Hofstra fans got their money’s worth Friday night, as the men’s basketball team won its first game of the season, 74-72, against the Coppin State Eagles. The win didn’t come easy, in fact, the two teams battled right down to the final buzzer. Many people underestimated Coppin State, a team that was predicted to finish tenth in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC). Right from the beginning, the Eagles showed that they were going to prove some people wrong, going toe-to-toe with the Pride.
Deron Powers, in his first game at the helm of the Hofstra offense, was aggressive and effective. He had three early three-pointers to keep the Pride in the game and finished with twelve points, five assists and four rebounds.
From the first shot of the game, the strategy for both teams was quite clear: shoot early and often. By the end of the game, Hofstra and Coppin State combined to shoot 62 three-pointers with 23 finding the bottom of the net.
Hofstra’s senior guard Brian Bernardi fell victim to what head coach Joe Mihalich called “first game jitters,” and couldn’t bring anything to the table for the Pride. Bernardi’s shot was just not falling and he ended the night 0-for-8 from the three-point line.
Most of the first half was back-and-forth with four ties and six lead changes, but that all changed with 4:54 to go in the half. Both teams were tied 23-23 until Coppin State went on a 13-5 run to end the half to go ahead 36-28.
“Everything that could go wrong went wrong in the first half,” Mihalich said.
Hofstra was lucky to only be down by eight at halftime after shooting 27 percent from the field. The Pride also shot 36 percent (4-for-11) from the free throw line in the first half, with seven of those misses coming from junior forward Rokas Gustys.
Gustys’ 0-for-8 night from the stripe was rough on the 6’9” big man, but he is an irreplaceable asset on the boards. He had 18 rebounds at halftime and finished tying his career high of 23 rebounds.
The second half began with more of the same fast-paced play from both teams that made this game a thriller. Hofstra and Coppin State both ran the floor and relied more on their offense than their defense. Seven minutes into the second half, the Pride still found itself down 50-41 despite shooting better out of halftime.
Then Hofstra got a boost from its bench. Hunter Sabety, a 6-foot-9 junior forward from Tufts University, rose up and turned a missed three-pointer into a put-back dunk that electrified the Mack Sports Complex and changed the momentum of the game.
Two minutes later, Sabety got the crowd roaring again when he stuffed Coppin State’s Terry Harris Jr. at the rim. Sabety then grabbed the rebound and brought the ball up the court to guard Desure Buie for a three-pointer to tie the game 50-50 with 10:22 left in the game.
For the remainder of the game, the teams were neck-and-neck and matching every shot the other made. Freshman Eli Pemberton had three clutch three-pointers in the final seven minutes, including one with 2:26 remaining that gave Hofstra the lead for good.
Coppin State would not go away easily. With 18 seconds left in the game, guard Josh Treadwell hit a three-pointer to bring the Eagles within one of the Pride, 72-71. Treadwell finished with a game-high 25 points and even Mihalich admitted that Treadwell could not be stopped.
Brian Bernardi made two free throws with 11 seconds remaining to make the Hofstra lead 74-71. Dejuan Clayton brought the ball up the court for Coppin State and was fouled on a three-point attempt by Desure Buie with two seconds on the clock. Clayton went 1-3 at the line and Hofstra held on to win their season opener 74-72.
Eli Pemberton walked away from his first college game with 20 points, four rebounds, and more respect from his coach. When Pemberton was struggling in the first half, Mihalich said he “had to yank [Eli] out of the game and rip him,” and the freshman “handled it, and was the best player on the floor for the last fifteen minutes.”
This out-of-conference game was too close for comfort and certainly closer than expected, but it sure was a fun one to watch.
“This game had loss written all over it and our guys wouldn’t let it happen,” Mihalich said. Fans got to see how determined and gritty this year’s Hofstra team is, which Mihalich said “might be the most important quality on the team.”
With the first game out of the way and a 1-0 record to start the season, the Pride heads to Sacred Heart University to take on the Pioneers at 7 p.m. on Tuesday night.