Hofstra drops fourth straight

Hofstra coach Mo Cassara is characteristically even-keeled in his postgame news conferences. But he couldn't conceal his frustration after Saturday's 68-59 loss to visiting Manhattan -- after his postgame comments to his team in the locker room were loud enough to be heard through the wall in the media room.

After four straight losses and a 3-7 start, Cassara has plenty to yell about. When asked if this has been the toughest stretch of his 18-month tenure as Hofstra's coach, he agreed.

"I would say that'd be a safe bet, yes," he said. "We just have to learn how to win. Right now we're struggling to find that combination."

Outside the visiting locker room, Manhattan first-year coach Steve Masiello had difficulty hiding his feelings, too. With its first win over Hofstra since 2006, the Jaspers (7-4) already have surpassed their win total from last season.

"It's tremendous," Masiello said. "Our guys are liking this feeling."

A Rick Pitino disciple, Masiello employs a lot of the same tactics that Pitino uses: A full-court press. A trapping zone. High-energy defense.

It was brutally effective against the Pride, which hasn't scored more than 63 points in its last five games. Hofstra had 17 turnovers and only 10 assists, shot 33 percent from the field, allowed 14 offensive rebounds and was beaten 43-32 on the boards.

Mike Moore had 20 points and Nathaniel Lester scored all 11 of his points in the final 8:03 for Hofstra. Rhamel Brown and George Beamon (Roslyn) led Manhattan with 14 points each, with Brown also contributing 11 rebounds and six blocked shots.

"They were running something funny with the zone," Moore said. "We just got to find a way to run our plays."

Hofstra cut a 23-6 deficit to 25-20 before trimming a 13-point halftime deficit to seven several times in the second half, but the Pride mishandled key moments down the stretch.

"I feel like that's a microcosm of the last three weeks with us," Cassara said. "It's just one key play here or there where we can't make that one stop or get that one extra basket. It kind of steamrolls after that."

Starting point guard Stevie Mejia missed his third straight game with a hamstring injury, and Hofstra struggled defending sophomore forward Brown. Masiello said Brown was in the "coach's doghouse" just a few weeks ago for effort issues. But he lost seven pounds and reshaped his attitude.

Brown is part of Manhattan's youth movement -- a transformation that appears to be heading in the right direction. Meanwhile, Hofstra is trying to turn things around.

"We just haven't found that combination," Cassara said, "or that confidence yet to find a way to win."