HEMPSTEAD, N.Y. (Feb. 19, 2026) … Hofstra (18-10, 9-6) rode a big first half to post a 79-43 victory over Hampton (12-15, 6-8) in the Battle of the CAA's HUs.

Hampton scored the game's first points but a 9-0 run by the Pride put the Pirates in an 11-4 hole. The Hofstra lead grew to as many as 17 in the first half. Trailing 29-12 with 4:32 to go, Hampton scored 12 of the next 17 points to close to 34-24. Down the stretch, Xzavier Long canned two field goals while Aidan Haskins and Daniel Johnson each hit three-pointers while Kody Williams added a pair of free throws.

Hofstra led 37-24 at halftime. After its slow start, Hampton shot 32 percent from the field in the first half while Hofstra made 54.3 percent of its shots. Hofstra's Cruz Davis led all scorers with 10 points while Hampton was led by Etienne Strothers, who had six points.

Strothers started the second half with a trey 37-27 and Hampton outscored the Pride 7-2 to close to 39-31 following a Josh Ogundele lay-up. But Hofstra scored 16 of the game's next 19 points to lead 55-34 with 10:47 left.

The Pirates battled but Hofstra scored 15 of the game's last 17 points to close out a 79-43 win. Hampton shot 26.7 percent in the second half and 26.7 percent for the game. Strothers scored 12 points to lead the Pirates. Davis finished with 20 points for the Pride to take game high honors as Hofstra shot 56.9 percent from the field in the contest.

Coach Ivan Thomas's team was short-handed as the team's leading scorer Michael Eley as well as Elijah Kennedy and Quintin Cooper did not play.

The New York road trip continues as Hampton plays at Stony Brook on Saturday, Feb. 21 at 4 pm. The game will be streamed on FloSports.