By Felipe Fontes -- ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR The momentum from last game’s buzzer beater seemed to be in full effect as the Hofstra men’s basketball team took in their second win of the weekend against Drexel University on Saturday afternoon by a final score of 91-86.
The win was Hofstra’s fourth in the last five games, now improving to an 11-7 overall record while holding a solid 4-2 record in Colonial Athletic Association play. This puts the Pride currently in third place in the conference behind just William & Mary and Elon.
Hofstra took the big win thanks largely in part to a very efficient night from Justin Wright-Foreman and Rokas Gustys, who shot a combined 18 for 23 from the field.
Gustys finished with 20 points and 16 rebounds, accounting for his best game of the season so far, while Justin Wright-Foreman went nearly perfect from the field, also totaling 20 points while knocking down eight of his nine shots.
“Justin was so efficient, and to get defended like he got defended today, he kept his composure and still got 20 points. He was terrific. He’s just an incredible scorer,” said Hofstra men’s basketball head coach Joe Mihalich.
For Gustys, the double-double marked the 42nd of his career, while Wright-Foreman notched in his 40th straight game in double figures, the nation’s fifth longest active streak. As it is, Wright-Foreman currently stands at 30th on Hofstra’s all-time scoring list, while Gustys has positioned himself into 34th.
“I’ve told them both that they’re re-writing the record books. They’re going to go down in the laurels in Hofstra basketball for what they have done. But what they haven’t done is get us into an NCAA tournament yet. So lets do that and then we can really get excited,” Mihalich said.
As it has throughout this season, this offensive production is what gave the Pride a boost against Drexel. Despite the Dragons taking a couple leads, it was the dispersed offensive production that kept Hofstra in front for the majority of the game, shutting down any chance Drexel had to slip away.
Eli Pemberton finished with 19 points, while freshman guard Jalen Ray dropped in 12 points and dished out a game high four assists one game after his buzzer-beating game winner. Hunter Sabety also contributed with eight points in his timely minutes.
“At the end of the day we did share the game and share the ball to the right guys at the right time, and everybody helped,” Mihalich said.
Holding a late lead in a close game required Hofstra to convert on some late game free throw attempts, and they did just that. With 36 seconds remaining, the Pride sunk five of their six free throw attempts to secure the five-point victory.
The victory on the road sets up Hofstra with a two-game win streak as they come back home to welcome the University of Delaware on Tuesday, Jan. 18.