ELON, N.C. – A new season-high point total for Sean Halloran was not enough to stop a hot-shooting second half from Hofstra as the Elon University men's basketball team fell to the Pride, 82-65, on Thursday night, Jan. 26, at Schar Center.
 
Halloran had 24 points to lead the Phoenix (2-19, 0-8 Colonial Athletic Association), surpassing his previous season-best total of 21 versus North Dakota on Nov. 17. The graduate student was 9-of-19 from the floor, including tying his season-high with four three-pointers. Torrence Watson added his first career double-double with 12 points and a career-high 11 rebounds off the bench for the maroon and gold.
 
Hofstra's Aaron Estrada pumped in a season-high 40 points, tying the single-game mark at Schar Center. Estrada was 16-of-25 from the field, including going 8-of-15 from three-point range for the Pride (14-8, 7-2 CAA). Tyler Thomas added 23 points for Hofstra on 9-of-17 from the floor with five triples.
 
THE RUNDOWN
• The Pride opened the game with a 9-3 lead, but the Phoenix went on a 7-0 run to go in front 10-9 after a Halloran jumper with 14:19 left in the first half.
• Elon and Hofstra traded baskets over the next two possessions with a putback by Watson putting the Phoenix ahead 12-11 with 12:06 left in the half. The Pride however responded with a 13-2 run over the next three-plus minutes to expand its lead to 10, 24-14, to force an Elon timeout.
• Hofstra expanded its lead by as large as 11, 28-17, on a fastbreak dunk by Warren Williams, but the Phoenix answered with a 6-0 run to trim its deficit. Max Mackinnon scored on a three-point play while Halloran's second triple brought Elon within five, 28-23, with 5:25 left in the first period.
• The Pride went up by eight, 33-25, on a Bryce Washington three-pointer with 3:32 left in the first, but Elon closed out the period on a 10-0 run including an offensive rebound and putback by Halloran with 26 seconds left to give the Phoenix the 35-33 lead going into the break.
• Halloran and the Phoenix opened the second period with a layup to go ahead by four, 37-33, but Hofstra quickly erased that advantage to move in front, 39-37, with a pair of three-pointers by Estrada.
• Both teams traded baskets over the next four-plus minutes with Elon tying the game at 45-all after Halloran split a pair at the line. The Pride answered with a 13-2 run to match its largest lead of the game at that point, 58-47, after another Estrada three-pointer.
• Estrada added another trey to put the Pride ahead 61-49 with just over 10 minutes remaining in the game. The Phoenix went on a 10-2 run to pull within four after a Watson three-pointer with 7:19 remaining that forced a Hofstra timeout.
• The Pride came out of the timeout with an 11-0 run to go up by 15, 74-59, after Darlinstone Dunbar's three-pointer, forcing a Phoenix timeout. Hofstra continued to expand its lead from that point before ultimately coming away with the 82-65 victory.
 
NOTES
• Estrada became the third player to score 40 points against the Phoenix at Schar Center. Former teammate Omar Silverio also had 40 points in last year's contest at Elon while Jacksonville State's Jalen Gibbs reached that total on Nov. 27, 2021, over the maroon and gold.
• Halloran scored 15 of his 24 in the opening half. The Orlando, Fla., native was 6-of-12 in the first period and 2-of-4 from deep.
• Watson became the third player to have a double-double for the maroon and gold this season behind Halloran and Mackinnon. The St. Louis native's efforts on the glass helped the Phoenix outrebound the Pride, 38-27. It was Elon's highest margin of victory on the boards since a plus-15 outing over Johnson & Wales (43-28).
• The Phoenix dished out 18 assists in the game, its second-highest total this season. Mackinnon tied his personal best with six assists to lead the Phoenix.
• Hofstra shot just over 65 percent in the second half (19-of-29), including going a sizzling 11-of-18 from three-point range. The Pride, which entered the game leading the CAA in shooting percentage from the field and from three, ended the contest knocking down 55.9 percent of its shots.
• Elon held Hofstra without a make from the free throw line as the Pride went 0-for-1 from the charity stripe. The last time a Phoenix opponent did not make a free throw was on Nov. 11, 2017, when William Peace also went 0-for-1.
• The Phoenix dominated the Pride in offensive rebounds (13-2), second-chance points (9-0), points in the paint (30-18) and bench points (14-9).
 
UP NEXT
The Phoenix closes out its homestand versus Drexel on Saturday, Jan. 28, at Schar Center. That game is set for a 4 p.m. start time.