Hofstra’s anniversary party spoiled by 27-point loss to William & Mary

An exasperated Joe Mihalich looks on as Hofstra struggled with William & Mary Thursday. (Photo by Bob Dea/Daly Dose Of Hoops)

HEMPSTEAD, N.Y. — Winners of its first two Colonial Athletic Association contests to conclude 2019, Hofstra had hoped to ring in the new decade by extending the party Thursday evening, doing so on the 20th anniversary of the Mack Sports Complex’s grand opening.

A continuous thorn in the Pride’s side had other ideas.

Riding the enormous size advantage and perimeter shooting of Nathan Knight and Andy Van Vliet, who combined for 33 points and 18 rebounds, the visiting Tribe jumped on the accelerator in the first minute of the contest and never looked back, leading from the start in a commanding 88-61 victory that enters the annals as one of the more sizable losses Hofstra has taken in the six-plus years of Joe Mihalich’s tenure.

“This loss began yesterday,” the Pride’s head coach — never one to mince words — lamented, citing a lack of effort in Wednesday’s practice. “We didn’t bring it yesterday. We didn’t come to work, we weren’t focused mentally or physically, and hopefully we’ll learn from that.”

Having two days to prepare for William & Mary after a pair of comebacks on the road this past weekend against James Madison and Towson, Hofstra (11-5, 2-1 CAA) surrendered the game’s first seven points as Knight and Van Vliet were off to the races, the former hesitating briefly in the paint before throwing down a vicious one-handed slam that, in essence, was a harbinger of things to come for the hosts. The Pride made three of its first five shots in the first four minutes to seemingly match the Tribe (10-5, 2-0 CAA), but went almost the next eight minutes without a field goal, missing 14 straight shots as William & Mary — who connected on eight of its first nine attempts to begin the game — seized control with an 18-1 run that put the game on ice before halftime, which could not come soon enough for Hofstra, who went into the locker room trailing by 22.

“We should be embarrassed,” a disconsolate Mihalich said, as the four double-digit scorers his team registered were not enough to overcome a 62 percent shooting effort on the part of William & Mary. “I know I am. We failed like crazy tonight.”

Hofstra now regroups for the back end of its first home conference weekend, welcoming Elon to Long Island on Saturday. When asked whether Thursday's reality check could be a boost moving forward, Mihalich’s tone brightened for a moment, but the disappointment remained prevalent in his choice of words.

“Maybe this could be one of the best things to happen to us all year,” he proposed. “We’ll see. It’s going to be about responding now, about dealing with this. I just told the team, we’re not going to burn the tape, we’re not going to forget it. I’ll never forget this, never.”