Dion Nesmith. Photo by: Stacy Podelski/1495Sports
It has been a great start to the New Year for the Hofstra Men’s Basketball team as the Pride has yet to drop a game in 2015 and will take a five-game win streak into Saturday night’s encounter with Elon.
The Pride and the Phoenix will tip off at 8 p.m. from Elon’s Alumni Gym.
Both a video and audio broadcast will be available at GoHofstra.com/PrideProductions, with the video feed courtesy of Elon. The audio only broadcast, with Julian Coltre and Dan Savarino on the call, can also be heard on WGCH (1490 AM).
The game will also air on the American Sports Network. Check the attached PDF for the TV clearances in your local area.
Hofstra (12-4, 3-0) extended its win streak to five straight with a 71-66 victory over Charleston on Thursday evening. The win allowed the Pride to continue its perfect 2015 as all three Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) triumphs have occurred in the new year.
With the victory over the Cougars, Hofstra also picked up its nation’s best sixth road win of the season (tied).
The 12-4 overall mark is the program’s second-best ever Division I start (since 1972-73). Only one team ever began a season better as the 1982-83 squad started 13-3.
The win streak is the longest since a seven-game streak from February 10, 2010 – March 5, 2010. In addition, the conference start is the program’s best since the 2010-11 team won its first five CAA contests.
Junior guard Juan’ya Green was the star for the Pride in the five-point win over the Cougars as he poured in a game-high 26 points, including 13-14 from the charity stripe, to propel the Pride to the victory. He also added five rebounds and four assists, while junior forward Ameen Tanksley added 17 points in the win. Tanksley had a pair of huge three-pointers late, while graduate guard Dion Nesmith provided an important basket with just over a minute to play to give Hofstra a three-point advantage at the time. Nesmith finished with 11 points and four assists to allow the Pride to finish with three players in double figures.
The race for the Hofstra scoring lead continues to be a battle between Green and Tanksley as the duo has led the Pride all season. Tanksley is tops with 18.8 points per game, with Green improving to 17.9 points per outing following his stellar performance at Charleston. Tanksley also adds 5.9 rebounds per game, while Green is first on the team in assists with 6.1 per game.
Hofstra’s strong defense has assisted the Pride in getting out to the 3-0 league start. The Pride is holding opponents to just 60 points per game and Hofstra is outrebounding CAA foes, 42.3 to 35, through three games.
Elon, in its first year in the conference, will bring a 10-6 overall record and a 2-1 CAA mark into Saturday’s game. The Phoenix played their first-ever home CAA game on Thursday and defeated William & Mary, 85-79. Elijah Bryant led Elon with 25 points, including six three-pointers. Tanner Samson also had a strong game with 20 points and eight rebounds.
Bryant leads a trio of Elon players in double figures with 14.5 points per game. Samson is second with 13.2 points, while Luke Eddy (missed W&M game) is third with 13 points per outing. Bryant has a team-high 40 assists, while Ryan Winters pulls down 5.1 caroms per game.
This will mark the first-ever game between Hofstra and Elon as conference rivals, but the schools have met once before. The Pride and the Phoenix met in the 2009-10 NIT Season Tip-Off in Hempstead and Hofstra captured a 70-46 victory. Coach Mihalich has never faced Elon during his 17-year head coaching career.
Although Hofstra will be finished with all three of the Carolina games early on in the CAA slate, the road gets no easier for the Pride in their next game as Hofstra will head to Northeastern next Wednesday (January 14) for its next outing following the Elon game. Following the game against the Huskies, the Pride will begin a three-game home stand on Saturday, January 17with a 2 p.m. game against UNCW. For ticket information to all Hofstra home games visit the brand-new HofstraTickets.com or call the Hofstra Athletics Box Office at (516) HOF-TIXX.
For more information on the Hofstra Men’s Basketball team fans are encouraged to click on the link seen here:
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