The Hofstra men’s basketball team won their second consecutive game on Thursday, Jan. 30, dominating Elon University on the road by a score of 86-63. Eli Pemberton fueled the way for the Pride with 26 points, seven rebounds and seven assists.
The win improved Hofstra’s record to 16-7 overall, as well as 7-3 in Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) play. Elon fell to 6-17 and 2-8 in conference play.
“I was proud of our guys for staying focused tonight,” said Hofstra head coach Joe Mihalich. “We talk about respect a lot with our guys on three different levels. Respecting the game, respect yourself and respect your opponent, and they did that on all three levels tonight.”
The Pride got off to a hot start and hit five consecutive three-pointers to take a 15-6 lead in the first five minutes of play. They continued to hold a sizeable lead throughout the first half and extended it to 14 points after a three-pointer from Omar Silverio with 2:55 remaining.
Hunter Woods helped the Phoenix claw their way back by registering two steals and five points on consecutive possessions to lead them on a 7-0 run and close out the first half trailing 40-33.
Zac Ervin opened the second half for Elon with a three-pointer to bring the Phoenix within four points. The Pride then came alive and responded with a 9-0 tear to give them a 49-36 lead at the 15:30 mark led by Pemberton, Jalen Ray and Isaac Kante.
After a three-pointer by Kris Wooten cut Elon’s deficit to eight points, Hofstra exploded again with an 8-0 run to build a 16-point lead.
Hofstra continued to pour it on Elon in the second half, as a free throw from Kante gave them a 70-50 advantage with seven minutes remaining.
With 1:01 remaining in the game, Silverio hit a three to give the Pride their largest lead of the night: 26 points. Hofstra closed out the game with a 23-point lead, 86-63.
To go along with Pemberton’s 26 points, Desure Buie had another strong game with 18 points, four rebounds and 11 assists.
“They both played like seniors tonight,” Mihalich said. “The danger here was that we played real well against Elon at our place and you have a tendency to just look past them the second time. We decided to get locked in here tonight and realize the first nine are over and the second nine start tonight, and we wanted to make sure that we get off to a good start for the second half of the season.”
For Elon, Marcus Sheffield II led the team with 21 points, followed by 16 from Hunter Woods. The Phoenix have lost four out of their last five conference games.
The Pride shined beyond the arc in this one, shooting 48.4% from three-point range, converting on 15-of-31 shots.
“Our guys really share the game. They space the floor well, and they never carry scores,” Mihalich said. “When you play together, good things happen, and our guys play together really well.”
The Pride continued their road trip on Saturday, Feb. 1, by taking on the College of William & Mary at 4 p.m.
Image Courtesy of Hofstra Athletics
