Jenkins (26) leads Hofstra past Farmingdale, 102-62
Mo Cassara finally let his body relax, draping his arms over the backs of the chairs next to him. The game he had so desperately wanted to play finally had come. And it couldn't have ended better for Hofstra's new coach.
"[I was] anxious," said Cassara, sitting between seniors Charles Jenkins and Greg Washington. "I think I might have run down the hallway to get out to the court to start. Very anxious. Was anxious to just kind of get the ball in the air and get some game underneath us."
Before a raucous student section, the Cassara Era began at Mack Sports Complex in impressive fashion Saturday as the Pride cruised to a 102-62 drubbing of Farmingdale State in its season opener.
It was the first time Hofstra scored 100 points since a 103-87 victory over UMBC on Feb. 29, 1992. The 40-point margin of victory was a Mack Sports Complex record for the Pride, which set an arena record for assists with 25.
Truth be told, the Rams - speedy yet wild; aggressive yet undisciplined - never posed a significant threat to Hofstra. Led by Jenkins' 26 points, eight rebounds, eight assists, four steals and 10-for-13 shooting, Washington's 13 points, eight rebounds and six blocks, and Shemiye McLendon's 16 points off the bench, the Pride was in control from the start.
Hofstra took its first double-digit lead (22-12) on McLendon's three-pointer six minutes into the game. Washington's jumper made it 44-20 before the Pride settled for a 46-27 halftime lead behind Washington's 13 points and seven rebounds. Hofstra's advantage reached 42 at 102-60.
Deer Park's Josh Smith led Farmingdale State with 14 points and Jermaine Abraham chipped in seven rebounds (six offensive).
Dwan McMillan added 15 points and six assists and Mike Moore had 13 for Hofstra, which outrebounded the Rams 52-33 and shot 58.8 percent (20-for-34) in the second half and 53.7 percent (36-for-67) for the game. Still, Cassara wanted to see more.
The ball movement was great, he said, and Washington's effort on the glass was superb. But he would have liked to see Jenkins, last season's Colonial Athletic Association player of the year, shoot more and pass a little less.
And "defensively, we've got a lot of work to do," the former Boston College assistant coach said. "As I tell our team and I tell anybody I speak to, we're a work in progress. I think this team's best basketball is in front of them."
The Pride will try to kick things into high gear Thursday when it faces No. 8 North Carolina in the Honda Puerto Rico Tip-Off in San Juan. But until then, Cassara can take pride in a solid victory.
"I think Mo Cassara will look back after a long, successful coaching career and be grateful that in his first year he had seniors like that," Hofstra athletic director Jack Hayes said of Jenkins, Washington and the injured Nathaniel Lester (quadriceps). "Really good guys, talented players, people that care about Hofstra and care about the basketball program."
