Hofstra men's basketball team gets back on track with 51-point win over John Jay
Jalen Ray of Hofstra readies his foul shot during an NCAA men's basketball game against John Jay on Sunday, Dec. 12, 2021, at the Mack Sports Complex. Credit: Dawn McCormick
Coaches can speak about taking every game as its own test — and they will — but for the Hofstra men’s basketball team, Sunday was never about the opponent. The Pride were going to beat Division III John Jay College at home, and it probably wasn’t going to be close.
No, Sunday was about getting things right for the team’s next test, a road date with No. 12 Arkansas this Saturday.
"We had two really good days of practice before this game," Hofstra coach Speedy Claxton said. "We wanted to get back to being us. It wasn’t about John Jay. We wanted to get back to playing Hofstra basketball and get back to playing the right way."
As for beating John Jay and it not being close, they did, and it wasn’t. Hofstra topped the Bloodhounds, 102-51, in front of 1,117 fans at the David S. Mack Sports and Exhibition Complex. The Pride (6-5) have won five of their last six.
Darlinstone Dubar had 24 points and seven rebounds, Jalen Ray scored 22 points and Omar Silverio had 20 points and six rebounds. Zach Cooks scored 14 points and Abayomi Iyiola had 12 points and 14 rebounds.
"I just do what my coaches expect me to do," Iyiola said. "They see me as a leader and I just have to now show that on the floor."
Hofstra shot 52.6% from the field and 42.4% from behind the arc. The Pride held John Jay to 36.1% shooting, including 22.7% shooting from three-point range.
Merrick’s Corey Jones Jr. had 10 points for John Jay (2-8).
It was Hofstra’s final home game of 2021. The Pride will return on Jan. 3 to face UNC Wilmington after a four-game road stretch that starts Saturday in Arkansas and takes Hof-stra to Monmouth, William & Mary and Elon.
"We should be a very good team," Iyiola said. "We just have some stuff to work on. Coach Speedy is still a very good coach. We are going to make this year a productive year."
Claxton said Hofstra was "embarrassed" in losing to Stony Brook by 17 on Wednesday night. "The way we came out, with the lack of effort and toughness, that’s not what this program is about," he said. "I want to apologize to the fans. Trust me, we were embarrassed. We got after it the last two days. We wanted to come out and prove a point."
