Hofstra 77, Monmouth 57: Rapid Reaction

By Jason Dimaio (@JasonDimaio1)

HEMPSTEAD, N.Y. — In what was a game that might seem hard to get up for, Hofstra couldn't let the level of excitement get in the way of what it needed to do Wednesday night. 

Win. 

Hofstra welcomed Monmouth to the Mack Sports Complex, the first time the Hawks arrived in Hempstead as a member of the Colonial Athletic Association, and with students still on winter break, a Wednesday night game against a 1-15 opponent might be one in which some may look past. Nonetheless, Hofstra (11-7, 4-1 CAA) took care of business. beating down the Hawks for a 77-57 win.

The crowd on hand was certainly a mirror of how the Pride started, as lackluster shot selection, inconsistent defense and turnovers were the recipe for a slow start out of the gates for the hosts, who found themselves down 15-8 midway through the first half. 

“Respect them, respect them from the start,” Speedy Claxton implored his team after an early timeout. “We came out sluggish and I think that's

why we found ourselves down early. Nobody is going to lay down for you in this league.”

After Claxton’s timeout, Hofstra reset and adjusted. All of a sudden, shots started falling, the extra pass was being made, and the basketball was being valued. By the time halftime came, Hofstra took the momentum from that timeout and parlayed it into a 36-26 lead at the half, but that is not where the aggression ended. As the second stanza started,

Hofstra held Monmouth scoreless over the first six minutes and tacked on to its lead with nine straight points to extend the cushion to 19 points, seemingly cruising from that point forward. 

There was no shortage of points distribution, as the Pride had four players in double figures tonight with Warren Williams and Tyler Thomas tied for the team lead at 18 each. The story of the night was the shooting of Jaquan Carlos, as he went 4-of-6 from the field, with all his buckets coming from 3-point range, an aspect from the sophomore that can certainly add an extra layer of firepower if he can build off that performance.

“JC was in the gym late last night getting shots up,” Claxton quipped. “He’s our stabilizer.”

Hofstra can ride the momentum of Wednesday's win into a Saturday matchup with Delaware, as the

Pride will look to advance to 5-1 in CAA play.