Hofstra vs Elon

[Dooku25]

Did anyone mention what happened to Dawkins, he didn't play tonight.

They said he hurt his hand in practice earlier in the week..

[Wags]

What a second half, especially defensively. 33-point difference from last time in the second half, although granted, there was no Brian Dawkins this time (he had a team-high 14, of his 18, in the second half last time).

About a month ago (32 days), Hofstra scored the same in the second against Elon as they did tonight (43).
But they allowed 53 to Elon in the second half. Tonight, they allowed 20 (on 7/24 shooting).

Been saying it all year, even after the wins (against Monmouth, 85-84, or Rider, 88-82 or Stony Brook, 84-81)... forget the offense. They can score enough in this league.

But THIS is the difference DEFENSE can make when they actually decide to defend. Hopefully, they finally realize that off of that second half tonight and will keep realizing that for the rest of the season. I know they like to play in the 80s, with a lot possessions, etc. But look how easy this win became they defended tonight. They were down 4 at the half, didn't even reach 70, and they still won by 19 just by shutting Elon down and now allowing Elon to do what it did last time.

- Tied for 3rd with W&M, a game back of Northeastern, two back of Charleston.
- Moved two games ahead of Elon instead of falling into a tie with them.
- Stayed a game ahead of Towson, which played its 4th OT game of the year, and 3rd in their past 6.

[EvanJ]

I don't know what's worse, the feed or our performance.

You're right but the feed sucks. I have to keep closing the window and reopening it for the video to work. Ugly and frustrating!

No excuse for this, I'm going to let Jeff Hathaway know....I don't know who would put up with the constant need to refresh other than you and me!

Hofstra (and every away school in the CAA) has links to the video, but the video is made by the home team, so I think you could complain to Hathaway about the feed on Saturday but not today. I e-mailed the CAA's Rob Washburn.

Elon made 5 out of 24 three-pointers, which is .208. Their best and worst percentages shooting threes against CAA teams this season were against us. It was their worst percentage shooting threes against a CAA team since 31 games ago hosting College of Charleston on December 31, 2016. Those games include a CAA Tournament game.

I was hoping for a split on the road this week, and now with this win under our belt, Saturday becomes a house money game. Win that and we are in great shape heading into the showdown with WIlliam & Mary next Thursday. Just wanna keep that 7 seed as far in the rear view mirror as possible..

I disagree that it's house money. We won't win the regular season title, but we have a little chance at the 2 seed, who plays a Quarterfinal against a team who played in the First Round. We're good enough that we shouldn't be satisfied with the 6 seed. In addition, UNC Wilmington is a bad team who we beat by 20.
I'll be mad if we lose. None of our remaining games are at good teams.

It was Hofstra's fewest points allowed since a 73-40 win hosting College of Charleston on February 25, 2015. That was 95 games ago.

Hofstra had 4 assists, with nobody having more than 1. It was the first time no Hofstra player had more than 1 assist since a season-opening 61-47 loss at Holy Cross on November 10, 2007. Jenkins, Greg Johnson, and Greg Washington had assists in that game. That was 350 games ago.

[HUSID74]

Hear you Evan, I know the feed is from Elon, but Jeff will go to the CAA Commish...that feed was embarrassing for the League.

[Dooku25]

I disagree that it's house money. We won't win the regular season title, but we have a little chance at the 2 seed, who plays a Quarterfinal against a team who played in the First Round. We're good enough that we shouldn't be satisfied with the 6 seed. In addition, UNC Wilmington is a bad team who we beat by 20.
I'll be mad if we lose. None of our remaining games are at good teams.

Evan, Saturday's game will not be easy. There are no easy road games in the CAA. UNCW always has a good home court advantage. They also are averaging 80 pts a game. Besides our blowout win, they have played other CAA opponents tough recently. Keep in mind their game tonight vs JMU was cancelled so they will be fresher than us Saturday. Had we lost tonight, I would have viewed Saturday as a must win, but I feel much better going into this game having won tonight.

In looking at our remaining schedule, we could run the table. Will we do it? Probably not.

