Tareq Coburn’s career-high 28 points was not enough as the Hofstra men’s basketball team fell 93-89 to the James Madison University (JMU) Dukes on Saturday, Feb. 13, at Atlantic Union Bank Center. The loss put the Pride at 12-8 for the season while JMU extended their win streak to six games and now sit with a 12-5 record.
Hofstra got the scoring started in the first minute of play and led almost the entire game. However, with only 1:44 remaining in the second half, the Dukes rode their late-game momentum and finally went ahead in the game. Hofstra failed to take it back and dropped their fifth Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) matchup of the season.
“It was not a good performance, and a lot of that starts with me,” said Hofstra acting head coach Mike Farrelly. “Terrible job defensively especially in the second half. The first half [JMU] scored a lot of points, but we turned the ball over like wildfire, which I think led to a lot of their points.”
Hofstra had two players both notch almost 30 points, as Coburn finished with a game-high 28 and Jalen Ray continued his strong season with 26.
Those two guys helped get the Pride off to a fast start, leading by as much as 12 points in the first half. But no matter how much they trailed, JMU clawed their way back every time.
After Coburn knocked down a free throw to put Hofstra up by a dozen with 5:47 left in the first half, JMU’s resilience was put on display as they cut it to two points just three minutes later.
Hofstra built up another strong lead to close out the first stanza, and even went back up by double digits to start the second. But the Pride’s defense continued to struggle against the CAA’s second place team, coughing it up immediately.
“They did a great job, and at the end of the day, we just need to guard the ball,” Farrelly said. “And when we do get stops, we need to finish the possession with a rebound. We weren’t able to do that at really key junctures, which gave them some second-chance points and some easy ones.
Despite Hofstra’s defensive struggles, the duo of Coburn and Ray kept the Pride in front the majority of the game. Ray’s fast break layup put Hofstra up by six points with 3:35 remaining in the game, but the Dukes continued to hit clutch shots to stay in it.
Michael Christmas, who totaled 16 points, drilled his second three pointer of the game to give JMU their first lead with under two minutes remaining. And after going 39:16 without leading the game, the Dukes stepped up and stayed in front when it mattered the most.
Senior guard Matt Lewis led the way for JMU, scoring 20 points on 6-14 shooting, while Christmas’ 16 and Justin Amadi’s 15 followed behind him.
The Pride won’t get much time to reflect on the tough loss, as they continue their battle with the Dukes just one day later for a Valentine’s Day matchup at 2 p.m.
“I think anytime you lose you want to get back onto the court as soon as you can and get back at it,” Farrelly said. “Obviously 22 hours is a little extreme, but I’m excited, I wish we were playing right now and getting another chance.”
Photo courtesy of Hofstra Athletics
