Patriots continue winning ways against Hofstra, 87-68

Senior Cam Long contributed 15 points to the Patriots' blowout performance against Hofstra Wednesday night at home to move into a tie for first in the CAA. (John Powell)

The Patriots (18-5, 10-2 CAA) won by a big margin, 87-66, against CAA rival, the Hofstra Pride (14-9, 8-4 CAA), at the Patriot Center Wednesday night. This is Mason’s eighth consecutive win and moved them into a tie for first in the conference standings with VCU.

The Patriots pulled away in scoring early in the first half led by Cornelius who was 4-6 from the three-point line and had sixteen points in the half. Pearson contributed thirteen points in the first. Leading scoring for the Pride in first half was Jenkins with 11.

The Patriots played strong on both the offensive and defensive ends, securing many inside shots, layups, and forcing the Pride into much more difficult perimeter shots under tight pressure.

The defensive team efforts of the Patriots were also key to the victory. The team had to focus primarily on guarding Hofstra guard Charles Jenkins, who is one of the leagues leading scorers.

“We had a really good effort defensively,” junior guard Andre Cornelius said. “We made them shoot tougher shots and got them out of synch.”

Cornelius led overall scoring with a season high 22 points. Forward Ryan Pearson led the team with 12 rebounds and scored 19 points. Leading the team in assists was forward Luke Hancock with seven to add to his own nine points. Seniors Cam Long and Isaiah Tate also scored in double figures with 15 and 12 respectively.

Jenkins led scoring for the Pride with 22 points.

Hofstra is one of two conference teams to have defeated the Patriots earlier in the season, and entered the game one place behind Mason in the CAA standings. The Patriots were hungry for the win in order to avenge the loss. Fans rose to their feet as three pointers were hit, and impressive dunks were showcased throughout the game.

“I’m proud about how well we passed the ball, played defensively, and how all starters chipped in making contributions,” Head Coach Jim Larranaga said. “We need to enjoy tonight’s win, and try to recover for Saturday”

The Patriots will play Old Dominion Saturday, Feb. 5, for homecoming weekend. They will try to keep pace with VCU, who plays at JMU this weekend.