Hempstead, NY – The Hofstra Men's Basketball team will host long-time rival Delaware on Wednesday as the Pride plays its final home game of the season. Prior to the 7 p.m. tip against the Blue Hens, Hofstra will honor its three seniors (Matt Grogan, David Imes and Stevie Mejia) as they play their final game at the Mack Sports Complex.
For ticket information call (516) HOF-TIXX. PRIDE ZONE streaming video and audio is available via GoHofstra.com and the broadcast is also available on WRHU (88.7 FM).
Hofstra (7-22, 4-12 CAA) ended a four-game losing skid on Sunday as the Pride defeated Old Dominion, 70-59, behind 18 points from senior forward David Imes and 10 points and 10 assists from senior guard Stevie Mejia. Junior forward Daquan Brown also provided Hofstra with a huge lift off the bench as he had six points and a career-high 11 rebounds in the game. The assists total for Mejia marked a new career-high and the points/assists double-double marked the first of that kind of his career (has one points/rebounds double-double).
Sophomore guard Taran Buie, who chipped with 15 points and five rebounds, saw his season average move slightly as he currently averages 13 points per game. Mejia continues to have a solid all-around senior campaign as he is second on the team with 11.4 points and first in assists (119) and steals (57). He ranks first in the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) in steals and third in assists.
Grogan, Imes and Mejia have combined to appear in 237 games as members of the Pride, with Imes leading the way with 107 games played. Imes heads into his senior day with career totals of 669 points, 538 rebounds, 85 blocks, 84 steals and 74 assists. Grogan has scored 95 points in his career, while also adding 46 rebounds, 11 assists, nine steals and five blocks. Mejia, who transferred from Rhode Island, has 486 points at Hofstra (697 career), 223 rebounds (228), 173 assists (371), 90 steals (148) and 2 blocks (3).
One of the Pride's biggest rivals, Hofstra and Delaware have met 74 times in a series that dates back to the 1954-55 campaign. Hofstra holds a 48-26 lead in the series, but the Blue Hens have won the last three meetings, including a 69-54 win earlier this season. Prior to 2011-12, Hofstra had won six straight in the series. The first-ever meeting between the teams occurred in Newark and Hofstra was victorious by the score of 64-59.
Delaware will bring a 16-13 overall record and an 11-5 conference mark into Wednesday's meeting. The Blue Hens have won five of their last six games with each of the last five separated by no more than two points. They defeated UNCW, 79-78, on Saturday in their last game. Devon Saddler leads Delaware with 20.2 points per game, while Jarvis Threatt is second with 12.9 points per outing. Jamelle Hagins averages a double-double for the Blue Hens with 11.7 points and 10.3 rebounds per game.
In this season's earlier match-up, Delaware earned a 69-54 victory over the Pride as they pulled away in the second half after holding a narrow 31-28 advantage at the break. Brown had a solid game for Hofstra back on January 9 as he led Hofstra with 13 points on 5-8 shooting from the field. Hofstra held Hagins scoreless in the game, but Saddler had a game-high 23 points to pace the Blue Hens.
