St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands – Senior guard
Juan'ya Green posted a team-high 18 points, but Indiana State rallied from a late seven-point deficit as they defeated the Hofstra Men's Basketball team, 67-66, on Monday evening at the Paradise Jam.
The loss drops Hofstra's record to 3-2 this season and the Pride finish the Paradise Jam in fifth place. Indiana State improved to 3-2 and finishes in third place.
Graduate forward
Denton Koon posted his first double-double as a member of the Pride with 15 points and 11 rebounds, while senior forward
Ameen Tanksley was also in double figures with 13 points.
Hofstra trailed nearly the entire first half, falling behind by as many as 13 before eventually cutting the deficit to 10, 32-22, at the break following a Koon tip-in at the first half buzzer.
The Sycamores would start the second stanza on a 9-2 run to take their largest lead of the game, 41-24, with 17:37 to play after a three-pointer from Khristian Smith.
Hofstra would gradually chip away at the large Indiana State advantage and three free throws from Green with 11:09 remaining in regulation made it 47-39 in favor of the Sycamores. It marked the first time the gap had been under 10 points since 3:21 remained in the opening stanza (28-19).
With Indiana State leading 59-56 with 4:27 left, Hofstra would use a 10-0 scoring run to take its first lead since 2-0. The score would be 66-59 in favor of the Pride following the run that included five points from Koon and three from Green.
Trailing by seven with 1:50 on the clock, Indiana State got a game-closing 8-0 started with a three-pointer from Brenton Scott at the 1:42 mark. The Sycamores would take the lead for good with 12 seconds remaining when Devonte Brown converted an old-fashioned three-point play. Hofstra would have a pair of chances in the waning seconds but the Pride was unable to sink the winning basket.
NOTES- This was the first-ever meeting between Hofstra and Indiana State.
- The loss was the Pride's second straight.
- The 11 rebounds by Koon tied a career-high set vs. Florida A&M on November 10, 2013 (as a member of Princeton).
