Eli Pemberton, Jalen Ray, Desure Buie spur Hofstra at JMU
Hofstra Pride guard Eli Pemberton hangs on after a dunk during the first half against the San Jose State Spartans on Nov. 6. Credit: Lee S. Weissman/Lee S. Weissman
Eli Pemberton had 25 points and eight rebounds as Hofstra defeated James Madison, 82-76, on Saturday in Harrisonburg, Virginia.
Jalen Ray had 18 points for Hofstra (10-4, 1-0 Colonial Athletic Conference), which earned its fourth consecutive win. Tareq Coburn added 15 points. Desure Buie had 15 points and six rebounds.
After falling behind 45-32 early in the second half, Coburn had seven points and Ray four points in an 11-2 spurt to draw the Pride within four points at 47-43 with 14:05 to go.
Hofstra took its first lead of the second half 68-67 on a Buie jumper in the paint with 5:30 left. The Pride took the lead for good at 74-71 on a Ray trey with 3:29 left. A pair of free throws and a jumper by Buie and two free throws from Ray gave the Pride an 80-72 cushion with 29 seconds left.
The Pride’s 52 points in the second half marked a season best for them.
Matt Lewis had 22 points and six rebounds for the Dukes (7-5, 0-1). Deshon Parker added 17 points and eight assists. Dwight Wilson had 12 points and 11 rebounds.
Darius Banks, the Dukes’ second leading scorer coming into the contest at 14 points per game, was held to six points (2-for-10).
