Cruz Davis drops 36, Hofstra becomes 2nd mid-major to upset Pitt

Field Level Media|published: Sun 7th December, 18:38 2025

Dec 7, 2025; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Hofstra Pride guard Cruz Davis (right) handles the ball as Pittsburgh Panthers guard Damarco Minor (7) defends during the first half at the Petersen Events Center. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

Cruz Davis scored a career-high 36 points and added seven assists, fueling Hofstra to an 80-73 upset of host Pitt on Sunday.

Davis surpassed his previous career high of 28 points, set twice last season.

Davis scored 19 points as Hofstra raced out to a 36-23 halftime lead before he helped stem a late rally as the Pride (6-4), who were picked to finish eighth in the 13-team Coastal Athletic Association, beat an ACC team for the first time since an 82-77 win over Florida State on Nov. 20, 2015.

Victory Onuetu had 10 points on 5-of-5 shooting for the Pride, who've earned four wins over power-conference opponents under fifth-year head coach Speedy Claxton. German Plotnikov and Preston Edmead each added eight points.

Brandin Cummings scored 30 of his career-high 34 points in the second half for Pitt (5-5), which held a lead just twice Sunday as it was upset at home by a non-power-conference foe for the second time this season. Quinnipiac beat the Panthers 83-75 on Nov. 23.

Barry Dunning Jr. had 13 points and eight rebounds while Cameron Corhen and Damarco Minor scored seven points apiece for Pitt, which shot 45.8%.

Hofstra outscored Pitt 38-16 in the paint and shot 52.7% overall.

Davis drained Hofstra's first five field goals before hitting a pair of baskets on consecutive trips to start the 20-4 run, which ended with Davis sinking a 3-pointer to extend the Pride's lead to 36-20 with 1:47 left. Pitt was just 2-of-9 from the field with one turnover during the visitors' surge.

Corhen scored the final three points of the half for Pitt as Hofstra missed its last four shots from the field.

The Pride scored seven of the first 10 points following intermission for its largest lead at 43-26. Then Cummings scored 14 points in a 26-12 run, during with the Panthers pulled within three points three times, the last time at 55-52 with 9:42 left.

But Plotnikov and Davis combined on an 7-0 run for Hofstra, which led by at least seven the rest of the way. Davis had the Pride's last two field goals over the final seven minutes, while the rest of Hofstra's scoring came from 11 free throws.

--Field Level Media

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