the final 1:09 with an injury. Plotnikov was scoreless but had three steals before suffering his injury. TJ Gadsden, Khalil Farmer, KiJan Robinson and Silas Sunday had a basket apiece for the Dutchmen.
3 STARS OF THE GAME (vs. Northeastern, 2/6)
3: Jean Aranguren
2: Cruz Davis
1: Michael Graham
SEASON STANDINGS
Jean Aranguren 46
Cruz Davis 32
Michael Graham 20
Jaquan Sanders 12
KiJan Robinson 9
German Plotnikov 7
TJ Gadsden 6
Khalil Farmer 5
Silas Sunday 4
Eric Parnell 2
Joshua DeCady 1
THE FLYING DUTCHMEN AFTER TWENTY-FOUR GAMES
With Thursday’s loss, the Dutchmen fell to 12-12 this season. This ties the 2024-25 team for the 38th-best record in school history through 24 games. It’s the first time the Dutchmen have opened 12-12 since 2009-10 and just the sixth time overall in school history. Had they won Thursday, they would have been 13-11 for the first time since 1990-91, which would have allowed me to once again crank up some Warrant or Extreme. I might do that anyway! This marks just the second time following the last six games the Dutchmen didn’t have the same record thy had through ‘X’ games in 1990-91. Yes, I’m just mentioning this because it was the year I graduated high school. Anyway! Here is how some notable Hofstra teams have fared through 24 games:
NCAA DIVISION I TOURNAMENT TEAMS
1975-76: 13-11 (win in 24th game marked first win of six-game winning streak that carried Dutchmen into the NCAAs)
1976-77: 18-6 (win in 24th game marked fourth win of nine-game winning streak that carried Dutchmen into the NCAAs)
1999-2000: 18-6
2000-01: 20-4 (win in 24th game marked 12th win in program-record 18-game winning streak)
2019-20 (IT COUNTS TO US): 17-7 (most recent 17-7 start)
NIT TEAMS
1998-99: 17-7
2004-05: 17-7
2005-06: 19-5 (most recent 19-5 start)
2006-07: 18-6 (most recent 18-6 start)
2015-16: 16-8
2018-19: 20-4 (most recent 20-4 start)
2022-23: 16-8 (most recent 16-8 start, win in 24th game marked fourth win of 12-game winning streak that continued into the CAA Tournament)
NCAA DIVISION II TOURNAMENT TEAMS
1958-59: 18-6
1961-62: 21-3 (most recent 21-3 start)
1962-63: 18-6 (seventh win of 11-game winning streak)
1963-64: 20-4
Some other notable 24-game records:
2023-24: 14-10 (most recent 14-10 start)
2021-22: 15-9 (most recent 15-9 start)
2016-17: 11-13 (most recent 11-13 start)
2013-14: 7-17 (most recent 7-17 start, Joe Mihalich’s first team)
2012-13: 6-18 (most recent 6-18 start)
2011-12: 8-16 (most recent 8-16 start)
2001-02: 10-14 (most recent 10-14 start, loss in 24th game marked third loss of Tom Pecora-era record-tying eight-game losing streak)
1995-96: 8-16 (win in 24th game snapped Jay Wright-era record nine-game losing streak)
1994-95: 8-16 (Jay Wright’s first year)
1993-94: 6-18 (win in 24th game was final win of regular season, VBK’s last year)
1991-92: 16-8 (win in 24th game was fifth in nine-game winning streak that ended in ECC title game)
1990-91: 13-11 (most recent 13-11 start)
1987-88: 5-19 (only 5-19 start, worst 24-game record in school history)
1986-87: 9-15 (only 9-15 start)
1981-82: 11-13 (loss in 24th game was sixth loss of eight-game losing streak)
1978-79: 8-16 (third loss of season-ending five-game losing streak)
1977-78: 8-16 (final win of season)
1974-75: 11-13 (won season finale)
1973-74: 8-16 (won season finale)
1972-73: 8-16 (lost season finale)
1971-72: 11-13 (third loss of season-ending four-game losing streak)
1970-71: 16-8 (win in 24th game was third win of season-ending five-game winning streak)
1968-69: 11-13 (last loss of season)
1967-68: 12-12 (last loss of season)
1962-63: 18-6 (win in 24th game was seventh win of 11-game winning streak)
1960-61: 21-3 (win in 24th game was final win of season)
1959-60: 23-1 (only 23-1 start & Hofstra’s winningest team, percentage-wise; win in season finale was 13th straight)
1955-56: 21-3 (first 21-3 start)
Hofstra has never been 24-0, 22-2, 4-20, 3-21, 2-22, 1-23 or 0-24 through 24 games.
Thirteen seasons were completed in fewer than 24 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
1947-48: 13-6
1957-58: 15-8
2020-21: 13-10
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 TWENTY-FOUR
With Thursday’s loss, Speedy Claxton fell to 78-46 (.629) as head coach. That’s the fourth-best known winning percentage for a Hofstra coach through his first 124 games at the helm.
Butch van Breda Kolff I 89-35 (.718, 124th game was the 22nd game of his fifth season in 1959-60)
Frank Reilly 87-37 (.702, 124th game was the 24th game of his fifth season in 1951-52)
Paul Lynner 80-44 (.645, 124th game was the 14th game of his fifth season in 1966-67)
SPEEDY CLAXTON 78-46 (.629, 124th game was the 24th game of his fourth season in 2024-25)
Joe Mihalich 64-60 (.516, 124th game was the 23rd game of his fourth season in 2016-17)
Dick Berg 64-60 (.516, 124th game was the 14th game of his fifth season in 1984-85)
Butch van Breda Kolff II 63-61 (.508, 124th game was the 10th game of his fifth season in 1992-93)
Roger Gaeckler 61-63 (.492, 124th game was the 22nd game of his fifth season in 1976-77)
Tom Pecora 58-66 (.468, 124th game was the fourth game of his sixth season in 2005-06)
Jay Wright 57-67 (.460, 124th game was the 11th game of his fifth season in 1998-99)
The standings remain the same as they were through 123 games as Joe Mihalich Dick Berg and Joe Mihalich all lose their 124th games on the sidelines. Tom Pecora’s lead over fellow perpetual slacker Jay Wright remains one game as both win game no. 124 at the helm. Perpetual slackers!
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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