WASHINGTON, D.C. — The No. 1 Hofstra men’s basketball team defeated the No. 5 University of Delaware Blue Hens 75-61 in the semifinals of the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) Men’s Basketball Tournament at Entertainment and Sports Arena in Washington, D.C on Monday, March 9.

With their season on the line, the Pride stepped up in a big way, keeping a pesky Blue Hens team in check for much of the night. Senior guard Eli Pemberton led the way with 24 points on 7-15 shooting, including 14 in the first half alone, while junior guard Jalen Ray followed suit with 19 of his own.

“We have worked for this all year,” Pemberton said. “This shows the maturity of our team.” 

Delaware redshirt junior forward Dylan Painter opened the game with offensive rebounds on three consecutive possessions, but Pemberton knocked down a three to quiet their momentum early, putting the Pride up 5-2. 

Hofstra built off this play, combining efficient shooting with a lockdown defense to unleash an early run. Three minutes in, Ray stole the ball, tapped it to himself and nailed a three-pointer to give the Pride an 11-4 lead. 

Like they have all season, Delaware responded. After a timeout, the Pride committed consecutive backcourt turnovers, giving Delaware a free pair of possessions and switching the game in their favor. 

“We do not have to do anything different,” said head coach Joe Mihalich. “We just have to do things better. There are some reasons I can talk about and reasons I cannot talk about. We hope we get pressed. I do not mean to sound cocky, but we are usually good against pressure.” 

The Blue Hens embarked on a 14-3 run for the next five minutes, giving the Pride a throwback to their first half against Drexel a day prior. But Pemberton once again stepped up for his team, killing the run with a deep three-pointer after a media timeout with eight minutes to go.

Following the shot, Hofstra went on a 13-0 run of their own, giving them a 35-22 advantage that carried over to a 40-28 halftime lead.

The Pride had 20 minutes to lock down a second straight appearance in the championship of the CAA tournament. However, the second half started with an encore and a scare.

Just like he did to start the game, junior guard Tareq Coburn committed another backcourt turnover, this time creating a five-point swing that led to a timeout from the Pride. 

Mihalich benched Coburn, and as he sat down with a towel on his head, the momentum was starting to once again shift.

“I do not mind sharing this, but I got on him pretty good,” Mihalich said. “This shows how tough he is. To respond and keep your composure like he did was incredible. Credit to him for being strong enough mentally to deal with getting an earful. 12 rebounds, big foul shots, 13 points, eight drawn fouls. He was terrific.”

With the trust of his coach, Coburn re-entered the game and responded. With 12:56 left in the game, he put home an and one put-back and was greeted by hugs from his teammates. An 11-0 run, a barrage of big threes and a series of defensive stops ensued for the Pride, but the Blue Hens put up a fight late. 

Delaware tallied an 11-0 run of their own before an offensive basket interference took a dunk away. Ray marched down the court and knocked down a mid-range jumper, tentatively restoring confidence in his team.

“We had to get our composure,” Mihalich said. “I said to the guys, ‘Take a deep breath. If I told you this afternoon at the pregame meal that with four minutes to go we would be up 11, we would take it.’”

The Blue Hens continued their fight, but multiple offensive rebounds, including another from Coburn, sealed the game for the Pride.

“It means everything to us to be back in the championship,” Pemberton said. “We worked all year for it. Just because we are in the championship does not mean we will win it. We came up short last year. We don’t want that to happen again.”

It all comes down to this. A CAA championship and trip to the NCAA tournament can be secured for Hofstra on Tuesday, March 10, against the winner of the No. 6 ranked Northeastern and No. 7 ranked Elon. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m.

Photo courtesy of Hofstra Athletics