If you ever wondered what the basketball equivalent of the JD & Kim storyline would be like, boy, do I have good news for you!
That could have gone worse. Daniel Dixon could have gone coast-to-coast and threaded a double team to sink the game-winning layup with four seconds left that undid the Flying Dutchmen’s comeback from a 10-point deficit Thursday night and lifted William & Mary to a 61-60 win! Of course, it still wasn’t fun watching Chase Lowe do it, especially with Tribe coach Brian Earl begging for a timeout the whole way. But that’s the type of season this has become.
Anyway, for the lucky 13th time in as many games, here’s the postgame boilerplate material in Keep It Perky form. The individual news and news from Thursday’s loss and the Hampton preview will be posted tomorrow morning. Enjoy! Perhaps one of these days I’ll get to look up unicorn scores and post about Keith Hernandezeses again.
THE MOST RECENT GAME SUMMARIZED IN ONE PARAGRAPH
Cruz Davis scored a game-high 22 points, the Dutchmen clamped down defensively after a rough first 10 minutes and Jaquan Sanders and Jean Aranguren each hit go-ahead baskets in the final four minutes, but Chase Lowe’s Danny Ainge impersonation GOOGLE IT CRAIN handed the Dutchmen another demoralizing defeat. William & Mary, which rolled to a 74-56 win at the Arena on Jan. 2, looked as if it might romp again when the Tribe hit its first six shots and opened 11-of-14 from the field before taking a 33-23 lead on a pair of free throws by Matteus Case with 3:32 left in the first half. But Davis’ 3-pointer began a half-ending 11-0 run for the Dutchmen, who forced William & Mary to commit turnovers on its final five possessions. The Tribe, who missed six of their last seven shots in the first half, scored six of the first eight points following the intermission and maintained a lead of between two and seven points for more than 13 minutes until Sanders’ 3-pointer put the Dutchmen ahead 56-54 with 3:21 left. TJ Gadsden stole the ball from Malachi Ndur on the next possession, but Sanders missed a 3-pointer and Case and Lowe sandwiched baskets around a missed jumper by Aranguren. Gadsden hit a contested jumper in the lane with 1:14 left and Joshua DeCady’s steal led to the go-ahead hoop by Aranguren with 13 seconds remaining. But Lowe went coast-to-coast and the Dutchmen called timeout, after which Sanders’ heave to just short of half court was stolen by Case, who threw the ball behind him as he fell out of bounds. The ball remained in the air as time expired. Davis had 11 points in each half and added three rebounds, three assists, one steal and one block. Gadsden had eight points, three rebounds and three assists in 28 minutes while DeCady, playing the bulk of the game as an undersized center, had five points, five rebounds and four steals over a career-high 31 minutes. Aranguren’s streak of 15 consecutive games with at least 10 points ended as he finished with seven points, though he added a team-high eight rebounds and four assists. Sanders, Khalil Farmer and German Plotnikov had five points apiece, Michael Graham and Silas Sunday, the usual combination at center, played a total of just five scoreless minutes.
3 STARS OF THE GAME (vs. William & Mary, 2/13)
3: Cruz Davis
2: Joshua DeCady
1: TJ Gadsden
SEASON STANDINGS
Jean Aranguren 48
Cruz Davis 38
Michael Graham 21
Jaquan Sanders 12
KiJan Robinson 9
TJ Gadsden 7
German Plotnikov 7
Khalil Farmer 5
Silas Sunday 4
Joshua DeCady 3
Eric Parnell 2
THE FLYING DUTCHMEN AFTER TWENTY-SIX GAMES
With Thursday’s loss, the Dutchmen fell to 12-14 this season. That’s a neat combo for my family since my aunt and sister celebrate birthdays on Dec. 14, but it’s not so great for the Dutchmen. Anyway, this ties the 2024-25 team for the 42nd-best record in school history through 26 games. It’s the first time the Dutchmen have opened 12-14 since 2016-17 and the sixth time overall in school history. Here is how some notable Hofstra teams have fared through 26 games:
NCAA DIVISION I TOURNAMENT TEAMS
1975-76: 15-11 (win in 26th game marked third win of six-game winning streak that carried Dutchmen into the NCAAs)
1976-77: 20-6 (win in 26th game marked sixth win of nine-game winning streak that carried Dutchmen into the NCAAs)
1999-2000: 20-6 (the 67-64 win over Maine in 26th game locked up the no. 1 seed in the America East tournament, most recent 20-6 start)
2000-01: 22-4 (win in 26th game marked 14th win in program-record, single-season 18-game winning streak)
2019-20 (IT COUNTS TO US): 19-7 (most recent 19-7 start, win in 26th game was fifth win of eight-game winning streak)
NIT TEAMS
1998-99: 18-8
2004-05: 19-7 (win in 26th game was fifth win of seven-game winning streak)
2005-06: 21-5 (most recent 21-5 start)
2006-07: 19-7
2015-16: 18-8
2018-19: 22-4 (most recent 22-4 start)
2022-23: 18-8 (most recent 18-8 start, win in 26th game marked sixth win of 12-game winning streak that continued into the CAA Tournament)
