City of Basketball Love

Rich Flanagan (@Richflanagan33)
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Hofstra jumped out to a double-digit lead midway through the first half, and were able to hold off La Salle just enough down the stretch  to pull out an 84-80 victory at Tom Gola Arena.

At First…
Hofstra (5-2) came out firing in the first half. The Pride went on 14-0 run midway through the first half, then closed out the half with a separate 11-3 run. A major part of those runs was the steady 3-point shooting from the Pride, as they hit 7 of 14 from 3-point range. Junior guard Brian Bernardi had 11 points for Hofstra at the break, including three 3-pointers.

Turning Point…
Hofstra kept the pressure on early in the second half and increased their lead to as many as 17 but the Explorers rallied. La Salle (4-2) battled back by going on a 10-2 run late in the second half. Led by Jordan Price, they cut the deficit to six with under three minutes to play. Price, who scored a career-high 37 points, hit back-to-back threes to make it 78-75 with under two minutes to play. The Explorers had the game within a basket, but the Pride hit clutch free throws to hold off the comeback.  

Standout Stars…
Price led the Explorers with 37 points on 15 of 22 from the field including five three-pointers to go along with a team-high seven rebounds. Tony Washington had his second double-figure scoring output of the season with ten. Cleon Roberts added 13 points for La Salle.

Bernardi paced Hofstra with 22 points, including four 3-pointers. Along with Bernardi, the Pride had six players in double figures including Denton Koon (12), Ameen Tanksley (12), Juan’ya Green (10) and Desure Buie (10). Hofstra scored 84 points, a point shy of its season average of 85.5.  

Noteworthy Numbers…
Hofstra held the lead for more than 30 minutes during the course of the game. The Pride hit 9-of-21 from behind the arc and received 18 points from their bench, both of which contributed to their ability to sustain the lead. The biggest factor behind Hofstra’s win may have been their free-throw shooting as they converted 21 of 26 from the line, including six in the final 1:16.

Green had eight assists, right around his season average of 7.5, good for 9th nationally coming into the game.

Price has scored 20+ points in four of the Explorers’ first six games, and 30+ twice this season. Along with Roberts (13) and Washington (10 ), La Salle made this a game after a sloppy first half in which they committed ten turnovers and allowed Hofstra to shoot 52 percent from the floor for the game.

Up Next…
La Salle (4-2) vs Drexel (Dec. 5, 2:00 p.m.)
Hofstra (5-2) vs Appalachian State (Dec, 6 1:00 p.m.)