Even in victory, Hofstra still fine-tuning its pieces for proper fit

Eli Pemberton's 19 points were best of Hofstra's supporting cast as Pride, led by Justin Wright-Foreman's 28, defeated Siena Wednesday. (Photo by Vincent Simone/NYC Buckets)

HEMPSTEAD, NY -- For most of the evening Wednesday, Hofstra proved just how formidable it can be when firing on all cylinders, its dynamic offense paced by senior guard Justin Wright-Foreman, the nation's third-leading scorer.

In other stretches of the same night, the Pride also showed that it remains susceptible to an upset at any given time, as evidenced by yielding a 16-2 run to turn a comfortable 20-point advantage into a much more tenuous two-possession edge on the scoreboard.

Regardless, Hofstra -- and Wright-Foreman, who led all scorers with 28 points -- survived when it counted, overcoming a furious rally from visiting Siena in the latter stages of the second half to post a 94-86 victory that, ultimately, ran the gamut of the Pride's polar spectrum as a team.

"We had some good stretches," head coach Joe Mihalich assessed as Hofstra (4-3) shot over 54 percent from the floor and made each of its first six three-point attempts against a Siena team running a similar offensive scheme. "I'm more pleased with the pockets of good play, because it was enough to help us win."

To expound on that point, even after Hofstra's 79-59 lead with 7:15 remaining in regulation was pared down to an increasingly tense 81-75 margin four minutes and four seconds later, the Pride relied on key members of its supporting cast throughout the contest. Eli Pemberton, whose 19 points were second behind Wright-Foreman in terms of host team productivity, opened the scoring with seven of Hofstra's first nine points, including a pair of long-distance shots that allowed Wright-Foreman to manage the game without taking charge in its infancy. Desure Buie chipped in with an understated 13 points, and the reserve trio of Dan Dwyer, Jalen Ray, and Tareq Coburn combined for 29 markers, the latter posting a 12-point, 14-rebound double-double to underscore a performance where every Hofstra player to touch the floor scored.

"I know that people can do it," Mihalich said with regard to his team finding different sources of initiative, Coburn being a prime example with his rebounding. "It's nice that it's a different guy every night. One night, it was Jacquil (Taylor), one night Tareq, Justin's been a great rebounder. We're doing okay so far."

"It's not about technique. It's not about put this foot here, put that foot there. It's about wanting the ball, and Tareq wanted the basketball tonight. He was just relentless, he went after the ball hard, and his attitude -- his energy -- really gave us the boost that we needed."

Coming off a hard-fought overtime loss to VCU, one that contained the moral victory of Hofstra taking a highly-regarded Atlantic 10 opponent -- and former conference rival from the Rams' time in the Colonial Athletic Association -- to the limit while also planting the seed for the Pride to build off that experience on the road for vital conference games down the line, Hofstra was aggressive early and often Wednesday, feeding off its offense once it flowed through Wright-Foreman's progression. The defense, a frequent criticism more often than not in Mihalich's five-plus-year tenure on Long Island, was also excellent in some stages, save for the run that brought Siena within earshot in the waning moments of the second half.

"If we're going to be a good team, and that's still an if, then we can't have those stretches we had tonight, where we were poor with the ball or poor defending," Mihalich said.