NCAA DIVISION II TOURNAMENT TEAMS
1958-59: 20-6 (win in 2nd round of NCAAs was final win of season)
1961-62: 23-3 (won Middle Atlantic Championship with win in 26th game, best 26-game record in school history)
1962-63: 20-6 (win in regular season finale was ninth win of 11-game winning streak)
1963-64: 21-5
Some other notable 26-game records:
2023-24: 15-11 (most recent 15-11 start0
2022-23: 17-9 (most recent 17-9 start)
2014-15: 16-10 (most recent 16-10 start)
2013-14: 8-18 (most recent 8-18 start, Joe Mihalich’s first team)
2012-13: 6-20 (most recent 6-20 start, tied for worst 26-game record in school history)
2009-10: 13-13 (most recent 13-13 start)
2007-08: 10-16 (most recent 10-16 start)
2002-03: 7-19 (only 7-19 start)
2001-02: 10-16 (loss in 26th game marked fifth loss of Tom Pecora-era record-tying eight-game losing streak)
1996-97: 12-14 (final win of season)
1995-96: 9-17 (most recent 9-17 start, final win of season)
1994-95: 9-17 (won regular season finale, Jay Wright’s first year)
1993-94: 6-20 (loss to ECC foe Northeastern Illinois in regular season finale, VBK’s last year)
1992-93: 9-17 (final win of season)
1991-92: 18-8 (win in 26th game was seventh in nine-game winning streak that ended in ECC title game)
1990-91: 14-12 (most recent 14-12 start, final win of season)
1987-88: 6-20 (lost regular season finale)
1986-87: 10-16 (final win of season)
1982-83: 18-8 (lost regular season finale)
1981-82: 11-15 (loss in regular season finale was final loss of eight-game losing streak)
1980-81: 12-14 (lost regular season finale)
1978-79: 8-18 (fourth loss of season-ending five-game losing streak)
1970-71: 18-8 (win in season finale completed season-ending five-game winning streak)
1969-70: 13-13 (won season finale)
1965-66: 16-10 (lost season finale)
1956-57: 11-15 (lost season finale)
1955-56: 22-4 (final win of season)
1954-55: 19-7 (lost known season finale)***
1950-51: 16-10 (fourth win of six-game winning streak)
1949-50: 17-9 (won known season finale)***
1948-49: 18-8 (lost known season finale)***
***records are incomplete for the 1948-59, 1949-50 and 1954-55 seasons
Hofstra has never been 26-0, 25-1, 24-2, 5-21, 4-22, 3-23, 2-24, 1-25 or 0-26 through 26 games.
Twenty-four seasons were completed in fewer than 26 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)
1953-54 (15-9)
1957-58 (15-8)
1959-60 (23-1)
1960-61 (21-4)
1964-65 (11-14)
1966-67 (12-13)
1967-68 (13-12)
1968-69 (12-13)
1971-72 (11-14)
1972-73 (8-16)
1973-74 (8-16)
1974-75 (11-13)
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-SIX
With Thursday’s loss, Speedy Claxton fell to 78-48 (.619) as head coach. That’s the fourth-best known winning percentage for a Hofstra coach through his first 126 games at the helm.
Butch van Breda Kolff I 91-35 (.722, 126th game was the 24th and final game of his fifth season in 1959-60)
Frank Reilly 89-37 (.706, 126th game was the 26th game of his fifth season in 1951-52)
Paul Lynner 80-46 (.635, 126th game was the 16th game of his fifth season in 1966-67)
SPEEDY CLAXTON 78-48 (.619, 126th game was the 26th game of his fourth season in 2024-25)
Joe Mihalich 66-60 (.524, 126th game was the 25th game of his fourth season in 2016-17)
Dick Berg 64-62 (.508, 126th game was the 16th game of his fifth season in 1984-85)
Butch van Breda Kolff II 64-62 (.508, 125th game was the 12th game of his fifth season in 1992-93)
Roger Gaeckler 63-63 (.500, 126th game was the 24th game of his fifth season in 1976-77)
Tom Pecora 59-67 (.468, 126th game was the sixth game of his sixth season in 2005-06)
Jay Wright 58-68 (.460, 126th game was the 13th game of his fifth season in 1998-99)
Butch van Breda Kolff I closes out a wildly successful fifth season with a 92-66 victory over Gettysburg and a 23-1 record…which of course is not good enough for an NCAA Tournament berth, presumably because Tom O’Connor was on the selection committee way back in 1960 too. Poor Frank Reilly, all he does is keep winning and remaining tow games behind VBK, whose next squad is going to open the season on a 10-game winning streak.
Speaking of VBK…the sequel climbs into a tie for sixth place with Dick Berg for fifth place by winning his 126th game at the helm. And Roger Gaeckler gets back to .500 for the first time since his fourth game at the helm. I hope he gets beyond the break-even mark, at least for a little while! The ’05-06 team suffers its most lopsided loss in an 87-64 loss to VCU, but Tom Pecora’s lead over fellow perpetual slacker Jay Wright remains one game as Wright also drops game no. 126 at the helm. Perpetual slackers! The really good news for Pecora is I’m sure Tom O’Connor and his crooked cronies won’t use that one-sided loss as an excuse not to give the Dutchmen an NCAA Tournament at-large berth. Right?
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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