In the paint

BY RODERICK BOONE

He's almost there.

Antoine Agudio rebounded from a slow start and dropped in 24 points this afternoon in Hofstra's relatively easy 81-63 win over Iona. The senior guard is now just 11 points shy of breaking the program's 43-year-old mark of 2,222 set by Steve Nisenson.

He's got at least three games left and something unforseen would have to take place for him to not finish off a brilliant career as the guy who scored the most points in a Hofstra uniform.

Really, though, Charles Jenkins stole the spotlight from Agudio against the Gaels. Jenkins poured in a career-high 28 points and swiped a career-best 10 boards to help the Pride win to its season-long third straight win.

By the way, starting point guard Greg Johnson bruised the upper thigh in his right leg in the opening moments of the second half when he collided with a teammate at midcourt. He had to be helped off the court and didn't return, sitting on the bench with a bandage and ice wrapped around it. Coach Tom Pecora didn't seem too worried about the injury, but it will bear watching.

Even without Johnson, and despite an ineffective Dane Johnson (two points, two rebounds), Hofstra still had its way with Iona on the Gaels' turf. It's looking like the Pride has turned the proverbial corner, but the players don't think they've completely hit their stride.

"We haven't really peaked yet," Agudio said.

With the postseason two weeks away, that could be a good thing. Hofstra is on its best run of the season, scoring 80 points in three consecutive games for the first time since the 1999-2000 team did it for seven straight contests. It's been an exciting, and promising, stretch.

"This is what I envisioned us being," Pecora said.

And now, back to our regular scheduled program. Here's the latest edition of The Agudio Watch.

THE ANTOINE AGUDIO WATCH
Total career points: 2,212
Points shy of breaking school scoring record: 11
Last outing: Scored 24 points vs. Iona Saturday
Next game: Wednesday at Delaware
Latest projection: Unless something crazy happens, Agudio is virtually assured of breaking the record against Delaware. He's averaging 22.8 points per game and scored 26 against the Blue Hens in the Pride's Feb. 2 meeting at Mack Sports Complex.