Eli Pemberton, three-point shooting drive Hofstra into CAA final

WASHINGTON — Yet again, the ultimate prize is only one win away.

Hofstra, the embodiment of Sisyphus when playing in the Colonial Athletic Association Tournament, has pushed that boulder back toward the top again, this time with a 75-61 win over fifth-seeded Delaware in the semifinals Monday night at the Entertainment and Sports Arena.

Eli Pemberton had 24 points for the top-seeded Pride (25-8), who hit 12 of 23 three-pointers.

Now it’s on to the conference final, at which point the boulder always keeps rolling back down the hill.

Three previous trips, including two in the previous four years. Zero championships.

This group, however, believes it has the stuff to be the one that finally wins a CAA championship and earns Hofstra’s first NCAA Tournament berth since 2001.

The pressure is on with a matchup against sixth-seeded Northeastern — the team that crushed Hofstra’s dreams last season — on tap at 7 p.m. Tuesday. The Huskies beat Elon, 68-60, in the second semifinal.

“It means everything to us to be back in this championship. We worked all year for it,” Pemberton said. “We came up short last year. We don’t want that same thing happening again.”

So much of the narrative around this 2019-20 team has been whether it can exorcise the demons that have surrounded the program since 2001. The Pride fell in the CAA title game in 2006, 2016 and 2019, with the last two setbacks coming as the top seed.

“We didn’t complete our mission ,” said Jalen Ray, who had 19 points and hit all four of his three-point tries. “That was our goal for the season.”

Tareq Coburn had 13 points and 12 rebounds and Isaac Kante added seven points and 11 rebounds for Hofstra. Desure Buie scored 10 points.

Pemberton and Ray shot a combined 9-for-12 from three-point range. “We got a team of three-point shooters. That’s how we play,” Pemberton said. “You let us shoot, it gets dangerous out there.”

The Blue Hens shot 5-for-23 from beyond the arc. Hofstra’s opponents have gone 7-for-45 from three-point range in the tournament.

Hofstra beat Drexel in the quarterfinals Sunday on the strength of its defense, but the offense carried it to victory Monday. The Pride hit nine of their first 12 attempts from three-point range en route to taking a 40-28 halftime lead.

Hofstra took a 14-4 lead before Delaware responded with a 15-3 run. The Pride countered with a 13-0 burst to grab a 35-22 lead. Pemberton hit a pair of three-pointers during that game-changing run.

Hofstra built a 22-point lead with 8:18 left, and Delaware got no closer than eight at 66-58.

“Tough win, hard-earned win and we beat a very good team,” said Hofstra coach Joe Mihalich, who has guided the Pride to three CAA title games. “We’re proud of it and ecstatic to be one of the two teams left and we’re proud of the way we earned it. Nobody gave us the path to the finals, that’s for sure.”

Next up is a Northeastern squad that Hofstra swept by a total of six points in the two meetings this season.

Last season, Hofstra fell behind by 16 at the half before a mad dash to tie the score in the second half. Northeastern later pulled away to send Hofstra to the NIT and continue the Pride’s torment-filled time in this tournament.

Perhaps this time Hofstra finally can plant that boulder on the hilltop.

Said Pemberton: “We worked for it all year.”