[triplec2195]

This was such a bizarre game and I only saw snippets of it with the ugly video feed. Terrible first half with JWF only scoring 4 points. This has to be his worst half of the year. EP is really playing with confidence which is huge for us but still think we need someone else to step up scoring wise. ROK a huge game on the boards. It seems so odd that we would win a game by 19 and only have 4 assists to their 15. Shot terrible both in FG % and three point % but obviously they shot worse and we out rebounded them. Even without Dawkins a very big win for us and a bad loss for them. I didn't see any of the second half so just have to look at the stats and let them do the talking. They actually scored 44 points against UNC Greensboro on 12/7 but 89 against us at the Mack. I'm beginning to think that we may play better on the road then we do at home. I don't want to create a bad omen for the W&M game though! It's very hard to believe that we could hold anyone to 48 points credit to whatever D we were playing in the second half!

[EvanJ]

I'm beginning to think that we may play better on the road then we do at home.

Hofstra is 8-3 (.727) away, which is tied for 21st out of 351 teams. We lead the CAA, with Towson second at 7-5 (.583).

Pemberton passed Wright-Foreman in field goal percentage, .455 to .454.

[krood]

Sorry to go stealth on this blog..... but I'm back.
Continue to BELIEVE in this team and the staff!
JWF continues to have an HOF season and is actually improving his floor game as a leader.
Also, others are improving as the season heads to March, especially Pemberton and Gustys.
Yes, PG play has improved with both DB and KW; but as evidenced by tonight would still like to see more consistency.
My favorite freshman (JR) seems to have hit the late season wall that many frosh hit- he needs a breakout game before the tourney.
Most importantly, this team/staff is resilient and deserves credit for bouncing back after CoC heartbreak and beating Elon on their court by 20. The way Elon plays, thats like winning by 30+!!
I expect nothing less on Saturday!
Go Dutchmen!!!!!!

[Wags]

Hear you Evan, I know the feed is from Elon, but Jeff will go to the CAA Commish...that feed was embarrassing for the League.

So are announcers continually calling us "Hawfstra" despite 17 years in the league.

So while we're working on the feed, can we get that fixed too?

[daHUPride]

Road wins are big - especially after the tough L vs CofC last Saturday - nice work.

I only saw the EP Show (aka The 1st Half) - but looking at the 2nd half stat line:
* team only had 2 assists in the 2nd half (only had 4 assists the entire game).
* only 2 turnovers committed in the 2nd half - very impressive!
* played our starting 5 - except for a 3 minute spell by JR (hitting a bit of freshman wall) coming in for ST (our key, multifaceted role player) - the whole 2nd half ... with a 20 point lead. I ask (credit to Baha Men) "Who's in the doghouse? Who, who, who, who, who?" Answer: More then a few guys.
* certainly a correlation to our team play when DB plays well.
* looks like EP is really starting to heat up - hopefully it continues - he is a "must" for us to do anything in the tourney.
* 20/20/20 - RG boards; EP points; JFW points - is what we all thought we'd see a lot of this year - maybe we are going to see it more and at the right time.

Finish this road trip with a W vs UNW tomorrow - come back well rested for W&M at home Thursday.

[triplec2195]

I'm beginning to think that we may play better on the road then we do at home.

Hofstra is 8-3 (.727) away, which is tied for 21st out of 351 teams. We lead the CAA, with Towson second at 7-5 (.583).

Pemberton passed Wright-Foreman in field goal percentage, .455 to .454.

Our road play may pay huge dividends very soon let's hope we keep playing tough on the road.

Sorry to go stealth on this blog..... but I'm back.
Continue to BELIEVE in this team and the staff!
JWF continues to have an HOF season and is actually improving his floor game as a leader.
Also, others are improving as the season heads to March, especially Pemberton and Gustys.
Yes, PG play has improved with both DB and KW; but as evidenced by tonight would still like to see more consistency.
My favorite freshman (JR) seems to have hit the late season wall that many frosh hit- he needs a breakout game before the tourney.
Most importantly, this team/staff is resilient and deserves credit for bouncing back after CoC heartbreak and beating Elon on their court by 20. The way Elon plays, thats like winning by 30+!!
I expect nothing less on Saturday!
Go Dutchmen!!!!!!

