Hofstra Ends 25-Year NCAA Tournament Drought with CAA Title Win Hofstra secured its first NCAA tournament berth in 25 years by defeating Monmouth 75-69 in the Coastal Athletic Association tournament championship on Tuesday night. The victory marked the program’s fifth NCAA tournament appearance and the first under head coach Speedy Claxton, who has led the team since the 2021-22 season. Hofstra’s last tournament run ended in 2001, when Jay Wright was the head coach. Freshman Preston Edmead was instrumental in the win, scoring a season-high 26 points. His performance came after his previous high of 24 points against Monmouth in January. Edmead’s 3-pointer in the second half gave Hofstra a 64-58 lead with 3:26 remaining, but Monmouth fought back, cutting the deficit to 66-65 on a 3-pointer by Justin Ray with 1:18 left. Hofstra regained control with a jumper by German Plotnikov, extending the lead to 69-65. Edmead added two free throws to make it 71-65, and despite Kavion McClain’s four-point play that narrowed the gap to 71-69, Hofstra sealed the win with four free throws in the final seconds. Cruz Davis and Plotnikov each contributed 12 and 10 points, respectively, while Silas Sunday grabbed 12 rebounds. For Monmouth, McClain scored 19 points, and Jason Rivera-Torres and Stefanos Spartalis each added 16. Spartalis also recorded 11 rebounds. The Hawks, seeded fourth, had led much of the game, including an 18-13 advantage with 10:39 left in the first half. Hofstra took its first lead at 24-23 when Davis hit a 3-pointer, and the Pride outscored Monmouth 17-12 in the second half to take a 35-32 halftime lead. Before the loss, Monmouth had gone 8-2 in February and March and was on a five-game winning streak.#hofstra #speedy_claxton #monmouth #preston_edmead #coastal_academic_association
