Mike Moore, Nathaniel Lester, press help Hofstra top Iona

When Hofstra got into a four-game losing streak, coach Mo Cassara decided it was time to "push some different buttons.'' The one that has been working lately is the "press'' button.

From the time the ball went up against an athletic Iona team Thursday night at the Mack Sports Complex, the Pride hit the Gaels with pressure defense, and it made all the difference in an 83-75 Hofstra win.

Iona committed 18 first-half turnovers and 23 for the game, and the Pride capitalized for a 26-18 advantage in points off turnovers.

Point guard Dwan McMillan did a terrific defensive job on the Gaels' Scott Machado, holding him to five points before Machado fouled out.

"Dwan was great,'' Cassara said. "We wanted to get [the Gaels] off kilter, get them off their railroad track. We actually started using the press more in the second half of the Manhattan game, and it led to good things for us.''

That was the last game in the Pride's four-game losing streak, and Hofstra (6-7) now has won three straight. The Pride got outstanding production against Iona from go-to guys Mike Moore (24 points), Nathaniel Lester (21 points, 10 rebounds) and David Imes (16 points, 15 rebounds). McMillan had 10 points and nine assists.

Iona (11-3) got 20 points apiece from Mike Glover and Momo Jones.

A year ago, Hofstra took a 25-point beating at Iona, so there was an element of payback for some of the veterans. "Every day, we couldn't wait until this day to make up for it,'' Imes said.

The Pride's three-quarters-court press was effective early, but Iona came back to take its last lead of the game at 18-16. From there to early in the second half, Hofstra put together a 31-10 run to take control of the game and build its biggest lead at 47-28.

Moore had 12 points in that span, but he was getting plenty of help. Imes and Lester were tremendous on the boards in helping Hofstra win that battle 43-42, but when they also are putting the ball in the basket, it makes all the difference in the world for the Pride.

"This was a big confidence-booster,'' Imes said. "I needed it.''

Iona crept back into the game with a 19-7 run that cut Hofstra's lead to 64-57, but back-to-back three-pointers by Lester during that span kept the Pride from collapsing on offense. "Seeing the ball go through the basket really helps the confidence,'' Lester said.

Iona's surge ended when Moore buried a three for a 67-57 lead with 6:31 to play, and that seemed to revive Hofstra's offense.

"I heard Coach screaming, 'Mike, score! Score!' '' Moore said. "I felt I had to make something happen.''

"Good coaching,'' Cassara added with a smile.