CHARLESTON, S.C. – This season, Hofstra has been a one-man show. This time, Aaron Estrada had some help as the Pride ended the nation's longest winning streak.
Estrada scored 25 points, but just two in the second half, while Darlinestone Dubar added 18 as Hofstra had four players in double figures to knock off No. 18 College of Charleston 85-81 on Saturday — ending the Cougars' 20-game win streak.
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“That’s a really big for our program,” Hofstra coach Speedy Claxton said. “To beat a nationally ranked team on their home court when they’ve got it rolling like they do speaks volumes about our kids."
Claxton saw a team effort to take down the hottest team in the country.
“It wasn’t just Aaron,” Claxton said. "He had a great first half, but we had other guys step up and make baskets or get rebounds when we really needed them.”
The loss ended Charleston's spotless run that began after losing to then-top-ranked North Carolina on Nov. 11.
Hofstra, the CAA’s leader in field-goal shooting, used that to move past Charleston in the second half as it made 18 of 32 attempts. The Pride led 76-69 with 6:10 to play before the Cougars cut it to two points on Ryan Larson’s foul shots with 2:02 to play.
But Charleston managed just two free throws after that and missed all four 3-pointers they tried.
This is the second straight season the Pride have beaten a Top 25 team. A year ago, Hofstra defeated then No. 24 Arkansas 89-81. The Pride’s only other victory against a Top 25 team came against Southern Illinois in 1976.
Hofstra (15-8, 8-2 Colonial Athletic Association) beat the Cougars (21-2, 9-1) at their own game — 3-point shooting. The Pride were 11 of 22 from 3-point range and overall shot 56 percent from the floor in the second half.
Estrada, who had 23 points in the opening half, shredded the Cougars defense at will. Estrada was 5 of 9 from 3-point range.
“Estrada is a great player, hit a bunch of tough shots, especially in the first half,” Charleston coach Pat Kelsey said. “Hofstra is a very, very talented team. It’s not just Estrada. They were better than us tonight.”
Then Estrada took over. The CAA's leading scorer at 21.1 points a game scored 16 of the next 24 points for the Pride, including four 3-pointers.
Ante Brzovic’s dunk at the buzzer gave the Cougars a 46-44 advantage at halftime.
Tyler Thomas had 17 points and eight rebounds for Hofstra.
Brzovic finished with 18 points to lead the Cougars.
BIG PICTURE
Hofstra: The Pride are on a roll in 2023. winning seven of their past eight games, including three in a row.
College of Charleston: The Cougars chances of receiving an NCAA Tournament at-large bid took a major blow with the loss to the Pride. Despite having the nation’s longest win streak for three months, Charleston will most likely have to win the CAA Tournament in March to advance to the NCAAs.
NO PLACE LIKE HOME
The Cougars’ 20-game win streak wasn’t the only streak to end on Saturday. College of Charleston played 14 of its first 23 games at TD Arena to start the season and were a perfect 13-0 at home before facing the Pride. Charleston’s 13-game home win streak included three wins in the Charleston Classic. The Cougars became the first mid-major program to win the ESPN event, beating Virginia Tech 77-75 in the championship game. Charleston will finish the season playing four of their final eight games on the road.
POLL POSITION
Charleston's first loss in nearly three months might drop the Cougars from the national rankings. They have been part of the last four rankings, entering at No. 23 before reaching No. 18 this past week.
UP NEXT
Hofstra returns home to play Towson on Thursday night.
College of Charleston starts a two-game road trip at Drexel on Thursday night.
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AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball and https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://twitter.com/AP_Top25