Hot-Shooting Hofstra Returns To CAA Title Game With 75-61 Win Over Delaware
Rob Washburn
BOX SCORE | HIGHLIGHTS | SIGHTS & SOUNDS | PHOTO GALLERY | HOFSTRA PRESSER | DELAWARE PRESSER
WASHINGTON, D.C. (March 9, 2020) – Behind 43 combined points from hot-shooting guards Eli Pemberton and Jalen Ray, top-seeded Hofstra defeated #5 Delaware, 75-61, in the semifinals of the 2020 Hercules Tires CAA Men’s Basketball Championship on Monday night at the Entertainment and Sports Arena.
The Pride (25-8) advances to the CAA championship game for the second year in a row and fourth time overall. Hofstra will face either #6 Northeastern or #7 Elon at 7 p.m. on Tuesday night. It’s the ninth consecutive year that the #1 seed that has reached the CAA title game.
Pemberton made 5-of-8 from 3-point range and poured in a game-high 24 points, while Ray was a perfect 4-of-4 from beyond the arc and tallied 19 points. Tareq Coburn recorded his fifth double-double of the season with 13 points and a team-high 12 rebounds for the Pride.
Delaware (22-11), which fell to Hofstra in the CAA semifinals for the second straight year, was paced by Justyn Mutts and Nate Darling with 13 points apiece. Guards Ryan Allen and Kevin Anderson added 11.
Hofstra didn’t miss a shot over the game’s first five minutes, hitting 4-of-4 from 3-point range and 5-of-5 at the free throw line to build an early 17-9 advantage. Delaware responded with a 10-0 run that included a pair of Allen treys followed by seven straight points from Mutts to move on top, 19-17, with 12:08 left in the half.
The contest was tied 22-22 midway through the period when the Pride reeled off 13 unanswered points, with eight coming from Pemberton, who nailed a trey to make it 35-23 with 5:43 on the clock. Hofstra maintained a double-digit lead for the remainder of the half and was up 40-28 at intermission. The Pride shot a blistering 9-of-15 (60%) from beyond the arc in the first half, with Pemberton making 4-of-6 and tallying a team-best 14 points.
Hofstra continued its three-point barrage in the second half, taking its largest lead of the game, 61-39, on a Pemberton trey with 8:50 remaining. However, Delaware battled back, going on a 19-5 surge that cut the deficit to eight (66-58) with 2:29 left. The Pride hit 9-of-10 from the free throw line down the stretch to secure the victory.
Hofstra finished 12-of-23 (52.2%) from beyond the arc, while limiting Delaware to just 5-of-23 three-point shooting.