Justin Wright-Foreman's 28 points lead Hofstra past Siena

Justin Wright-Foreman scored 28 points (12-for-19 from the field, 2-for-5 from three) and Eli Pemberton added 19 points. Tareq Coburn had a career-best 14 points and 12 rebounds as the Pride’s bench totaled 29 points.

Wright-Foreman, who entered the game as the fifth-ranked scorer in Division I averaging 27.9 points, recorded his 60th consecutive game in double figures. It is the second-longest streak in the nation.

Siena, a team known to press consistently, forced Hofstra into sloppy play midway through the first half. The Pride turned the ball over on consecutive plays and fell behind 23-21. But Coburn settled in, breaking the press and finishing with a deft layup on the left side, then Wright-Foreman nailed a three-pointer from the left wing to give Hofstra a 26-23 lead, one they would never lose.

“We had to find our own energy tonight and we did,” coach Joe Mihalich said. “Coburn wanted the ball tonight, he went after it and gave us the boost that we needed.”

Hofstra (4-3) opened the second half with much of the same energy. Wright-Foreman stepped into a three-pointer off an inbounds play, Jalen Ray finished a nifty double-clutch drive and Wright-Foreman nailed a pull-up jumper from the top of the key to give Hofstra a 54-45 lead with 16:38 left and force Siena to call timeout.

From that point, Hofstra continued to build on its lead. Pemberton scored eight of Hofstra’s next 12 points. After showing a soft touch on a contested layup, he hit a pull-up jumper then scored on a drive after a turnover by Siena (2-5) gave Hofstra a 66-50 lead. “We had some good stretches, enough to win,” Mihalich said. “But we found a way to make it interesting.”

Siena’s Evan Fisher (25 points) was held in check for much of the second half, thanks in large part to an effective 2-3 zone by the Hofstra defense. With the paint clogged, Siena was forced into three-point shooting, and they shot 5-for-15 from three-point range in the second half.

Siena would close the deficit late, coming within five points in the final minutes. But Wright-Foreman nailed a turnaround jumper from the elbow with 1:15 left and Desure Buie went 6-for-6 from the free throw line during crunch time to seal the win. 

Wright-Foreman, who was named to the Lute Olson Award Watch list earlier this week, had no trouble dealing with the additional pressure that may come with that sort of recognition. He was certainly himself, his 28 points were just above his season average of 27.8.

“Some people work hard, some people play hard, some people do both,” Mihalich said. “Justin does both.”