Hofstra can do no right in lopsided loss to Elon

It is not often that the sequel is better than the original.

Rarely, though, is the sequel this bad.

Just ask Hofstra coach Speedy Claxton.

"We got exactly what we deserved," he said after the Pride lost to visiting Elon, 81-55, on Thursday night to begin its regular season-ending three-games-in-five-days stretch.

"They didn’t come out to play the right way. They didn’t respect this team, and that was the last thing I said to these kids walking out [of] the locker room."

Hofstra entered the game having won six straight and had moved up to third in the Colonial Athletic Association standings behind conference-best Towson (22-7, 13-3) and UNCW (19-8, 13-3). The Pride, who entered the game averaging 78.3 points per game this season, averaged 82.5 points in the winning streak.

"We had been playing really well," Claxton said. "That’s why this loss hurts. Not just because it’s Elon. Not because they beat us by a lot. It [stinks] because we lost and we were playing well."

What transpired over the course of 40 minutes in Hempstead did not resemble in any way what took place on Feb. 15 at the Schar Center in Elon, North Carolina. On that night, Hofstra took a 22-point halftime lead and routed the third-worst team in the conference, 97-64. Silverio scored 40 points, hitting 11 three-pointers. Hofstra shot 53.2% overall and hit 17 three-pointers. It was such a dominating performance that it left Claxton . . . worried.

"I knew this is possibly the worst thing that could have happened, that we won like that," he said. "This generation, they play down to the level of competition."

On Thursday night, Hofstra missed 43 of 61 shots from the field and 21 of 27 from three-point range. The Pride were outrebounded 55-26 and outscored 38-16 in the paint. They also allowed 16 second-chance points.

"They won everything," Claxton said. "They out-toughed us from beginning to end."

Omar Silverio and Darlinston Dubar led the Pride (19-10, 11-5) with 10 points apiece.

Darius Burford had 21 points for Elon (9-21, 6-11). Hunter McIntosh had 18 and Andrew Junkin scored a career-high 16. Michael Graham added 12.

The second half began as a carbon copy of the first, as Burford scored the first six points on a jumper and two layups to push the lead to 18. Hofstra, which hadn’t scored since Abayomi Iyiola’s layup with 1:01 left in the first half, missed its first 10 shots.

By the time Jarrod Simmons ended the drought with a three-point play with 12 minutes remaining, the deficit was 56-34.

Whatever slim comeback hopes Hofstra held were quickly snuffed out as Junkin and Burford combined for a six-point spurt to push the lead to 63-36.