Keep It Perky: Towson

Cruz Davis 3-pointers in flight...afternoon delight! (What, this song isn't about watching sports in the daytime?)

Quirky midweek matinee start time at Towson? No problem for the Flying Dutchmen, who mounted a decisive run to end the first half Thursday and kept the Tigers at bay the rest of the way #Rhyming to earn a 78-67 win and remain one of the three unbeaten teams in CAA play.

(If you weren’t thinking of the January 2023 rout at Towson, you’re both a better and less weird person than me)

As will hopefully remain the case for the rest of the season all the way through the NCAA Tournament — once again I said what I said — here’s the Keep It Perky featuring the usual postgame boilerplate material. The individual news and notes from the victory over the Tigers and a preview of Monmouth will be posted overnight. Enjoy!

THE MOST RECENT GAME SUMMARIZED IN ONE PARAGRAPH

Cruz Davis scored eight of his 32 points over the final 3:07 of the first half as the Dutchmen took control of a previously tight game. The two teams were never separated by more than four points during the first 16-plus minutes, a span in which there were seven lead changes and six ties. German Plotinkov’s 3-pointer put the Dutchmen ahead for good at 29-27 (spoiler alert!), after which Davis hit consecutive 3-pointers to fuel the half-ending 13-3 run that put the Dutchmen ahead 39-30. Towson pulled within 42-35 NICE FOOTBALL SCORE on Dylan Williamson’s jumper with 17:46 left, but the Dutchmen answered with a 17-7 surge ALSO A NICE FOOTBALL score that extended the lead to 59-42 midway through the second half. The Tigers didn’t cut the deficit to single digits again until the final 90 seconds. Davis went a robust 13-of-14 from the line during his second thirtyburger of the season and added six rebounds. Preston Edmead had 18 points and a career-high seven rebounds while Plotnikov scored a season-high 17 points Silas Sunday pulled down nine rebounds and Victory Onuetu added four points and seven rebounds. Joshua DeCady finished with three points, two rebounds, two assists and two steals while starring on the defensive end, where he limited reigning CAA Player of the Year Tyler Tejada to 6-of-20 shooting. Edmead also did a terrific job on Williamson, who was held to four points on 2-of-19 shooting. 

3 STARS OF THE GAME (vs. Towson, 1/8)

3: Cruz Davis

2: Preston Edmead

1: German Plotnikov

SEASON STANDINGS

Cruz Davis 40

Preston Edmead 24

Biggie Patterson 9

German Plotnikov 7

Victory Onuetu 6

Silas Sunday 4

Joshua DeCady 4

Jaeden Roberts 2

WAS THIS A UNICORN SCORE?

YES!!! Would you believe it? Well I’d hope so, I’ve never lied to you before. But as was the case with the unicorn score win over Quinnipiac on Dec 21, you’d think the Dutchmen would have won 78-67 at SOME point over the last 89 years. But nope! The Dutchmen came within one point of a 78-67 win six previous times — via two 78-68 wins and four 77-67 victories — but never stuck the landing until Thursday. So thanks for hitting that last 3-pointer for Towson, Jaquan Womack!

This is the Dutchmen’s third unicorn score victory of the season.

12/10/25: 92-23 over Old Westbury

12/21/25: 74-66 over Quinnipiac

1/8/26: 78-67 over Towson

This is also the Dutchmen’s 63rd unicorn score victory since the start of the 2018-19 season, when we first started tracking unicorn scores.

2025-26: Three 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 broke a pair of ties in the Keith Hernandez standings by draining the go-ahead 3-pointer that gave the Dutchmen the lead for good at 29-27 with 3:33 left in the first half. All threes! Speaking of which, the Dutchmen have now collected the Keith Hernandez via a 3-pointer or nostalgic 3-point play 10 times this season — or every time they went ahead on a field goal. It was the second straight Keith Hernandez for Plotnikov, who takes over the season lead and moves into third place all-time (or at least since the 2022-23 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)

German Plotnikov go-ahead 3-pointer vs. Towson, 1/8/26 (3:33 left 1H)

