#CAAHoops MBB Recap – Feb. 8 – North Carolina A&T Pulls Off Comeback; Hofstra Wins Sixth-Straight
Miles McQuiggan
RICHMOND, Va. (Feb. 8, 2023) – North Carolina A&T battled back in the closing minutes to win, Drexel and Monmouth held off comeback bids, and the three teams that ended Wednesday as the top three in the CAA Men’s Basketball standings cruised to double-digit victories.
North Carolina A&T 66, Elon 61
Love Bettis hit a go-ahead three-pointer with 1:12 remaining as North Carolina A&T closed the game on a 9-0 run for the victory. Bettis matched
Marcus Watson with a game-high 20 points for A&T (12-14, 7-6), as the Aggies trailed by six in the second half before coming back to earn a season sweep of their regional foes. A&T assisted on 14 of 19 made field goals with
Kam Woods dishing out five while joining Bettis and Watson in double figures.
Torrence Watson led Elon (5-20, 3-9) with a double-double of 17 points and 10 rebounds as the Phoenix’s three-game winning streak was snapped.
Drexel 58, Delaware 54
Drexel built a 14-point lead in the second half and held off a late Delaware comeback bid to retain sole possession of fifth in the CAA standings. Drexel (14-11, 8-5) led 48-34 with 4:57 remaining before Delaware (12-14, 4-9) scored 20 points in the game’s final five minutes, getting to within four on a pair of occasions, but the Dragons were able to prevent the Blue Hens from pulling even.
Yame Butler scored a career-high 17 points in 16 minutes for Drexel to lead all scorers.
Jameer Nelson Jr. led Delaware with 15 points and
Christian Ray added a double-double.
Monmouth 61, Stony Brook 54
Monmouth limited Stony Brook to 31% shooting to win its fourth-straight game. Monmouth (5-20, 4-8) led by 11 midway through the second half before a 16-6 stretch from Stony Brook cut the margin to one.
Tahron Allen answered with back-to-back baskets for four of his game-high 22 points - along with six steals - and the Hawks sealed the victory at the line.
Tyler Stephenson-Moore contributed a team-high 17 points for Stony Brook (8-17, 4-8) in his first action since leaving a game two weeks ago due to injury. Monmouth went 0-for-9 from three in the victory, making the Hawks the first CAA team to win a game without a made three since William & Mary defeated Old Dominion on Dec. 1, 2015.
Towson 86, Hampton 72
Nicolas Timberlake notched his second-consecutive 30-point effort to move Towson into third place in the CAA standings. Timberlake scored 31 points on 11-of-17 shooting, while
Cam Holden (22 points, 12 rebounds) and
Charles Thompson (11 points, 11 rebounds) added double-doubles for Towson (17-8, 9-3), which leapfrogged UNCW to move into third with its ninth victory in its last 11 contests.
Marquis Godwin scored 17 and
Deuce Dean added 16 for Hampton (6-19, 3-9).
Hofstra 72, Northeastern 53
Tyler Thomas led three Hofstra players in double figures as the Pride won its sixth-straight contest. Hofstra (18-8, 11-2) received 18 points from Thomas, 13 from
Aaron Estrada, and 10 from
Jaquan Carlos – along with nine rebounds and nine assists – while holding Northeastern (8-15, 4-8) to 29% shooting. Hofstra got off to a 7-0 start before Northeastern battled back for an 18-17 advantage with 8:17 remaining in the first half, but the Pride followed with a 9-3 stretch to take the lead for good. Hofstra scored 34 of its 72 points in the paint.
Charleston 93, UNCW 61
Charleston closed the first half on an 18-2 run and cruised to its nation’s-best 23
rd victory of the season. Charleston (23-3, 11-2) shot 53% for the game and over 50% in both halves while going 10-for-24 from three and outrebounding UNCW (19-7, 9-4) 42-23.
Ante Brzovic led all scorers with 23 points in 21 minutes, while
Ben Burnham and
Pat Robinson III added 18 each. UNCW led for six minutes of the first half thanks to a 14-9 start to the contest.
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