Keep It Perky: Drexel

The Dutchmen discovered they'd put the tape in just in time and avoided a Charlie Kelly-like meltdown!

The Gang Narrowly Avoided Disaster (is an It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia episode you’ll never see) Saturday afternoon, when the Flying Dutchmen never trailed but frittered away almost all of a 16-point first-half lead before edging Drexel, 70-67. As always, there are no such things as ugly league wins.

And this year, there will be no such thing as me batting 1.000 with postgame I’ll Be Perkies in league play. Thanks for nothing, flu! But hopefully I can be perfect from here on out, all the way through the NCAA Tournament, I said what I said. Thus, here’s the first postgame Keep It Perky of 2026 featuring the usual postgame boilerplate material. The individual news and notes from the victory over the Dragons and a preview of Towson will be posted overnight. Enjoy!

THE MOST RECENT GAME SUMMARIZED IN ONE PARAGRAPH

Cruz Davis (20 points, six rebounds, five assists) had another 20/5/5 game and Preston Edmead (16 points, six rebounds, three assists) was impressive yet again, but the Dutchmen needed some unexpected contributions to withstand Drexel’s second-half rally. The Dutchmen appeared ready to bury the Dragons when six different players scored during a 24-10 run NICE FOOTBALL SCORE that extended the lead to 35-19 with 4:50 left in the first half. The Dutchmen carried a 40-25 lead into the half but went ice-cold to open the second half, when they missed their first nine shots and were 1-of-11 from the field with three turnovers as Drexel mounted a 17-4 run to pull within 44-42 with 12:10 left. Davis’ layup sparked what appeared to be a decisive 24-16 surge by the Dutchmen, who led by as many as 13 during the run and took a 68-58 lead on German Plotnikov’s jumper with 1:51 left. But the Dutchmen committed turnovers on their next two possessions as the Dragons scored nine straight points to cut the deficit to 68-67 on Eli Beard’s 3-pointer with 16 seconds left. But A.J. Wills, pressed into crunch time duty when Edmead fouled out with 6:51 left SHAQ OF THE NAC BIAS, drained his first two free throws of the season two seconds later and Drexel missed two shots on its final possession. Plotnikov and Silas Sunday had eight points apiece, with Sunday pulling the Christian Laettner by enjoying aa perfect day from the field (3-for-3) and the free throw line (2-for-2). Edmead finished 4-of-5 from 3-point land while sharing the rebounding lead with Davis and Victory Onuetu, the latter of whom added six points and two blocks. Wills, who hadn’t played against a Division I foe since Dec. 3, had five points, including a key 3-pointer just beyond the midway point of the second half.

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

3: Cruz Davis

2: Preston Edmead

1: Silas Sunday

SEASON STANDINGS

Cruz Davis 37

Preston Edmead 22

Biggie Patterson 9

German Plotnikov 6

Victory Onuetu 6

Silas Sunday 4

Joshua DeCady 4

Jaeden Roberts 2

WAS THIS A UNICORN SCORE?

No! But this 70-67 win was less eventful than the Dutchmen’s previous 70-67 win, which came against William & Mary in a CAA Tournament semifinal game on Mar. 6, 2016. That was the game that began with Terry Tarpey committing a hard foul on Juan’ya Green and Joe Mihalich and Tony Shaver having to be separated and ended with David Cohn somehow missing a potential game-winning 3-pointer that everyone who has ever cared about Hofstra still believes is going in. Speaking of teams that didn’t like each other, the 70-67 win BEFORE that was against George Mason on Jan. 8, 2003. Ahh memories.

The Dutchmen have recorded two unicorn score victories this season and 62 unicorn score victories since the start of the 2018-19 season, when we first started tracking unicorn scores.

2025-26: Two unicorn scores

2024-25: Seven unicorn scores

2023-24: Seven unicorn scores

2022-23: 12 unicorn scores

2021-22: 11 unicorn scores

2020-21: Zero unicorn scores (really)

2019-20: 13 unicorn scores

2018-19: 10 unicorn scores

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?

German Plotnikov made it a three-way tie atop the standings by draining the tie-breaking 3-pointer that gave the Dutchmen the lead for good at 8-5 with 18:27 left in the first half. No pressure, Biggie Patterson. The Dutchmen have now collected the Keith Hernandez via a 3-pointer or nostalgic 3-point play nine times this season. How many times this season?

