Hempstead, NY- Freshman forward Halil Kanacevic (Staten Island, NY) posted his second career double-double and the Hofstra Men's Basketball team held Manhattan to 21 percent shooting from the field as the Pride posted a low-scoring 44-39 win over the Jaspers Wednesday night at the Mack Sports Complex.
Kanacevic scored 11 points and added 10 rebounds while junior guard Charles Jenkins (Queens, NY) tallied nine points as Hofstra won its third in a row to improve to 6-3. Junior guard Nathaniel Lester (Brooklyn, NY) also contributed seven points and seven rebounds. Patrick Bouli and Rico Pickett each scored 10 points for the Jaspers, which fell to 5-4.
Hofstra's defense held an opponent to less than 40 points for the first time in more than 20 years, when Rider was held to just 34 points on Jan. 18, 1989 in a 48-34 Pride victory. Hofstra also tallied its fewest points in a win since defeating Albright, 43-36, in the 1961-62 season.
The Pride erased an early 5-0 deficit at the 18:24 mark, by surging to a 19-0 run over a stretch of 11:33, before a free throw by Pickett with 6:51 left in the first half made the score 19-6. The Pride's defense forced the Jaspers into 21 consecutive missed field goals at one point, including 0-6 beyond three-point range.
Kanacevic capitalized on Manhattan's early shooting struggles, grabbing seven rebounds in just 12 minutes off the bench to help Hofstra take a 23-18 halftime lead. Jenkins contributed six points and four steals before intermission as Manhattan shot just 20 percent from the field.
Back-to-back blocks spurred Hofstra to two quick baskets, extending the Pride's edge to 29-19 and forcing Manhattan to call timeout just 2:39 into the second half. The Jaspers responded to the break, getting as close as 36-34 with seven minutes left.
But Kanacevic scored five straight points to extend the edge to 41-36 with two minutes left in the low scoring affair. Kanacevic's double-double was his first since the season-opener against top ranked Kansas on Nov. 13, when he had 12 points and 12 rebounds in his debut.
Junior forward Greg Washington (Centereach, NY) slammed home a dunk with 1:30 remaining to make it 43-36, securing the win with his only two points of the game. Freshman Chaz Williams (Brooklyn, NY), who finished with six points, hit a free throw for the final margin after a Manhattan three-pointer.
Hofstra outrebounded Manhattan for 51-38 for the game and blocked 12 shots, led by five from Washington. Kanacevic added three blocks as the Pride held Manhattan to just 21.4 percent shooting for the day.
The Pride will next be in action Saturday against New Hampshire. Game time for the non-conference matchup is 4 p.m. at the Mack Sports Complex
