Poor defense is to blame for Hofstra in loss to Towson
Hofstra Pride forward Jarrod Simmons and Towson Tigers guard Cameron Holden dive for a ball during the second half at the Mack Sports Complex on Thursday. Credit: Lee S. Weissman/Lee S. Weissman
Zach Cooks lunged in desperation at Towson’s Jason Gibson, who had pulled up at the top of the three-point line and had room.
Cooks made contact with Gibson and a whistle blew. Shooting foul. Three shots.
A moment later, Speedy Claxton reached his hand to his face and pinched the bridge of his nose.
It was a moment that summarized how the night went for Claxton’s Hofstra team.
"We definitely got what we deserved," he said after the Pride’s 78-68 loss to Towson on Thursday at the David S. Mack Sports and Entertainment Complex.
Hofstra is 13-9 overall and 5-4 in the CAA after the first of three conference games at home in five days. The Pride, who have lost two straight, will host James Madison on Saturday and UNCW on Monday.
"I love that we don’t have that much time to rest," Claxton said. "We got to have short-term memory and move on."
Certainly there will be precious little Claxton and the Pride will want to remember from the second and final regular-season matchup against the Tigers.
In the first meeting, a 78-66 loss on Jan. 11, Hofstra allowed Towson to tie a school record with 16 made three-pointers.
On Thursday, defense remained a significant concern for the Pride.
By the end of the first half, the Tigers had made an absurd 69.6% of their shots from the field (16-for-23, including 8-for-11 from three-point range) and led 43-33. Hofstra shot 33.3% from three-point range (5-for-15) and 42.9% (12-for-28) overall.
There’s more.
In a span of seven minutes and 21 seconds, Towson knocked down 10 straight shots from the field and turned a 21-16 deficit into a 40-31 lead. In that same stretch, the Pride shot 3-for-10.
"We didn’t play any defense" was Claxton’s analysis of the first half. "There’s a lack thereof. That was a problem."
Hofstra began the second half playing noticeably more aggressively on defense, but the Tigers used that to their advantage. They went to the foul line 22 times and made 17. Hofstra attempted only six free throws in the game and attempted 29 three-pointers.
Claxton said he didn’t mind that.
"We were getting good looks," he said. "You could say that if we weren’t getting good looks, but they were wide- open shots and we have good three-point shooters. You want them to be confident and if they have a good look, take the shot. They just didn’t fall for us."
Aaron Estrada led the Pride with 22 points. Towson’s Nicolas Timberlake had 26.
