Hofstra Holds Off JMU, 76-67, To Advance To Semifinals
Rob Washburn
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NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. (March 10, 2019) – Top-seeded Hofstra used a 13-2 run midway through the second half to get past #8 James Madison, 76-67, in the first quarterfinal game of the 2019 CAA Men’s Basketball Championship, presented by Jersey Mike’s, on Sunday afternoon.
The Pride (26-6) advance to Monday’s 6 p.m. semifinal against either William & Mary or Delaware. It’s Hofstra’s first semifinal appearance since 2016. JMU concluded its season with a 14-19 mark.
CAA Player of the Year Justin Wright-Foreman led five Hofstra players in double figures with 17 points, while graduate forward Jacquil Taylor recorded his sixth career double-double with 16 points and 10 rebounds. The Pride also got 13 points off the bench from Jalen Ray, who drained 4-of-6 from three-point range.
Hofstra led by as much as 12 points in the first half, but JMU trimmed the deficit to 37-30 at the break. The Dukes continued their momentum early in the second half and tied the game at 46-46 on a three-pointer by Matt Lewis with 14:35 remaining. With the contest still even at 49-49, Tareq Coburn delivered a layup and three-pointer to start the deciding surge and Wright-Foreman’s three with 6:20 left gave Hofstra 62-51 lead.
JMU fought back again and got within 64-61 with 3:01 to go following back-to-back threes from Darius Banks and Stuckey Mosley, but the Pride converted 7-of-8 from the free throw line in the final 41 seconds to put the game away.
Taylor was a perfect 7-for-7 from field and was also a force on the defensive end, tallying five blocks and two steals. Wright-Foreman extended its double-digit scoring streak to 85 games, which is the second-longest in the nation.
Lewis paced JMU with a game-high 23 points and eclipsed the 1,000-point mark for his career. Banks provided strong bench support for the Dukes, recording a double-double with 15 points and a game-high 12 rebounds.