Hofstra beats Delaware in CAA Tournament thanks to Darlinstone Dubar's double-double
Darlinstone Dubar #1 of Hofstra scores against Christian Ray #5 of Delaware and Gerald Drumgoole Jr. #1 during the first half on Sunday, March 10, 2024, in Washington. Credit: Jess Rapfogel
There will be a third chapter written in the 2023-24 edition of The Battle of Long Island.
And Speedy Claxton, for one, knows the task at hand.
“We know we’re going to have our work cut out for us,” Claxton said after third-seeded Hofstra’s 73-58 win over sixth- seeded Delaware in the Coastal Athletic Association Tournament quarterfinals Sunday night at the Entertainment and Sports Arena in Washington.
The Pride will meet seventh-seeded Stony Brook in the second semifinal game Monday night. The game will mark the third time this season in which the Long Island schools will compete against each other. Hofstra won the two regular-season meetings, 80-74 on Jan. 22 and 72-71 on Feb. 1.
“We know what is coming up for us,” Claxton said.
Darlinstone Dubar had 23 points and 11 rebounds to lead the Pride (19-12). Tyler Thomas scored 20 points and Jaquan Carlos had 18.
The second matchup of the season between Hofstra and Delaware bore no resemblance to the first, which the host Pride won, 76-71, on Jan. 6.
While that was a tight affair, what transpired in the home of the WNBA’s Washington Mystics was nothing less than a flexing of muscles for the Pride.
After outscoring the Blue Hens 10-0 in the final 5:59 of the first half to take a 35-29 lead, the Pride outscored the Blue Hens 15-7 in the first 4:45 of the second half. “Coach Speedy told us to let our defense carry our offense,” Carlos said.
Dubar sparked the second-half run by scoring Hofstra’s first eight points. The junior had a dunk, a three-pointer and three free throws in the stretch.
The Pride extended their advantage to 16 on Jacco Fritz’s two-handed power dunk with nine minutes left in the game. Hofstra’s lead never dipped below 12 after that.
“We had control of the game,” Claxton said. “This team is older, more experienced. We [have] pretty much seen everything at this point.”
Gerald Drumgoole Jr. led Delaware (19-13) with 23 points. Jyare Davis finished with 13.