Hempstead, NY - The Hofstra Men's Basketball team will host William & Mary on Thursday, renewing a rivalry that has seen some epic games over the past few seasons. 

Tip-off from the David S. Mack Sports and Exhibition Complex is scheduled for 7 p.m. 

Tickets can be purchased at HofstraTickets.com, by calling (516) HOF-TIXX or by visiting the Hofstra Athletics Box Office in the lobby of the Mack Sports Complex. 

Thursday will serve as Hofstra's Autism Awareness game. The National Anthem will be sung by Shelley Ourian, Autism Self-Advocate and Teacher Assistant at Nassau Suffolk Services for Autism. In addition, the team will be wearing Autism Awareness warm-up shirts and socks and the coaching staff will be wearing pins in support of Autism Awareness. In addition, tickets are available in special Autism Awareness sections for $5 using code "AutismAwareness". 

The Hofstra University Department of Athletics will also hold its academic recognition ceremony at halftime of the game, honoring the many Pride scholar-athletes that have excelled in the classroom. 

There will be Pride Productions live video/audio of the game, as well as live statistics. Links to all can be found on this page or on the men's basketball schedule page at GoHofstra.com.

Hofstra is 15-11 and 8-5 in Colonial Athletic Association action. The Pride dropped a 90-70 decision to UNCW on Saturday in its last contest. Senior Rokas Gustys had 13 points and 10 rebounds against the Seahawks, while junior Justin Wright-Foreman posted a team-high 15 points in the contest. Wright-Foreman leads Hofstra with 24.5 points per game, while Gustys averages a double-double with 11.8 rebounds and 10.0 points per outing. Sophomore Eli Pemberton is also in double figures for the Pride with 15.7 points per game. 

William & Mary is 16-9 overall and 9-5 in league play. The Tribe is coming off an 83-66 win over Delaware on Saturday. Justin Pierce had 33 points for William & Mary in that game, while Nathan Knight tallied 11 points and 10 rebounds. Knight leads the Tribe in scoring with 18.4 points per game and ranks second with 7.5 rebounds per contest. Pierce is the leading rebounder with 8.8 per contest and ranks second with 14.8 points per game. 

Just four games remain in the regular season and the CAA race is turning into a good one. Charleston is in first at 11-3 and followed by Northeastern at 10-4. William & Mary is one game up on Hofstra in third with the Pride holding on to fourth place and a game ahead of Towson. 

In a series that has quickly become one of Hofstra's top rivalries, the Pride lead the all-time meetings, 18-13, with all the meetings occurring since Hofstra joined the CAA in the 2001-02 season. The team's split the two meetings last season with each winning on the opponent's home court. In addition to their regular season meetings over the past few years, the Pride and Tribe met in the CAA Championship semifinals in both 2014-15 and 2015-16. William & Mary won the first meeting this season, 90-87, in Williamsburg back on December 30.