Nice of you to join us Kenny but better late then never. You seem to show up after all the dirty work is done! LOL

[Cards]

So the question is always "was their shooting that bad, or was our defense that good". i think it was probably a little of both. That being said, I was i really pleased with the defensive effort from our guys.

I've said it before, I love that Rok jumps out to cut off the path to the basket. Sometimes he seems to get back to his man (or the middle of the paint) a little late, but we have not really been burned by this yet. Keep it up big guy.

I like the team D when ST is on the floor. He's got the length and quickness to play good D around the perimeter. The real suprise is that he generally can hold his own closer to the basket. Yep, Is have not forgotten the Brantley play, but generally speaking, ST is OK in the paint against all but the best bigs in the conference.

Hard to not see the improvement of our gaurds on the perimeter. Yes, Elon missed some open shots, but for the most part our guys were puttng out the kind of effort you need to have to win. Also seems like our guys are picking up thier players a step further away from the hoop. I ssem to recall our perimeter D starting just inside the 3-pt line, but now it seems that many times our guys are on the 3-pt line, pushing the offense out just a few feet. If its an intentional thing, then good job guys!

Some one commented on our lack of assists - and yes, I think htat is not a good sign. My opinion is that we still play too much one on one, and against the better teams we end up making it too tough on ourselves. Gotta keep everyone involved in the offense and look for open shots and cutters.

Overall - really nice win. Its always the consistency issue that leaves us cringing. Team and coaches have to continue to work at not making mistakes - that's how we lose games. When we minimize turnovers and giving opponents open looks, we end up right in the mix or better every time!

[Polito]

Yep, I'd say it's 50-50 of HU stepping up on D and Elon shooting horridly - they hit their normal % and this game is much scarier. They live and die by the 3 almost entirely, and last night they suffered. That will be their downfall in the CAAT - can't do that 3 in a row, HU has tried many times lol

Will quote myself pre-game "Show up, perform, COACH, and win the damn game" and say good job to the team/staff for listening LOL

I too tried to watch this via the video and it was awful. Did my best but finally kept up with the HU twitter.

The inconsistency of this team is amazing, such wildly huge swings from unstoppable to JV. I think that will be HU's downfall, but the talent is absolutely there.

Agree with FD that's why I get so nuts about things this year - this team has the talent to win it all, there's no question in my mind about that. But they beat themselves in so many ways whether in foolish play or foolish coaching that it's infuriating. But the good news is they clearly can beat anyone in the league, and they do play very well on the road. These are 2 musts for the CAAT - just need to get that consistency and D down!

Also hate the Hofstra pronunciation - are they reading some phonetic 'cheat sheet'? If so, throw it out. They all sound ridiculous.

Very odd to have so few assists and win - not my preference, but you take any W, esp on the road, and run! Buie and Wormley have been playing better in their roles of late, so I'll let this go as a bad game - it was an odd one all around for both sides.

JWF continues to have super games quietly... amazing how he puts up 20+ like nothing and no one even bats an eye anymore lol - becoming a court maestro - Pemba playing confident and taking what the game gives him = all-conf talent. When JWF, Pemba, and Rok are on this team is a very tough out - need them all clicking. Ray has def hit a bit of a wall, but still time for him to break out and make a major impact down the stretch.

Really like what ST brings to the table. He has a ton of potential, and having him for a full 4 will pay huge dividends as his game matures.

Rok 20 boards is incredible - off game for him as well overall, but that dude is damn impressive in that category - gonna miss his ball hogging next yr

Agree fully with Evan - it's time for a run. ALL OUT WAR. I want to believe... need to see more before I get there. Keep winning.

[joeg1]

I think the re-emergence of Eli bodes well. We are best when JWF scores 20, not 30- diversifies the offense considerably. And Buie, Ray and ST although they don't put up the big numbers, have each shown they can hit the big shot.

