Hofstra stuns Seton Hall for first Big East win since 2006

Jean Aranguren (7) skies for go-ahead layup as Hofstra upset Seton Hall Wednesday, improving to 3-0. (Photo by Matteo Bracco/Hofstra Athletics)

By Jason Dimaio (@Jaydimaio)

UNIONDALE, N.Y. — Sometimes it matters not how you win, just that you win.

Wednesday night was living proof for Hofstra.

Be it a sparse Nassau Coliseum crowd, a lack of offense from both the Pride and Seton Hall, or the final shot of the game that hit the side of the backboard, none of that ultimately mattered.

What does matter is Hofstra stands 3-0 at the end of the carnage, the owner of its first win over a Big East school in nearly 18 years after taking down Seton Hall in a 49-48 rock fight that is now the Pirates’ second straight loss after falling to Fordham at the buzzer last Saturday.

“Sometimes you gotta win ugly,” Speedy Claxton admitted. “Tonight, we did that.”

Claxton had a puzzle to solve on this night, as TJ Gadsden missed seven of eight attempts from the field, the interior duo of Michael Graham and Silas Sunday was not as effective as it was in Friday’s win over Iona, and even Jean Aranguren struggled before his go-ahead layup with just over two minutes remaining in regulation. Still, Hofstra found a way. And fittingly, it was Seton Hall transfer Jaquan Sanders who plunged the dagger into the collective chest of his former team, following Aranguren’s bucket with a 3-pointer on the ensuing possession to put the Pride ahead by four points, at 49-45.

“I wasn’t so much worried about coming out against my old team,” Sanders remarked. “I was just worried about getting a win.”

The start was slow for both teams. Seton Hall (1-2) presented a problem for Hofstra early with its length and physicality inside, forcing the Pride to take a number of its early shots from beyond the arc. As a result, the rhythm in Hofstra’s normally high-octane offense was suddenly unplugged. But through the adversity, the Pride remained within earshot at halftime, trailing by just a 24-22 margin.

The final 20 minutes provided more of the same state of affairs, as Hofstra fell victim to a litany of turnovers and missed shots. On the bright side, Seton Hall was afflicted by the same demon. With 7:30 to play in regulation, Yacine Toumi went to the free throw line for the Pirates, missing both shots. After Hofstra failed to box out, the fifth-year senior returned to the stripe. Again, he missed both attempts. But Seton Hall was able to corral the rebound on the second exchange before Dylan Addae-Wusu ended the misery by splitting a pair at the foul line.

The string of five consecutive misses rejuvenated the Pride, who suddenly remained very much alive as Seton Hall squandered a golden opportunity to pull away. A 13-6 run over the next five minutes propelled Hofstra, punctuated by the aforementioned Aranguren layup and Sanders triple. But Seton Hall did not go away, as Addae-Wusu converted a trey of his own with 51 seconds on the clock and the Pirate defense kept Hofstra off the scoreboard on the next possession.

With 14.9 seconds remaining, the Pirates took over, advancing the ball with 6.7 ticks left as Shaheen Holloway called his final timeout to set up a play the coach termed one of his quick hitters, with the goal being Addae-Wusu driving to the basket and drawing a foul. The senior guard eschewed the chance to play the hero, dishing to an open Isaiah Coleman in the left corner. Smothered by Hofstra’s defense, the sophomore got off a shot well within the final seconds, but could only watch as it hit the backboard and handed a resounding victory to the Pride.

“This team, I’m still learning about them,” Claxton gushed. “But there’s no quit whether we’re up, down, tied. This team is gonna fight to the very end, and that’s the sign of a championship team. We’re slowly coming. I’m happy with where we’re at right now.”