By James Kassan (@JamesKassan4)
HEMPSTEAD, N.Y. — On a night when fans filled the Mack Sports Complex for banner night, the first 1,000 fans received a mini banner to take home, while everyone in attendance got to witness the CAA championship banner-raising ceremony before tipoff.
It was a night to remember for Hofstra fans and head coach Speedy Claxton, as the Pride came away with a 62-59 overtime win over Iona.
“Almost shed a tear,” Claxton confessed when mentioning the pregame ceremony. “I’m getting to be a crybaby in my older age. Everything that happened, I’m crying over, but it’s nice to hang a banner, man. That’s going to be up there forever.”
The matchup between two mid-major teams was scrappy, physical and, evidently, a game of runs. Hofstra held just a two-point lead going into halftime in a low-scoring affair, with both teams shooting 30 percent or less from the field and combining for 13 turnovers through the first 20 minutes.
Iona didn’t let the halftime score or its poor shooting performance get to it, though. Hofstra struggled to begin the second half, going multiple possessions without scoring and committing costly turnovers against a locked-in Gaels defense.
“There were a couple times where things weren’t going our way in the second half,” Claxton said. “This team could’ve folded, and they didn’t. It’s not going to always be pretty, but it was gritty tonight.”
Gritty it was, with Iona putting together several runs of its own, led by senior guard Kevon Vanderhorst, who played 38 minutes and led the Gaels with 15 points, including 13 in the second half. Despite the loss, head coach Dan Geriot had high praise for his guard.
“I thought Kevon had a great floor game overall,” Geriot said. “He had a low assist total, but I think his potential assists were there. Defensively, he was fighting for us. He did a great job of controlling the game and controlling the pace.”
Iona saw its lead grow to six with just under six minutes remaining, but, like last year’s NCAA Tournament team, Hofstra showed its identity and clawed its way back. Justin Moore hit big shots and made free throws to cut the deficit to two, while 7-foot center Spence Wewe came up with a big defensive block.
Hofstra had a couple of missed opportunities down the stretch but made its shots when it mattered most, including an electric 3-pointer from sixth-year guard Tanner Thomas, who accounted for half of the Pride’s 10 threes on the night.
“I just have a lot of trust in the work I’ve been putting in with the coaches, and anytime I’m open for three, I’m gonna take it,” Thomas said.
The score was tied at 51 at the end of regulation after Moore’s jumper to win the game came up short. But the Philadelphia native showed his veteran leadership in overtime, taking control with five consecutive points of his own before coming up with a big steal that helped send the Hofstra crowd home happy.
For Thomas and Moore, neither of whom were part of last season’s NCAA Tournament appearance, seeing the championship banner raised still carried plenty of meaning.
“For sure. That meant a lot. Obviously, our goal is to put another one up,” Thomas said, with Moore adding, “We can’t let them come in and spoil our night, Speedy’s night, so we had to take care of business.”
With a new team navigating the ever-changing landscape of college basketball, where the transfer portal has players coming and going every few years, this was an impressive all-around win for Hofstra, which now sits at 2-2 on the young season.
“I told these guys before the game that the tougher team was going to win, and we showed we were that tougher team tonight,” Claxton said.
Hofstra will look to build on the win when it travels to Murray State on Nov. 17, with tipoff scheduled for 11 a.m. Eastern.
Leave a Reply