Feb. 7, 2004
HEMPSTEAD, N.Y. - Junior forward Michael Radziejewski (Jackson Heights, NY) hit a three-pointer with 31 seconds remaining to give the Hofstra Men's Basketball team an 80-79 win over first-place Old Dominion on Saturday afternoon at Hofstra Arena, supporting a career-high 26 points from freshman guard Loren Stokes (Buffalo, NY). ODU sophomore Isaiah Hunter (Charlotte,NC) led ODU with a carer high 28 points (16 at halftime).
With the win, Hofstra improves to 10-12 on the season and an even 6-6 in Colonial Athletic Association play. Old Dominion falls to 13-8 overall and 8-4 in the conferenceand out of a first place tie with both VCU and Drexel. Both VCU and Drexel won today.
The final score was the only lead the Pride held in the entire second half. The Monarchs took a 48-40 lead into the break and stretched its lead up to 10 points on three occasions, the final one coming at 59-49 with 15:37 left on a three-pointer from freshman forward Arnaud Dahi (Ivory Coast, Africa).
A three-pointer from sophomore guard Isaiah Hunter (Charlotte, NC) gave the Monarchs a 79-73 lead with 2:38 left, but Hofstra answered with a game-closing 7-0 run. Freshman guard Loren Stokes (Buffalo, NY) started the rally when he made one of two foul shots with 1:42 remaining. However, the Pride got the rebound on the missed free throw, and sophomore forward Aurimas Kieza (Marijampole, Lithuania) hit a three-pointer to cut the lead to two.
Hofstra earned a stop when senior forward John Waller (Richmond, VA) was unable to connect on a three-pointer from the left corner. The Pride called time-out and Stokes found Radziejewski open on the left wing. Radziejewski buried the three-pointer to give Hofstra its first lead since 19-18 in the first half.
The Pride, though, needed to withstand four opportunities from the Monarchs in the final 30 seconds, the final one coming when senior guard Troy Nance (Virginia Beach, VA) missed a three-pointer from the right wing. Hofstra earned the final rebound when the ball went out of bounds with 0.5 seconds left, and threw the ball long on the ensuing inbound pass to seal the win.
Stokes' 26 points was the highest point total for a Hofstra freshman since junior forward Kenny Adeleke (Queens, NY) also had 26 against VCU in the 2002 CAA semifinals. The last time a Hofstra freshman had more than 26 was when Roberto Gittens scored 29 against Boston University on January 16, 1998. Sophomore forward Aurimas Kieza (Marijampole, Lithuania) chipped in with 14 points, his second straight game in double figures after earning his first start of the year on Wednesday against Delaware. Junior guard Woody Souffrant added a season-high 12 points off the bench for Hofstra.
Old Dominion was led by a career-high 28 points from Hunter. Sophomore center Alex Loughton (Perth, Australia) came off the bench to score 14 points, while Dahi added 12.Dahi also blocked a career high four shots and grabbed six rebounds, while Loughton ledwith seven rebounds.
Hunter hit 10 of 18 shots from the field and was six of eight from three point range.He joins former Monarchs Mike Jones('95), Anthony Carver('90), Keith Jackson('92), Mark Poag ('99) and Petey Sessoms('95) who hit six treys in a game. The ODU recordis nine by Mark Poag and Anthony Carver.
Old Dominion shot 56.7 percent in the first half, but just 37.1 percent in the second half, as the Pride rallied for its second straight win after trailing at the half. Hofstra was also playing its first game without freshman guard Carlos Rivera (Miami, FL), who suffered a season-ending knee injury on Wednesday, joining starting center Wendell Gibson (Far Rockaway, NY), who suffered a season-ending knee injury on Jan. 28. Senior forward Danny Walker (Brooklyn, NY) returned to the lineup after missing a game with an eye injury and contributed nine points.
The Monarchs return home to host James Madison Wednesday night at 7 p.m.in the Ted ConstantConvocation Center.