Maybe Joe had an epiphany- you can't win league tourneys without defending - maybe one or two games, but not championships. I liked what I saw the second half

[Wags]

I think the re-emergence of Eli bodes well. We are best when JWF scores 20, not 30- diversifies the offense considerably. And Buie, Ray and ST although they don't put up the big numbers, have each shown they can hit the big shot.

Completely agree on all of this. Eli stepping up lately is HUGE.
Been saying all year they're best when JWF gets 20 efficiently (higher FG%) and does other things rather than getting 30 inefficiently (lower FG%). The results all season speak for themselves on that.
Buie is capable of exploding in small spurts that are very helpful, and along with Ray and Trueheart (though not him maybe as much as Buie and Ray), can hit big shots at times.
Also, those 20 boards for Rok last night were half of the team's 40. Joe said after the UNCW win, he and good rebounders in general, don't get enough credit for that. But I think the real fans recognize how crucial that is.

Maybe Joe had an epiphany- you can't win league tourneys without defending - maybe one or two games, but not championships. I liked what I saw the second half

He should write in big letters on the whiteboard in the locker room or better yet, print out a copy of this for each player to walk around with for the rest of the season:

Jan. 7, 2nd half vs Elon: We scored 43, they scored 53 on 17/31 fg. We lost by 13.
Feb. 8, 2nd half vs Elon: We scored 43, they scored 20 on 7/24 fg. We won by 19.
DEFENSE, DEFENSE, DEFENSE... and oh, yeah... DEFENSE!

(as mentioned, yes, some of it was Elon missing shots they normally make... but the intensity on D, Hofstra making a defensive effort in the 2nd half like we don't normally see from them, was, I thought, the biggest factor in why Elon couldn't score in the second half last night).

[EvanJ]

I'm beginning to think that we may play better on the road then we do at home.

Hofstra is 8-3 (.727) away, which is tied for 21st out of 351 teams. We lead the CAA, with Towson second at 7-5 (.583).

Pemberton passed Wright-Foreman in field goal percentage, .455 to .454.

I'm quoting myself to add that Hofstra is:

8-3 away, tied for 21st and 22nd in away winning percentage, with an average opponents' RPI of 161st
6-4 at home (5-4 vs. Division I), tied for 255th through 266th in home winning percentage (including Molloy), with an average opponents' RPI of 211th (excluding Molloy)

Been saying all year they're best when JWF gets 20 efficiently (higher FG%) and does other things rather than getting 30 inefficiently (lower FG%). The results all season speak for themselves on that.

Here's a breakdown by his field goal attempts:

16 or fewer attempts: 35-63 (.556) field goal percentage, 20.0 points, Hofstra is 5-0
18-20 attempts (he hasn't had 17 attempts): 102-227 (.449) field goal percentage, 24.5 points, Hofstra is 5-7
21 or more attempts: 82-192 (.427) field goal percentage, 28.5 points, Hofstra is 5-3

[Wags]

Here's a breakdown by his field goal attempts:

16 or fewer attempts: 35-63 (.556) field goal percentage, 20.0 points, Hofstra is 5-0
18-20 attempts (he hasn't had 17 attempts): 102-227 (.449) field goal percentage, 24.5 points, Hofstra is 5-7
21 or more attempts: 82-192 (.427) field goal percentage, 28.5 points, Hofstra is 5-3

Thanks Evan, for confirming. So I wasn't just imagining it, albeit the sample is small when he shoots less and is more efficient. But look at the bottom line numbers:

- Hofstra with a perfect 5-0 record and he's a very good shooter at <17 FGA.
- Hofstra with a medicore 10-10 record and he's a medicore shooter at >17 FGA.

He's not only taking better shots when taking fewer (hence the higher FG%), but he's doing other things that are helpful and other guys get more involved that way, giving opposing defenses more to worry about than just JWF.

Follow that plan offensively and consistently commit to D the way they did in the second half last night, and they really should be playing in the Finals against Charleston (and although I think Charleston would win narrowly, you take your shot at that point). Depends how the seeds shake out, but ultimately, I think it'll come down to Hofstra, W&M or Northeastern (one of those three) against Charleston in the finals.

