Second-half lockdown gives Hofstra split with Drexel

Tyler Thomas (23) takes 3-pointer as Hofstra, behind his 28 points, avenged last week’s loss to Drexel. (Photo by Matteo Bracco/Hofstra Athletics)

By Jaden Daly (@DalyDoseOfHoops) and Jason Dimaio (@JasonDimaio1)

HEMPSTEAD, N.Y. — Gritty, focused, and confident.

Those three adjectives can describe the mentality Hofstra took into Thursday’s game against Drexel, one that carried an underlying message of evening the score after the Pride held a second-half lead in the first meeting between the two schools seven days ago in Philadelphia.

Given a second chance to maintain its current top-four status in the Coastal Athletic Association standings, Hofstra did not disappoint.

After Drexel used a 9-0 run to take a 43-41 lead midway through the second half of what had been, to that point, a slog on both ends of the floor, the Pride punched back, using its defense to fuel a 16-4 run that slammed the door on the Dragons en route to a decisive 69-57 victory that secured a split of the season series.

“A monster win for us,” was how head coach Speedy Claxton dubbed the triumph. “It was a must-win game on our home court and we had to have it. To these kids’ credit, they went out and they won it. They earned this one.”

“We had a really good team on our home court, so we wanted to come in and stand on business. We let one slip away against them the last game, so we just wanted to come out here and play a full 40 minutes of Hofstra basketball.”

The mentality of businesslike confidence was also projected in Tyler Thomas, who dazzled yet again on the way to 28 points in his latest star turn as Hofstra (17-11, 10-5 CAA) continues to feed off his burgeoning ability to be a take-charge leader on both ends of the floor.

“I can only speak for myself, but I think I’ve been more vocal,” Thomas said after Claxton considered the fifth-year senior to be, in the coach’s opinion, the CAA Player of the Year favorite. “The leadership, I think, comes on the defensive end, and I’m trying my hardest on every play. I think it’s carried over to some wins, and we’re a better defensive team when I’m guarding the ball.”

As Thomas ensured his on-ball defense matched his offensive game while denying Drexel open lanes to the paint most of the night, the same could be said for Silas Sunday, who affected Thursday’s game more profoundly than any of his other appearances this season. The Iona transfer only scored eight points and chipped in with four rebounds and three blocked shots, but had an imprint on nearly every play whenever he did see the floor.

“It’s just staying the course, just trying to get better every day and trying to improve every day,” Sunday said of his progression. “There’s always something to improve on.”

“It’s his overall confidence,” Claxton added. “I think the more he plays, the more confident he gets in himself. He’s been vital for us these last couple games, between Jacco getting in foul trouble and us wanting to play a different way. He’s been valuable, and I’m proud of him. Silas is a big boy. He takes up a lot of space, so when he’s rolling to the basket, you have to account for him. And when he comes into the game, we kind of do some different things on the defensive end because he’s a really good rim protector.”

In recent weeks, Hofstra had not been able to string together complete games, with losses to Monmouth and Drexel being the most noticeable signs of in-game struggles. Claxton has harped on the need to uphold consistency on the floor, and saw the fruits of his program’s labor pay off handsomely in a game the Pride capitalized upon.

“We’ve gotta get past that and not be satisfied with being up at the half, and play a full 40-minute game,” he said of the past lulls. “I think the last couple games, against Northeastern and tonight, we played a full 40 minutes. We got in a rut offensively, we missed a couple of shots and we relied heavily on our defense to carry us. I think that’s what put us over the hump.”

Still very much alive in the CAA regular season championship race, Hofstra has a pivotal two games on the road against league leaders Charleston and UNCW next week to conclude its final gauntlet before the conference tournament. However, one more challenge remains before that, at home Saturday against Elon, and Claxton was emphatic about not looking past the next test on the schedule.

“We’ve been saying that for weeks now,” he said of the gradual approach. “We control our own destiny at this point, so we’re gonna take it one game at a time. We’re not overlooking anyone at this point.”