Tyler Thomas leads balanced Hofstra men's basketball to 2-0 start
Hofstra guard Tyler Thomas (23) goes to the basket on Iona guard Michael Jefferson (23) during first half on Friday, Nov. 11, 2022. Credit: Lee S. Weissman/Lee S. Weissman
One-man team? Who says Hofstra is a one-man team?
The Pride may have proved that they are more than just the “Aaron Estrada Show” Friday night. The senior guard’s supporting cast thrived in an 83-78 win over Iona at the David S. Mack Sports and Exhibition Complex.
“Guys stepped up,” said coach Speedy Claxton, who was joined at the postgame news conference by Tyler Thomas, who led Hofstra with 26 points, and Darlinstone Dubar, who added 22.
“We’re going to need that,” Claxton added.
Jaquan Carlos finished with 12 and Estrada, the reigning Colonial Athletic Association Player of the Year, had 10.
“The other guys stepped up and he didn’t force things,” Iona coach Rick Pitino said of Estrada. “ . . . That’s what great players do. All the credit has to go to him.”
The Pride (2-0) improved to 21-22 against the Gaels.
After an entertaining opening 20 minutes, Hofstra and Iona engaged in a possession-by-possession battle of attrition in the second half.
After Quinn Slazinski (20 points) hit a jumper just over five minutes into the second half to give the Gaels (1-1) a 51-50 lead, Hofstra answered with a 10-0 run in the next 2:07 for a 60-51 lead, capped by a
three-pointer by Estrada.
Iona then outscored the Pride 23-14 in the next 10:13 to tie it at 74.
Thomas’ jumper put Hofstra ahead 76-74, but two free throws by Slazinski tied it at 76.
On the ensuing possession, Thomas drilled a left-corner three-pointer from in front of Hofstra’s bench to put the Pride ahead 79-76 with 33.3 seconds left.
“If you don’t guard the three, you die,” Pitino said.
A putback by Iona big man Nelly Junior Joseph (17 points) with 17.1 seconds left allowed Iona to close to within one.
Two free throws by Estrada pushed the lead back to three, and German Plotnikov’s two free throws with 2.1 seconds left sealed the win.
“They’re not scared of the moment,” Claxton said of his team. “These guys, they’re going to rise to the occasion.”
The first half was played at a tempo that can best be described as furious, with both teams looking to run at every opportunity.
Hofstra led 22-15 seven minutes into the game, with Thomas having scored half of the Pride’s points.
The Gaels responded with a 12-0 spurt in a span of 2 minutes and 40 seconds to take a 27-22 lead. The Pride ended the first half by outscoring Iona 21-13 in the final 8:35 to take a 43-40 lead into halftime.
The matchup between the two suburban mid-majors was the first with fans in attendance since Dec. 29, 2011, which the Pride won, 83-75.
The teams, which are in the midst of a five-year series, played during the 2020-21 season at Hofstra, but because of COVID-19 rules, fans were not in attendance.
Iona won that matchup, 82-74.
