Hofstra Takes Pride in Downing William & Mary, 55-44

HEMPSTEAD, NY – The Hofstra Men’s Basketball team held William & Mary to just 44 points on 29.2 percent shooting as it captured a 54-44 home win on Wednesday evening at the Mack Sports Complex.

With the win, the Pride improves to 12-7 overall and levels its Colonial Athletic Association record at 4-4. William & Mary falls to

6-12 overall and 1-7 in league play with the loss.

Junior guard Tony Dennison (Long Island City, NY) scored eight straight points in the second half, and junior guard Cornelius Vines (Syracuse,

NY) scored all of his 15 points in the final 20 minutes to lead the Pride. Vines hit four three-pointers in the second half and Dennison scored all but one of his 10 points in the period. Sophomore guard Charles Jenkins (Queens, NY) was the third Pride player to score in double figures, adding 11 points and five assists. Junior guard David Schneider led William and Mary with 18 points.

Vines’ three-pointer with 10:40 left ignited a 13-0 run and erased William and Mary’s final lead 7:33 into the last half. Moments later, Dennison capitalized on the Pride’s offensive rebounding prowess, hitting a key shot from beyond the arc after three Hofstra offensive rebounds to make it 34-29 at the 9:01 mark.

Dennison then continued his run of eight straight points. After hitting back-to-back threes, Dennison added a jumper and then picked up an assist on a fast break following a defensive stop. Dennison stole the ball at one end, dribbled to the right side of the paint and fired a centering pass to a streaking Greg Washington (Centereach, NY), who punctuated the drive with a two-handed dunk that made it 41-29.

William and Mary cut that lead to four points at 41-37 with 5:35 left behind two three-pointers from Schneider, before Vines provided key insurance points. Vines stole a Steven Hess pass attempt near midcourt and converted the fast break while drawing the foul on Schneider. Vines added his third trey of the evening on the next possession, putting the Pride up 11 points with 3:39 left to secure the win.

Washington, a sophomore forward, energized the crowd almost seven minutes into the second half, racing down-court and leaping at the last second to swat away Schneider’s lay-in attempt from behind. Washington stole a pass shortly after the Tribe in-bounded, setting up Jenkins’

jumper and a 28-27 Pride lead. Jenkins took a hard fall with 9:30 left, needing help to walk off the court. He returned four minutes later, finishing 4-11 from the floor in 36 minutes.

Both schools failed to develop an offensive rhythm early, failing to crack the 30 percent mark from the field in a low-scoring first-half that saw the Tribe take a 17-15 lead into the break. Senior forward Darren Townes (New York, NY) gave the Pride a presence in the low post early, grabbing five offensive rebounds and two on the defensive glass through the first 20 minutes.

Hofstra’s defense held the Tribe to 2-14 shooting at the outset before an 8-0 run, put William and Mary up, 14-8, with 4:37 left. Alex Smith and Schneider hit the Tribe’s first three-pointers of the half during the run, as the Tribe held Hofstra scoreless for a span of 9:01.

Jenkins scored the next five points, capped by his running floater through the paint, and Washington’s drive to the basket resulted in an easy lay-in as the Pride responded with a 7-0 run. Quinn McDowell gave the Tribe some momentum heading into the break, taking Sean McCurdy’s swing pass and burying a three-pointer from the top key just before the buzzer to hand William and Mary a 17-15 halftime lead.

Schneider was the only William & Mary player in double figures.

Washington finished with seven blocked shots off the bench for Hofstra, setting a new career high. Hofstra held a 42-26 advantage on the boards, led by eight from Townes.

The Pride will next be in action when it travels to James Madison on Saturday for a 7 p.m. contest.

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