Monarchs Top Pride, Advance to NIT Final Four
by Ray Floriani
HEMPSTEAD, N.Y. – It is about a 35-minute ride (traffic permitting) from the Hofstra campus on Long Island to Madison Square Garden in midtown Manhattan. Hofstra fans wouldn’t have minded the commute next week. After Wednesday night’s tough 61-51 NIT quarterfinal loss to Colonial Athletic Association rival Old Dominion there will be no urgency to get to the Garden.
“There’s no crying in basketball, no excuses,” Hofstra coach Tom Pecora said following the contest at Hofstra Arena. “We had shots that fall but didn’t go, Old Dominion’s defense had a lot to do with that.”
Normally a threat on the perimeter, Hofstra shot 32 percent for the game. The Pride were 8-of-34 the second half and for the contest an uncharacteristically icy 4-of-24 beyond the arc.
Three keys to the game:
- Jump shooting. Hosftra came out hitting its jumpers . When they stopped falling the Pride didn’t penetrate as much. “We hit those jumpers early,” Pecora said, “but when they wouldn’t go we kept shooting them.” The shot selection was good and a few that normally go down rimmed and fell out. Unfortunately for Hofstra, there was too much reliance on the outside.
- Poise. Hofstra was up six at the break and scored the first basket of the second half. In a packed house on the road with a pumped up crowd it wasn’t easy for the visitors. ODU coach Blaine Taylor stressed to gradually away at that eight-point lead, don’t rush or force the issue.
- Late-game lead. “We wanted to be ahead with about four minutes to go,” Taylor said. “Hofstra is quick and fast and not a team you want to chase when you are down with about three minutes left.”
Individually Isaiah Hunter came up big, especially in the clutch for ODU. The ODU guard led all scorers with 29 points. Time and time again he stepped up to make the crucial shot. He also hit four free throws the final minute to maintain ODU’s lead.
“We slipped a bit when he had the (foot) stress fracture in January,” Taylor said. “He (Hunter) just doesn’t give us points,” Taylor added, “he gives us a confidence and charisma on the floor.”
With center Alex Loughton, a double-figure scorer, struggling with a six-point night, Hunter added a little extra in the scoring department. Hunter made several crucial jump shots despite a good defensive presence. On several other trips the 6-2 senior penetrated and dished to an open teammate underneath.
As Taylor noted, Hunter virtually willed ODU to win. His on-court body language suggested a cool and calm demeanor even as the Monarchs trailed early in the second half.
Hofstra was led by the guard trio of Antoine Agudio (13 points), Loren Stokes (12 points) and Carlos Rivera (10 points). Agudio and Stokes epitomized their team’s offensive difficulty. The normally deadly Agudio was 1-of-11 from three while Stokes got in the lane on several occasions but could not finish.
Notes
- Hofstra defeated Old Dominion twice in the regular season. That fact plus playing on the road had no bearing in ODU’s game preparation. “It (losses) was not even something we talked much about,” Taylor said. “They beat us in two close games, we very easily could have won both. We are just two very good teams, what happened before didn’t matter.”
- ODU was knocked out of the CAA tournament by Northeastern. An early exit is never a good thing, but Taylor used the situation wisely. “It gave us all an opportunity to reevaluate ourselves,” Talyor said. “We restored our psyche and changed up a few things technically. We’ve come to look at ourselves as not what we are not but what we are.”
- No gloating or “I told you so” attitude, but CAA Commissioner Tom Yeager and Deputy Commissioner for Basketball Ron Bertovich were in attendance. They were set to head to the regionals to follow George Mason and were extremely thrilled and deservedly proud to have two conference members battle it out in front of a packed house for a trip to the NIT Final Four at the Garden.
- Pecora made mention of his seniors, who contributed so much to the program. “When they arrived four years ago a lot of people wondered if we could ever get it going again like it was,” Pecora said. “The program is very strong now and our seniors had a lot to do with that.” Two senior starters Adrian Uter and Aurimas Kieza, both forwards, were particularly instrumental in the Pride resurgence.
- Now, the immediate talk around Hofstra is how long will Pecora stay? He insists he’s home and very happy at the schools. Still, if overtures from a Big East or similar level program come calling you have to wonder if listening would soon turn to signing.
- Following the Selection Sunday letdown and through the fine NIT run Pecora told his team to savor the moment. “We had 26 wins,” he said. “I told the team on several occasions to enjoy this. Enjoy it a lot because a lot of teams and coaches do not get a special season like this.”
On The Baseline
- Both schools had cheerleaders and pep bands. It’s unusual seeing visiting pep bands or cheer squads at “road” games but this was not just a CAA matchup. It was the quarterfinals of the NIT. Curious to see a Hofstra player, in the seemingly safe comforts of home, shoot a free throw while the ODU cheerleaders would wave and chant in an effort to distract him.
- Three lions were in the house. ODU’s nickname is the Monarchs and their mascot is a lion. Hofstra is the Pride. They have a lion mascot, but on this night had two. Which gave us three ‘kings of the jungle’ during timeouts.