German Plotnikov go-ahead 3-pointer vs. Molloy, 11/10/25 (18:47 left 1H)

Preston Edmead go-ahead 3-pointer vs. Bucknell, 11/14/25 (13:30 left 2H)

Biggie Patterson tie-breaking free throw vs. La Salle, 11/28/25 (1:35 left 2H)

Preston Edmead tie-breaking 3-pointer vs. Merrimack, 11/29/25 (15:25 left 1H)

Biggie Patterson tie-breaking 3-pointer vs. Pennsylvania, 11/30/25 (18:03 left 2H)

Cruz Davis tie-breaking 3-pointer vs. Pittsburgh, 12/7/25 (8:38 left 1H)

Cruz Davis tie-breaking free throw vs. Old Westbury, 12/10/25 (19:50 left 1H)

German Plotnikov go-ahead 3-pointer vs. Syracuse, 12/13/25 (:31.9 left 2H)

Cruz Davis nostalgic 3-point play vs. Quinnipiac, 12/21/25 (3:54 left 2H)

Preston Edmead go-ahead 3-pointer vs. Campbell, 12/29/25 (12:05 left 1H)

German Plotnikov tie-breaking 3-pointer vs. Drexel, 1/3/26 (18:27 left 1H)

SEASON STANDINGS

German Plotnikov 3

Preston Edmead 3

Cruz Davis 3

Biggie Patterson 2

ALL-TIME STANDINGS (or at least since the 2022-23 season)

Tyler Thomas 16

Darlinstone Dubar 14

German Plotnikov 6

Cruz Davis 6

Jean Aranguren 5

Aaron Estrada 4

Preston Edmead 3

Michael Graham 3

Warren Williams 3

Biggie Patterson 2

Silas Sunday 2

Jacco Fritz 2

Jaquan Carlos 2

Eric Parnell 1

KiJan Robinson 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 FIFTEEN GAMES

The Dutchmen improved to 11-4 with Saturday’s win. This ties the 2025-26 team for the 14th-best record in school history through 15 games. This is the first time the Dutchmen have opened 11-4 since 2019-20 and the sixth time overall in program history. Here is how some notable Hofstra teams have fared through 15 games:

NCAA DIVISION I TOURNAMENT TEAMS

1975-76: 8-7

1976-77: 10-5

1999-2000: 10-5

2000-01: 11-4

2019-20 (IT COUNTS TO US): 11-4

NIT TEAMS

1998-99: 10-5

2004-05: 10-5

2005-06: 12-3

2006-07: 11-4

2015-16: 10-5 (most recent 10-5 start)

2018-19: 12-3 (most recent 12-3 start, win in 15th game marked ninth win in the 16-game winning streak)

2022-23: 8-7

NCAA DIVISION II TOURNAMENT TEAMS

1958-59: 10-5

1961-62: 14-1 (most recent 14-1 start)

1962-63: 10-5

1963-64: 12-3

Some other notable 15-game starts:

2024-25: 9-6 (most recent 9-6 start)

2023-24: 8-7 (most recent 8-7 start)

2013-14: 4-11 (most recent 4-11 start, Joe Mihalich’s first team)

2011-12: 6-9 (most recent 6-9 start)

2007-08: 3-12 (most recent 3-12 start)

2001-02: 7-8 (most recent 7-8 start)

1995-96: 7-8 (lost buzzer-beater to Northeastern to fall under .500 for good, OH NO)

1994-95: 3-12 (Jay Wright’s first team)

1993-94: 1-14 (VBK’s last team, only 1-14 start in program history)

1973-74: 2-13 (only 2-13 start in program history)

1968-69: 5-10 (only 5-10 start in program history)

1960-61: 13-2 (only 13-2 start in program history)

1959-60: 13-1 (Hofstra’s winningest team, percentage-wise; win in 14th game was third win of season-ending 13-game winning streak)

One season was completed in fewer than 15 games: The 1937-38 team finished 10-4.

Hofstra has never been 15-0 or 0-15 through 15 games.

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 FORTY-EIGHT

With Saturday’s win, Speedy Claxton improved to 92-56 (.622) as head coach. That’s the fourth-best known winning percentage for a Hofstra coach through his first 148 games at the helm.

Butch van Breda Kolff I 110-38 (.743, 148th game was the 22nd game of his sixth season in 1960-61)

Frank Reilly 107-41 (.723, 148th game was the 19th game of his sixth season in 1952-53) 

Paul Lynner 93-55 (.628, 148th game was the 13th game of his sixth season in 1967-68) 

SPEEDY CLAXTON 92-56 (.622, 148th game was the 15th game of his fifth season in 2025-26) 

Tom Pecora 78-70 (.527, 148th game was the 28th game of his sixth season in 2005-06) 

Joe Mihalich 78-70 (.527, 148th game was the 15th game of his fifth season in 2017-18) 

Dick Berg 74-74 (.500, 148th game was the ninth game of his sixth season in 1985-86) 

Roger Gaeckler 73-75 (.493, 148th game was the 16th game of his sixth season in 1977-78) 

Jay Wright 73-75 (.493, 148th game was the third game of his sixth season in 1998-99) 

Butch van Breda Kolff II 71-77 (.450, 148th game was the seventh game of his sixth season in 1993-94) 

Speedy Claxton inches within one game of Paul Lynner while Tom Pecora and Joe Mihalich remain tied after winning their 148th games at the helm. Pecora’s 148th game was a quarterfinal round win over VCU in the 2006 CAA Tournament. I wonder what will happen next! Roger Gaeckler climbs into a tie for eighth place with Jay Wright while Butch van Breda Kolff’s final team falls to Manhattan, 75-59, in the 148th game of his second stint, I remember watching that game on MSG Network at home as holiday break started but will probably forget to take out the garbage tonight.

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.