Newark, DE - Junior
Aaron Estrada led five players in double figures with 21 points as the Hofstra men's basketball team won its fourth consecutive game with an 80-66 win over Delaware on Saturday evening at the Bob Carpenter Center.
Estrada was joined in double figures by sophomore
Darlinstone Dubar (15), graduate student
Jalen Ray (14), graduate student
Jarrod Simmons (11), and senior
Omar Silverio (10).
Hofstra improved to 17-9 overall and 9-4 in Colonial Athletic Association play with the win. Delaware falls to 16-9 and 7-5 in conference action. The Pride swept the season series from the Blue Hens.
It was a quick 9-3 lead for Hofstra in the game as Dubar got the Pride going with four early points and a three-pointer from Estrada concluded a 9-2 run for the visitors. Another three-pointer from Estrada would push the lead to nine, 16-7, with 14:08 left in the opening stanza as Hofstra continued to stay in front during the opening 20 minutes. The Pride would use a 7-1 run to take its first double figure lead of the game, 27-17, as Silverio drained a three-pointer with 7:04 showing on the clock.
After taking a four-point halftime advantage, Hofstra came out of the locker room with all the momentum as they used an 11-4 run to make it a 52-41 lead with 16:49 remaining in the second stanza. Ray keyed the run with six points and an assist. Another three-pointer from Ray would push the lead to 16, 65-49, with just under 11 minutes left as Hofstra didn't allow any potential rallies from the Blue Hens. Delaware did close the gap to seven with 8:15 to play but a 7-0 Hofstra run put the game out of reach and allowed Hofstra to conclude the road trip with two big victories.
Estrada led Hofstra with seven rebounds, while graduate student
Zach Cooks dished out a team-high five assists.
Jyare Davis had 16 points for Delaware, while Ryan Allen added 12.
Hofstra returns to action on Tuesday when it travels to Elon for a rescheduled game. The game will tip at 7 p.m.
NOTES
- Hofstra leads the all-time series with Delaware, 65-34. The Pride has won 11 of the last 13 meetings in the series. The 99 all-time meetings makes Delaware Hofstra's all-time most played opponent.
- Ray now has 1,660 career points and 293 three-pointers. He is 17 points shy of Norman Richardson (1,677 from 1997-2001) for 11th place all-time in program history in scoring and seven three-pointers shy of becoming only the second player in program history to reach 300 career three-pointers.
