TOWSON, Md. - The Towson Tigers are looking for two straight wins when they take on the Hofstra Pride (1-22, 1-10 CAA) at the Mack Sports Complex at 7 p.m. from Hempstead, N.Y. The game will be broadcast on WNST-AM 1570.
This is the 55th meeting between the two schools with Hofstra holding a 35-19 lead. Hofstra has won six straight meetings, including sweeping the Tigers last season with a 12-point win at home and a 14-point victory at the Towson Center.
The last win for Towson in this series came in the 2007-08 season.
Hofstra has a talented offense and has been competitive in many games, dropping seven of those outings by a combined 30 points. Coach Mo Cassara was coming off a strong first season as the Pride went 21-12 and 14-4 in the CAA. However, the Pride lost CAA Player of the Year Charles Jenkins, who was drafted by Golden State in the second round of the NBA draft.
Hofstra had a decent start in non-conference play, which included a quality win over Cleveland State, 63-53 on Nov. 26 in the TickeyCity Legends Classic. They opened up with a 3-4 record before facing James Madison on Dec. 3; the Pride lost by 62-60 at home.
Hofstra followed the JMU loss with a pair of setbacks over Wagner and Manhattan. The Pride ended non-conference play with wins over Binghamton, Colgate and Iona.
On Jan. 2, Hofstra returned to conference play and lost to VCU at home, 80-63. The loss against the Rams started a streak of six straight defeats, which included losses to Delaware, UNCW, Northeastern, Old Dominion and Drexel.
The Pride got some revenge on James Madison, defeating the Dukes on the road, 71-69 on Jan. 21. But, the Pride lost three in a row after that win, suffering road losses at VCU and Northeastern along with a five-point setback at home against George Mason.
The Pride averages 64.9 points per game and allows 66.5 points per game. They shoot 41% from the floor and 32.5% from beyond the arc. Defensively, Hofstra allows its opponents to average 44% from the field and 34% from the three-point line.
This is a decent rebounding team with a rebounding margin of +0.1. But, in conference play, that margin is -1.5. Hofstra commits 15 turnovers per game and opponents turn it over 15.1 times per game.
While Jenkins is gone and basically irreplaceable, the Pride did return an outstanding scorer in senior wing Mike Moore (6-5, 200). The former transfer from Fordham averages 19.3 points per game, which leads the CAA. He shoots 42% from the floor, 37% (53-142) from beyond the arc and 79% from the line while averaging 4.7 rebounds per game.
At the point, Hofstra has utilized two players in significant roles. Senior Dwan McMillan (6-0, 180) averages 6.3 points per game and leads the team with 4.3 assists per game (2nd in the CAA), but also has 63 turnovers. He shoots 38% from the field and is not a three-point threat (1 of 5).
The other point guard is Stevie Mejia (5-9, 175), a transfer from Rhode Island who averages 4.7 points per game while shooting 39% form the field and 33.3% (8 of 24) from beyond the arc.
While the Pride may lack height in the frontcourt, they make up for in bulk. Sophomore big man Stephen Nwaukoni (6-8, 240) is an athletic defender who averages 4.1 points and 5.2 rebounds per game in 17.6 minutes per game. He shares time with freshman Moussa Kone (6-7, 220), a lefty with very long arms who averages 3.3 points per game in about 17 minutes per game with 22 blocks, good for second on the team. Kone has started 10 games while Nwaukoni has made 12 starts.
Junior David Imes (6-7, 240) starts at the other post spot. Imes ranks third on the team in scoring with 7.7 points per game along with 5.6 rebounds per contest and leads the team with 25 blocks. He averages 30 minutes per game and shoots 43% from the floor and 29% (5-17) from beyond the arc.
At small forward, senior Nathaniel Lester (6-5, 210) is a very dangerous scorer who missed all of last season due to a leg injury. He leads the team by averaging 6.5 rebounds per game and is second in scoring with a 13.8 average. He shoots 40% from the floor, 26% (13-50) from beyond the arc and 78% from the line.
Sophomore guard Shemiye McLendon (6-3, 195) is the top player off the bench who averages 21 minutes per game. He averages 5.8 points per game while shooting 34% from the field and 30% (16-53) from beyond the arc.
