Hofstra unable to avoid sweep, falls to Towson

By Jason Dimaio (@JasonDimaio1)

HEMPSTEAD, N.Y. — In what seemed like a game of constant catch-up, Hofstra looked to avoid a season sweep of Towson, but fell short Thursday in a 78-68 defeat to the Tigers in what was the Pride’s first loss on its home court at the Mack Sports Complex this season.

“If we played the first half like we did the second half, we win this game,” head coach Speedy Claxton said as Hofstra (13-9, 5-4 CAA) battled back to tie the score in the second half, but was done in by Towson shooting 61 percent from the floor despite a gallant 22-point effort from Aaron Estrada. “But you can't spot teams in this league. Teams are too good.”

Hofstra started the game with momentum, jumping out to an early eight-point lead in the first half, but what would follow for the Pride in closing out the first stanza of the game was a nightmare. Poor shot selection, combined with a minimal effort on the defensive end, led to a 30-12 run for Towson as the Tigers took a 10-point lead into the break behind an astounding 70 percent shooting display from the field and an equally scorching 8-of-11 from beyond the arc. Hofstra seemed to be a half-step behind in fighting through ball screens and rotations, and the results were evident to Claxton. 

“We didn’t play any defense, it was a lack thereof,” he conceded. “We needed to pressure the basketball, we didn’t until the second half, and we spotted them a 10-point lead at halftime.”

The second half seemed to give Hofstra new life as the Pride came out with energy and poise, jumping the Tigers for a 14-2 run to start the half, led by Estrada drilling back to back threes. By the first media timeout of the half, the game was tied at 45, but that was as close as the hosts would get. It was all Towson from this point on, as Hofstra’s 3-point well dried up in a sea of open looks the Pride could not convert on, as well as a lack of free throw opportunities. Hofstra shot just two free throws in the second half and six total for the game. The end result was Towson cruising to a double-digit win, paced by 26 points from Nicolas Timberlake.

Next for Hofstra comes a James Madison team (13-7, 4-5 CAA) looking to get even with the Pride in the CAA win column and trying to win its second game in a row on Saturday. When asked if he likes the short turnaround on just one day of rest, Claxton was quick to flush Thursday's end result. 

“I love the fact we don’t have much time to rest,” he declared. “We need to have short term memory, and move on and start getting ready for JMU.”