CHARLESTON, SC – Aaron Estrada added 25 points and Darlinstone Dubar added 18 as Hofstra ended the 20-game winning streak of the No. 18 College of Charleston with an 85-81 win on Saturday.
The Pride (15-8, 8-2 Colonial Athletic Association) was down 28-20 early on before edging past the Cougars (21-2, 9-1), who have not lost since falling to No. 1 had. 1 North Carolina on November 11th.
Hofstra, the CAA leader in field goal shooting, used this to get past Charleston in the second half as he made 18 of 32 attempts. The Pride led 76-69 with 6:10 left before the Cougars cut to two points with 2:02 left through Ryan Larson’s fouls.
But Charleston only managed two free throws after that and missed all four 3-pointers they attempted.
Estrada, who had 23 points in the first half, finished the game with five of Hofstra’s 11 three-pointers.
The Cougars got off to a quick start, scoring on their first three possessions of the game.
Reyne Smith’s layup gave Charleston their biggest first-half lead of 28-20 at 7-02 before the break.
Then it became the Estrada show. Estrada, the CAA’s top scorer at 21.1 points per game, scored 16 of the next 24 points for the Pride, including four 3s.
Tyler Thomas had 17 points and eight rebounds for Hofstra.
Ante Brzovic finished with 18 points and led Charleston.
BIG PICTURE
Hofstra: The Pride are on the road to success in 2023. They have won seven of their last eight games, including three in a row.
College of Charleston: The Cougars’ chances of getting an NCAA tournament at large took a serious hit with the loss to the Pride. Despite having the nation’s longest winning streak in three months, Charleston will most likely need to win the CAA tournament in March to advance to the NCAAs.
NEXT
Hofstra returns home Thursday night to play Towson.
The College of Charleston is kicking off a two-game road trip at Drexel Thursday night.
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