The Sports Network
DATE & TIME: Wednesday, January 22nd, 7:00 p.m. (et).
FACTS & STATS: Site: William & Mary Hall (8,600) -- Williamsburg, Virginia.
Television: None. Home Record: Hofstra 3-4, William & Mary 5-3. Away Record:
Hofstra 0-7, William & Mary 1-4. Neutral Record: Hofstra 0-1, William & Mary
0-0. Conference Record: Hofstra 2-4, William & Mary 2-3. Series Record: Series
tied, 1-1.
GAME NOTES: The Hofstra Pride, who have shown some positive signs lately, look
for Colonial Athletic Association win number three tonight against the William
& Mary Tribe. On Saturday, the Pride came through with a 69-65 victory over
Old Dominion, their second win in the last four games. Considering that they
won only one of their first 11 contests, there is some reason for optimism. A
victory tonight by Hofstra would be its first of the season on the road, as it
has failed in its previous seven attempts. As for William & Mary, it entered
Saturday's clash with Virginia Commonwealth having lost three straight games.
The Tribe showed a great deal of persistence in that contest, and they emerged
with an 88-83 victory. Five of their six wins this season have come in
Williamsburg, and they have lost only one home game since the last week of
November. These teams met for the first time last season, as both Hofstra and
William & Mary won on their respective home courts.
Hofstra senior guard Rick Apodaca was suspended for the first 14 games of the
season for a violation of team and university policy. He made his season debut
against Old Dominion over the weekend, and the versatile standout made an
immediate impact. Apodaca tallied a career-high 34 points, including nine of
the Pride's final 10 points down the stretch. He played all 40 minutes and
shot 10-of-17 from the floor, 5-of-10 from behind the arc, and 9-of-10 from
the free throw line. Kenny Adeleke was also in double figures for Hofstra with
18 points and a team-high eight rebounds, shooting 7-of-9 from the floor. The
Pride shot over 50 percent from the floor for the second time this season at
51.1 percent, while Old Dominion was held to just 35.6 percent. Adeleke has
been outstanding in the absence of Apodaca, and he is currently averaging 16.9
ppg and 11.4 rpg. On a down note, Adeleke has committed a staggering total of
75 turnovers from his forward position.
William & Mary suffered a 46-39 rebounding disadvantage in its game against
Virginia Commonwealth, including 23-11 on the offensive glass. Fortunately for
the Tribe, they came out on top in most other important areas. For instance,
they outscored the Rams 22-11 from the foul line and held them to 36.3 percent
shooting from the floor. William & Mary connected on 48.4 percent of its field
goal attempts in the tilt, and Adam Hess led the way with a career-high 34
points on 11-of-18 shooting from the filed and 12-of-12 from the line. Hess
also pulled down six rebounds and dished out six assists while committing only
one turnover. Sherman Rivers pitched in 11 points for the Pride, and Brett
Howell and Jack Jenkins contributed 10 points apiece. Hess has been tremendous
all season, as he is scoring 21.7 ppg on 50.8 percent shooting from the floor
and 88.6 percent from the line. Unfortunately for Hess, none of his teammates
are averaging more than 8.8 ppg.
Hofstra is clearly a much different team with Apodaca in the lineup, as he has
led the squad in scoring in 15 of the last 17 games he has played dating back
to last season. Expect the Pride to make it two in a row tonight with
a narrow victory over the Tribe.
Sports Network Predicted Outcome: Hofstra 73, William & Mary 69
