Philadelphia, PA - Preston Edmead had 22 points and five assists and Silas Sunday tallied a career-high with 15 points and seven rebounds to lead the Hofstra men's basketball team to its second consecutive victory, a 78-58 win over Merrimack, on Saturday at the Cathedral Classic at The Palestra. 

Cruz Davis added 15 points and a career-high-tying eight assists in the contest. 

Hofstra moved to 4-3 overall, while Merrimack dropped to 2-6.

The Pride jumped all over the Warriors and led 24-14 10 minutes into the game following a basket from Sunday. Hofstra held Merrimack scoreless for a stretch of 5:36 in the opening stanza as they pushed the lead to 26-14 at the 6:32 mark courtesy of a jumper from German Plotnikov. Baskets from Joshua DeCady and Davis in the final two minutes of the first half would allow the Pride to take a 13-point lead into the break. 

Merrimack got two three-pointers in the first three minutes of the second half to close the gap to nine, 45-36. Hofstra immediately had an answer and scored nine straight, including a dunk from Sunday, to lead 54-36 with 13:22 remaining. A four-point play from Edmead later in the half would give the Pride its first 20-point lead of the game with a 65-45 advantage. Hofstra was never challenged the rest of the way, taking as much as a 23-point lead, before settling in for the 20-point win. 

Biggie Patterson led Hofstra with eight rebounds in the contest, while Sunday tied his career-high with three blocked shots. Plotnikov chipped in with seven points and four assists. 

Ernest Shelton and Tye Dorset each had 12 points and four rebounds for Merrimack, which also got 10 points from Kevair Kennedy. 

Hofstra closes play in the Cathedral Classic on Sunday when it faces the host Quakers at 2:30 p.m. That game will air on ESPN+. 

NOTES
- Today was the third all-time meeting between Hofstra and Merrimack but the first since the 1977-78 season. The Pride now leads the series, 2-1. 
- Sunday's previous career-high of 14 points came against Iona on November 8, 2024. 
- Davis previously had eight assists on a pair of occasions, most recently against Molloy on November 10, 2025. 
- Hofstra held Merrimack to 30.5% shooting from the field. It marked the lowest for a Pride opponent this season. 
- The Pride outrebounded the Warriors, 43-28. 
- Edmead played against his brother, Malik, in the game.