Williamsburg, VA -
Aaron Estrada and
Tyler Thomas each scored 20 points, and the Hofstra men's basketball team had 12 blocked shots as the Pride pulled away in the second half for a 75-62 road victory over William & Mary on Saturday afternoon at Kaplan Arena. Estrada added a game-high seven assists and four rebounds, while Thomas had six rebounds and three assists. Hofstra's 12 blocks were the most for the team since the Pride had 12 against Rider on February 20, 2010.
The Pride's post players once again made their presence felt as
Nelson Boachie-Yiadom had five blocks and
Warren Williams tallied four. Williams also added eight points and eight rebounds in the game.
The win was Hofstra's 10th of the season as they improved to 10-7 and 3-1 in Colonial Athletic Association play. All three CAA wins this season have come on the road and the Pride has won six consecutive road conference games dating back to last season. William & Mary dropped to 6-10 and 1-2 with the loss.
Hofstra broke an early five-all tie with seven consecutive points as Thomas started the run with a three-pointer and
Darlinstone Dubar added four points to make it 12-5 with 14:55 showing on the clock. Another three-pointer from Thomas, followed by a basket from Williams would give Hofstra its largest lead of the opening stanza at 19-10 with 12:38 left before intermission. William & Mary responded, though, and used a 13-2 run to earn a 23-21 lead with just under 10 minutes on the clock. Estrada put the Pride back in front at the 8:37 mark and he would score in the waning seconds of the first half to allow Hofstra to take a six-point lead into the locker room.
The Pride roared into the second half as they quickly turned a two-point lead, 41-39, with 17:03 left into a 17-point advantage over the next nearly four minutes. In total it was a 16-1 run spanning 3:51 that made it 57-40 with 13:12 left in regulation. Thomas had five points during the run that culminated with a bucket from Dubar. Hofstra pushed the lead to 21 on a pair of occasions later in the half, its largest lead of the game, as Estrada made it 63-42 with 10:10 left and a Thomas three-pointer earned the Pride a 66-45 advantage at the 9:13 mark. The Pride would cruise from there as they continued their strong play on the road.
Dubar added 14 points, five rebounds, two assists, and two blocks, while
Jaquan Carlos chipped in with 11 points, five rebounds, and three assists.
Gabe Dorsey led William & Mary with 21 points and Noah Collier posted 10 rebounds and four points for the Tribe.
Hofstra returns to the David S. Mack Sports and Exhibition Complex on Wednesday when it hosts Monmouth at 7 p.m. For ticket information visit HofstraTickets.com, call (516) HOF-TIXX, or stop by the Hofstra Athletics Ticket Office in the lobby of the Mack Sports Complex during normal business hours.
NOTES
- Hofstra is now 27-15 all-time against William & Mary. The Pride has won five of the last six meetings and eight of the last 10 encounters dating back to the 2017-18 season.
- Today's game marked the 25th time in Estrada's Hofstra career he has scored 20 or more points and the ninth time this season. Thomas reached 20 points for the third time this season.
- Since the start of last season, Hofstra is now 9-1 when two or more players tally 20 or more points in the same game. In addition, the Pride is 27-6 since the start of the 2017-18 season in that scenario.
