HEMPSTEAD, NY — Tareq Coburn put on a dazzling shooting display, knocking down five three-pointers and scoring a career-high 23 points en route to a dismantling Hofstra win over New York Tech 111-69 in the David. S. Mack Sports and Exhibition Complex on Friday, Nov. 15.
Early in the game, Coburn could not be stopped as he made eight of his 11 shots on the night and served as the spark that the Pride needed in order to bounce back from a loss Wednesday night against Bucknell University.
“I was just playing my game, trusting my teammates,” Coburn said. “They were finding me open for looks [and] I knew I had to knock them down. It was a great feeling. We knew we had to come into this game with a lot of energy, and that’s what I did.”
Coburn did not waste any time scoring his first points as he hit a three-pointer just six seconds after the Pride won the jump ball to begin the game.
Coburn was not the only highlight of the night however, as he was helped tremendously by junior guard Jalen Ray who had a solid start, scoring 10 points and hitting two of his four three-pointers in the first half. Center Isaac Kante also had a big impact, having his way in the paint and scoring 12 points with six rebounds to end the half.
“I just had to get out of my funk, and I feel that this game really did it for me,” said Kante, who turned 21 the day of the game.
The team went into the break leading 60-34 in a half that didn’t see New York Tech hold the lead once. Hofstra’s first-half lead got as high as 31 points before the intermission.
“When we have a big lead at half, our battle cry is to go out and play like the score is [0-0],” said Hofstra head coach Joe Mihalich.
The Pride would adhere to their coach’s advice and rout New York Tech in the second half in a contest that was never close. Hofstra’s depth began to really step up as the bench unit came out and put together a complete game on offense and defense to increase the lead built by the starters.
Omar Silverio and Kevin Schutte were the Pride’s leading catalysts off the bench as they each netted 12 points in their time on the floor to add to the 38 total points the bench provided on the evening.
Mihalich told the team to “play the game the right way” before the game. “Every possession that you are out there on the floor, value the basketball, play hard and do all the things the good teams do.”
The two leading scorers on the team coming into the game were Desure Buie and Eli Pemberton, both averaging 16 points. Buie finished with four points and Pemberton added eight of his own as Hofstra’s dispersed attack helped carry its leaders to a 42 point victory. They won every major statistical category, including rebounds 55-31, assists 30-10, field goal percentage 54-35 and three-pointers made with an 11-4 advantage.
The Pride now move to 2-2 on the year and will look to carry their momentum into their next matchup against the star-studded UCLA Bruins, led by Shareef O’Neal, at the Pauley Pavilion arena in Los Angeles, California on Thursday, Nov. 21, at 11 p.m.
“Twenty years from now, they will be telling their kids they went to Pauley Pavilion to play against a storied program like UCLA … they are going to be as good as anybody in our league,” Mihalich said.
Photo Courtesy of Hofstra Athletics
