Keep It Perky: Charleston

I was right. This was a bad sign. 

Like the Mets’ collapse, we probably should have seen this coming, because we should be conditioned to such things. But we didn’t and here we are, with the Flying Dutchmen in the throes of what is by at least one standard the fastest descent to an under-.500 record since the CAA expanded in 2001 following a 66-64 loss to Charleston that dropped them to 4-5 in the CAA at the midway point, You’ll have to read tomorrow’s I’ll Be Quirky to find out just why this is the fastest descent to an under-.500 record! Boy how’s that for a hook?

Anyway, as will hopefully remain the case for the rest of the season however long it lasts, here’s the Keep It Perky featuring the usual postgame boilerplate material. The individual news and notes from the loss to the Cougars and a preview of Monmouth will be posted tomorrow. Enjoy! (Or try to do so, anyway)

THE MOST RECENT GAME SUMMARIZED IN ONE PARAGRAPH

The undermanned Flying Dutchmen came up with their grittiest performance of the season, but moral victories were all they had after a furious comeback from a late eight-point deficit fell just short in the waning seconds. Despite the absence of Joshua DeCady, who was sidelined with an injury, and Victory Onuetu, who was ejected for a flagrant two after just 75 seconds of playing time, the Dutchmen led for nearly 26 consecutive minutes bridging the halves thanks largely to Biggie Patterson (a career-high 21 points to go along with 11 rebounds), who scored 14 points in the first half and drained the jumper with 16:54 left to give the Dutchmen their biggest lead at 40-29. But Charleston mounted an 18-7 run to tie the game at 47-47 on Christian Reeves’ layup with 8:17 left. Patterson drained a 3-pointer on the next trip, after which Charleston scored the next 11 points. Patterson ended the drought with a putback of an errant Cruz Davis 3-pointer, but Reeves responded with a jumper before the Dutchmen mounted their last charge. German Plotnikov and a scuffling Cruz Davis hit 3-pointers to open a game-ending 14-6 run by the Dutchmen, who forced two turnovers while down a possession over the final 34 seconds. But Davis missed a 3-pointer and the Dutchmen committed a shot clock violation down 65-62. With Charleston clinging to a 66-64 lead and five seconds left, Cougars guard Jlynn Counter threw the ball off a teammate on an in-bounds pass. But Davis missed a potential game-winning 3-pointer, after which Plotnikov rescued the ball and dished to Preston Edmead, whose long 2-pointer bounced off the front rim as time expired. Sigh. The 11 rebounds were one shy of a season-high for Patterson, who posted his second double-double of the year. Edmead (18 points, seven rebounds, seven assists) flirted with a triple-double. Plotnikov, back after missing the previous two games, had eight points on 3-of-13 shooting and added six rebounds over 37 minutes. Davis’ season-long streak of 21 straight double-digit scoring efforts ended as he scored seven points on 3-of-17 shooting, including 1-of-8 from 3-point land. He added eight rebounds and four assists. Silas Sunday had six points, five rebounds and three blocks but was limited to 20 minutes by foul trouble. Third-string center Alex Tsynkevich added four points and six rebounds over 19 minutes, his most in a Division I game.

3 STARS OF THE GAME (vs. Charleston, 1/29)

3: Biggie Patterson

2: Preston Edmead

1: Alex Tsynkevich

SEASON STANDINGS

Cruz Davis 49

Preston Edmead 36

Biggie Patterson 15

German Plotnikov 7

Victory Onuetu 6

Joshua DeCady 6

Silas Sunday 6

Jaeden Roberts 3

A.J. Wills 2

Alex Tsynkevich 1

Joshua Aaron Reaves 1

A second straight decidedly quirky 3 Stars as Patterson and Edmead again lead the way ahead of a surprise contributor in Tsynkevich, whose admirable effort deserves some credit. Oh and the 11 players receiving at least one star this season matches the all-time high (at least since 2009-10) set last year. Quirky!

THE FLYING DUTCHMEN AFTER TWENTY-TWO GAMES

The Dutchmen fell to 13-9 with Thursday night’s loss. This ties the 2025-26 team for the 32nd-best record in school history through 22 games. Just as a FYI, the Dutchmen were tied for the eighth-best record in school history when they were 13-4 through 17 games. If these trends continue… This is the first time the Dutchmen have opened 13-9 since 2021-22 and the fifth time overall in program history. Four of those instances have happened since 2017-18. Quirky! Here is how some notable Hofstra teams have fared through 22 games:

NCAA DIVISION I TOURNAMENT TEAMS

1975-76: 12-10 (ended a season-long pattern of never being more than one game over or under .500)

1976-77: 16-6 (win in 22nd game marked second win of nine-game winning streak that carried Dutchmen into the NCAAs)

1999-2000: 17-5 (most recent 17-5 start, win in 22nd game marked final win of 10-game winning streak)

2000-01: 18-4 (win in 22nd game marked 10th win in program-record 18-game winning streak)