[cactus]

Here's a breakdown by his field goal attempts:

16 or fewer attempts: 35-63 (.556) field goal percentage, 20.0 points, Hofstra is 5-0
18-20 attempts (he hasn't had 17 attempts): 102-227 (.449) field goal percentage, 24.5 points, Hofstra is 5-7
21 or more attempts: 82-192 (.427) field goal percentage, 28.5 points, Hofstra is 5-3

Thanks Evan, for confirming. So I wasn't just imagining it, albeit the sample is small when he shoots less and is more efficient. But look at the bottom line numbers:

- Hofstra with a perfect 5-0 record and he's a very good shooter at <17 FGA.
- Hofstra with a medicore 10-10 record and he's a medicore shooter at >17 FGA.

He's not only taking better shots when taking fewer (hence the higher FG%), but he's doing other things that are helpful and other guys get more involved that way, giving opposing defenses more to worry about than just JWF.

Follow that plan offensively and consistently commit to D the way they did in the second half last night, and they really should be playing in the Finals against Charleston (and although I think Charleston would win narrowly, you take your shot at that point). Depends how the seeds shake out, but ultimately, I think it'll come down to Hofstra, W&M or Northeastern (one of those three) against Charleston in the finals.

Agree completely - when wright-foreman doesnt have to force shots they are much more efficient on offense. If Pemberton plays like has the last few games they are very tough to stop.

Finishing with the 2 or 3 seed should be the goal, they are too far behind Charleston and in those spots they wouldn't have to face them until the finals.

[joeg1]

Finishing with the 2 or 3 seed should be the goal, they are too far behind Charleston and in those spots they wouldn't have to face them until the finals.

Charleston has the tiebreaker - we have virtually no shot unless they really go in the tank and/or we run the table!

[HUclassof19]

Yep, I'd say it's 50-50 of HU stepping up on D and Elon shooting horridly - they hit their normal % and this game is much scarier. They live and die by the 3 almost entirely, and last night they suffered. That will be their downfall in the CAAT - can't do that 3 in a row, HU has tried many times lol

Will quote myself pre-game "Show up, perform, COACH, and win the damn game" and say good job to the team/staff for listening LOL

I too tried to watch this via the video and it was awful. Did my best but finally kept up with the HU twitter.

The inconsistency of this team is amazing, such wildly huge swings from unstoppable to JV. I think that will be HU's downfall, but the talent is absolutely there.

Agree with FD that's why I get so nuts about things this year - this team has the talent to win it all, there's no question in my mind about that. But they beat themselves in so many ways whether in foolish play or foolish coaching that it's infuriating. But the good news is they clearly can beat anyone in the league, and they do play very well on the road. These are 2 musts for the CAAT - just need to get that consistency and D down!

Also hate the Hofstra pronunciation - are they reading some phonetic 'cheat sheet'? If so, throw it out. They all sound ridiculous.

Very odd to have so few assists and win - not my preference, but you take any W, esp on the road, and run! Buie and Wormley have been playing better in their roles of late, so I'll let this go as a bad game - it was an odd one all around for both sides.

JWF continues to have super games quietly... amazing how he puts up 20+ like nothing and no one even bats an eye anymore lol - becoming a court maestro - Pemba playing confident and taking what the game gives him = all-conf talent. When JWF, Pemba, and Rok are on this team is a very tough out - need them all clicking. Ray has def hit a bit of a wall, but still time for him to break out and make a major impact down the stretch.

Really like what ST brings to the table. He has a ton of potential, and having him for a full 4 will pay huge dividends as his game matures.

Rok 20 boards is incredible - off game for him as well overall, but that dude is damn impressive in that category - gonna miss his ball hogging next yr

Agree fully with Evan - it's time for a run. ALL OUT WAR. I want to believe... need to see more before I get there. Keep winning.

i love everyones passion but ive honestly never seen another person who thinks they know more than anyone else other than you polito. kudos to you.