Eli Pemberton's full-court shot highlights Hofstra's 15th straight win
Hofstra guard Eli Pemberton shoots a free throw against Delaware in the second half of a CAA men's basketball game at Mack Sports Complex on Friday, Dec. 28, 2018. Credit: Kathleen Malone-Van Dyke
Hofstra not only has the nation’s longest active winning streak, it might have the longest shot of the college basketball season.
Eli Pemberton’s full-court shot — literally a couple of steps from the baseline — at the halftime buzzer highlighted the Pride’s 15th straight win, an 85-68 victory over James Madison on Thursday night in a Colonial Athletic Association matchup at the JMU Convocation Center in Harrisonburg, Virginia.
In the final seconds of the first half, JMU's Dwight Wilson shot an air ball that soared well over the hoop. Pemberton (20 points, eight rebounds) caught it with his back to the opposite basket, pivoted and threw the equivalent of a 90-foot chest pass. It hit nothing but net . . . not far from where several stunned-looking JMU players already were on the court as they headed to the locker room. It gave the Pride (18-3, 8-0) a nine-point lead.
When asked about it at Hofstra's postgame news conference, Pemberton broke into a big smile. "I just had to let it fly,'' he said. "See one second on the clock, got it, just let it go and thank God. Hail Mary.''
The shot quickly became a hit on social media as Pemberton was trending on Twitter. Informed of that, he said, "Oh, wow. I haven't even seen my phone yet. That'll be something to look forward to.''
Justin Wright-Foreman scored 23 points for the Pride, the 74th straight game in which he has finished in double digits. He also had five assists.
The 18-3 start is Hofstra’s best at the NCAA Division I level (since 1966-67) and its best since the 1961-62 squad also began the year 18-3.
The winning streak is the third-longest in program history, eclipsed only by a 23-game streak in the 1959-60 and 1960-61 seasons and an 18-game streak in 2000-01.
Hofstra coach Joe Mihalich said the streak is something that he and his players talk about. He added, ''We're playing hard, we know it's out there and you know, hey, it may never happen again, so we're just going to keep . . . try to win the next game!''
Tareq Coburn scored 14 points, Desure Buie had nine points and six assists and Jacquil Taylor added nine points and seven rebounds for Hofstra.
Stuckey Mosley led James Madison (9-12, 2-6) with 19 points. Wilson had 14 points and nine rebounds. Matt Lewis added 13 points and six assists.
The Pride outscored James Madison 43-35 in the final 20 minutes, shooting 56 percent from the floor.