SEASON STANDINGS

German Plotnikov 4

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 7

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 SIXTEEN GAMES

The Dutchmen improved to 12-4 with Thursday afternoon’s win. This ties the 2025-26 team for the 12th-best record in school history through 15 games. This is the first time the Dutchmen have opened 12-4 since 2014-15 and the seventh time overall in program history. Here is how some notable Hofstra teams have fared through 16 games:

NCAA DIVISION I TOURNAMENT TEAMS

1975-76: 8-8

1976-77: 11-5

1999-2000: 11-5

2000-01: 12-4

2019-20 (IT COUNTS TO US): 11-5 (most recent 11-5 start)

NIT TEAMS

1998-99: 10-6

2004-05: 11-5

2005-06: 12-4

2006-07: 12-4

2015-16: 11-5 

2018-19: 13-3 (most recent 13-3 start, win in 16th game marked ninth win in the 16-game winning streak)

2022-23: 9-7

NCAA DIVISION II TOURNAMENT TEAMS

1958-59: 11-5

1961-62: 15-1 (most recent 15-1 start)

1962-63: 11-5

1963-64: 13-3

Some other notable 16-game starts:

2024-25: 9-7 (most recent 9-7 start)

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

2020-21: 10-6 (most recent 10-6 start)

2013-14: 5-11 (most recent 5-11 start, Joe Mihalich’s first team)

2011-12: 6-10 (most recent 6-10 start)

2007-08: 4-12 (most recent 4-12 start)

2001-02: 7-9 (most recent 7-9 start)

1994-95: 3-13 (only 3-13 start in program history, Jay Wright’s first team)

1993-94: 2-14 (VBK’s last team, most recent 2-14 start)

1973-74: 2-14 (first 2-14 start)

1960-61: 14-2 (only 14-2 start in program history)

1959-60: 15-1 (Hofstra’s winningest team, percentage-wise; win in 16th game was fifth win of season-ending 13-game winning streak)

Hofstra has never been 16–0, 1-15 or 0-16 through 16 games.

One season was completed in fewer than 16 games:

1937-38 (10-4) 

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-NINE

With Saturday’s win, Speedy Claxton improved to 93-56 (.624) as head coach. That’s tied for the third-best known winning percentage for a Hofstra coach through his first 149 games at the helm.

Butch van Breda Kolff I 111-38 (.745, 149th game was the 23rd game of his sixth season in 1960-61)

Frank Reilly 108-41 (.725, 149th game was the 20th game of his sixth season in 1952-53) 

Paul Lynner 93-56 (.624, 149th game was the 14th game of his sixth season in 1967-68) 

SPEEDY CLAXTON 93-56 (.624, 149th game was the 16th game of his fifth season in 2025-26) 

Tom Pecora 79-70 (.530, 149th game was the 29th game of his sixth season in 2005-06) 

Joe Mihalich 78-71 (.523, 149th game was the 16th game of his fifth season in 2017-18) 

Dick Berg 74-75 (.497, 149th game was the 10th game of his sixth season in 1985-86) 

Roger Gaeckler 73-76 (.490, 149th game was the 17th game of his sixth season in 1977-78) 

Jay Wright 73-76 (.490, 149th game was the fourth game of his sixth season in 1998-99) 

Butch van Breda Kolff II 71-78 (.477, 149th game was the eighth game of his sixth season in 1993-94) 

Game no. 150 is a nice round number milestone, but game no. 149 is a momentous one for the ever-connected Speedy Claxton and Tom Pecora. While Claxton climbs into a tie for third place with Paul Lynner through 149 games, Pecora moves past Joe Mihalich into sole possession of fifth place when his generational 2005-06 team beats George Mason in the CAA semifinals. It’s the Dutchmen’s second win in 10 days over the Patriots, sends them to the CAA championship game and should ensure they get the league’s second bid to the NCAA Tournament even if they lose. Unless the George Mason athletic director is on the selection committee and decides to screw Hofstra. But what are the odds of that? Ahem. Anyway, Dick Berg slips under .500 and perpetual slacker Jay Wright falls three games under .500 all-time as his 1998-99 team opens 1-3. I’m starting to lose patience with that guy.

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.