2019-20 (IT COUNTS TO US): 15-7 (most recent 15-7 start)

NIT TEAMS

1998-99: 15-7

2004-05: 15-7

2005-06: 18-4 (most recent 18-4 start)

2006-07: 16-6 

2015-16: 16-6 (most recent 16-6 start)

2018-19: 19-3 (most recent 19-3 start, win in 22nd game marked final win in the 16-game winning streak)

2022-23: 14-8 (most recent 14-8 start, win in 22nd game marked second win of 12-game winning streak that continued into the CAA Tournament)

NCAA DIVISION II TOURNAMENT TEAMS

1958-59: 17-5

1961-62: 19-3 

1962-63: 16-6 (fifth win of 11-game winning streak)

1963-64: 18-4

Some other notable 22-game records:

2024-25: 12-10 (most recent 12-10 start, win over ELO was final victory before the start of the Claxton-era six-game losing streak that dropped the Dutchmen under .500 for good)

2020-21: 13-9 (win over Delaware in the CAA quarterfinals was the final win of the season)

2016-17: 10-12 (most recent 10-12 start)

2013-14: 7-15 (most recent 7-15 start, Joe Mihalich’s first team)

2012-13: 5-17 (most recent 5-17 start, tied for worst 22-game record in school history)

1995-96: 7-15 (loss in 22nd game marked eighth loss of Jay Wright-era record nine-game losing streak)

1994-95: 7-15 (Jay Wright’s first year)

1993-94: 5-17 (wins in games 21-22 were the first back-to-back wins all season; VBK’s last year)

1992-93: 6-16 (most recent 6-16 start)

1991-92: 14-8 (win in 22nd game was third in nine-game winning streak that ended in ECC title game)

1988-89: 9-13 (most recent 9-13 start)

1987-88: 5-17 (win in 22nd game snapped program-record 12-game losing streak)

1986-87: 8-14 (most recent 8-14 start)

1985-86: 13-9 (first and only other 13-9 start)

1984-85: 11-11 (most recent 11-11 start)

1981-82: 11-11 (at .500 for the last time, fourth loss of eight-game losing streak)

1978-79: 8-14 (last win of season and last win of Roger Gaeckler’s tenure)

1974-75: 8-13 (last loss of season)

1973-74: 6-16 (last win of season)

1972-73: 8-13 (last win of season)

1971-72: 11-11 (at .500 for the last time, first loss of season-ending four-game losing streak)

1970-71: 14-8 (first win of season-ending five-game winning streak)

1959-60: 21-1 (only 21-1 start & Hofstra’s winningest team, percentage-wise; win in 22nd game was 11th win of season-ending 13-game winning streak)

1955-56: 20-2 (only 20-2 start)

1946-47: 16-6 (last loss of season)

Hofstra has never been 22-0, 4-18, 3-19, 2-20, 1-21 or 0-22 through 22 games. 

Eleven seasons were completed in fewer than 22 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

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 FIFTY-FIVE

With Thursday night’s loss, Speedy Claxton fell to 94-61 (.606) as head coach. That’s the fourth-best known winning percentage for a Hofstra coach through his first 155 games at the helm.

Butch van Breda Kolff I 115-40 (.742, 155th game was the fourth game of his seventh season in 1961-62)

Frank Reilly 112-43 (.723, 155th game was the 26th game of his sixth season in 1952-53) 

Paul Lynner 96-59 (.619, 155th game was the 20th game of his sixth season in 1967-68) 

SPEEDY CLAXTON 94-61 (.606, 155th game was the 22nd game of his fifth season in 2025-26) 

Joe Mihalich 82-73 (.529, 155th game was the 22nd game of his fifth season in 2017-18) 

Tom Pecora 81-74 (.523, 155th game was the second game of his seventh season in 2005-06) 

Jay Wright 78-77 (.503, 155th game was the 10th game of his fifth season in 1998-99) 

Dick Berg 77-78 (.497, 155th game was the 16th game of his sixth season in 1985-86) 

Roger Gaeckler 75-80 (.484, 155th game was the 23rd game of his sixth season in 1977-78) 

Butch van Breda Kolff II 71-84 (.458, 155th game was the 14th game of his sixth season in 1993-94) 

IT HAS HAPPENED part two!!!! Jay Wright moves over .500 for the first time ever as a head coach on Dec. 26, 1998 as the Flying Dutchmen earn an appropriately significant win by upsetting Georgia Tech, 61-42, in the first round of the ECAC Holiday Festival at Madison Square Garden. Merry Christmas! Spoiler alert: Wright will never see .500 or anything below it ever again. Guess it’s a good thing we hung on to him during his perpetual slacker days! Wright also moves past Dick Berg into seventh place all-time through 155 games. Joe Mihalich breaks a tie for fifth place with Tom Pecora, whose 2006-07 team suffers the second of three straight narrow losses to open the season. Hmm, maybe it’s something about Pecora and Claxton and consecutive narrow losses in the 150s.

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.