Hofstra heads back to the big dance after 19 years
For the first time in 19 years, the Hofstra men’s basketball team is going dancing, as they are headed to the NCAA Tournament after a 70-61 victory over the Northeastern University Huskies in the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) Championship game at the Entertainment and Sports Arena in Washington, D.C.
The matchup was a rematch of the 2019 championship game in which the Huskies prevailed, but this round went to Hofstra, as the Pride won their first ever CAA Championship.
“Wow, it’s just euphoric. Sitting up here with these guys and just being with these guys every day is a blessing and something I treasure,” said Hofstra head coach Joe Mihalich. “It’s also at the same time kind of humbling, and such a wonderful thing, and we are going to enjoy every second and let it sink in.”
Desure Buie led the way for Hofstra with a game-high 20 points and five assists. Eli Pemberton added 19 points and seven rebounds while Jalen Ray netted 17 points and eight rebounds.
Buie got the offense started for Hofstra with an opening three-pointer, giving the Pride an early 3-0 lead. Northeastern countered with a 10-0 run over during the following three minutes to hold a 10-3 lead, forcing a Pride timeout four minutes into the game.
Following the under eight-minute media timeout, Hofstra used a 9-0 run over three minutes to take the lead at 24-21. Both teams exchanged leads until Shaquille Walters’ layup in the closing seconds gave the Huskies a 30-28 lead at halftime.
Northeastern shot 42% from three-point range going 5-of-12 and 12-of-28 from the field in the half. Hofstra shot 29% beyond the arc while going 10-of-34 from the field.
After exchanging points to open the second half, Hofstra’s offense got fired up behind back-to-back three-pointers from Coburn and Pemberton, followed by a steal and Coburn dunk, to take a 36-33 lead and force a Northeastern timeout.
Jordan Roland snapped the 8-0 Pride run with a corner three to tie the game at 36 with 17 minutes remaining.
Several three-pointers helped the Huskies take a 48-44 advantage with eight minutes remaining in the game. The Pride entered the eight-minute mark converting only one of their last eight shots.
The Hofstra offense responded with a quick 8-0 run in a minute’s time, sparked by a second-chance layup by Pemberton and capped off by back-to-back Ray three-pointers. Northeastern called a quick timeout, now trailing the Pride 52-48.
“I was struggling from three early but [the team] kept telling me ‘keep shooting,’” Ray said. “That boosted my confidence and I kept shooting the ball.”
A minute later with the Pride clinging to a six-point lead, Buie converted a crucial basket and foul for a three-point opportunity, followed by a three pointer after a Walters layup, giving Hofstra a 64-54 advantage.
“That’s a credit to my teammates. I was struggling for a little bit and they told me, ‘Get the ball and make something happen,’” Buie said. “They drew up a play for me and I made something happen.”
Northeastern kept fighting in hopes of storming back late; however, the Pride converted their last six field goals in the game, eliminating any chances of Northeastern to comeback.
Maxime Boursiquot led the offense with 15 points and nine rebounds for Northeastern, while Bolden Brace added 13 points.
Jason Strong hit the final basket of the game before the buzzer sounded, sending Hofstra to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2001.
“It is awfully sweet, and it’s because [Northeastern] is such a good team and program and Bill Cohen is such a great coach. We beat a bunch of champions,” Mihalich said. “The championship went through them, they were defending champions and to win a championship [you’ve] got to knock out the champ, and that’s what we did.”
For Mihalich, this is his first NCAA Tournament trip with Hofstra and his first since the 2007 season with Niagara University.
“We are going to pinch each other on the way out of here to make sure this isn’t a dream,” Mihalich said. “When we wake up tomorrow I know the first thing I’m going to do is pop on ESPN and look at the bottom of the ticker there and see, ‘CAA Champions: Hofstra.’”
Hofstra waits for their next matchup in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, which will be announced on Selection Sunday, March 15, at 6 p.m.
Photo Courtesy of Hofstra Arhletics
