HEMPSTEAD, NY -- Hofstra pushed its winning streak to four with a convincing 89-73 victory over Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference favorite Rider Saturday afternoon.
Redshirt sophomore Tareq Coburn earned his first career start for the Pride, and his coach’s decision was handsomely rewarded. Coburn poured in a career-high 19 points on 6-of-10 shooting from the field while adding eight rebounds to his ledger.
“He’s been playing so well, we figured maybe he can give us a boost starting the game as opposed to coming off the bench,” Hofstra coach Joe Mihalich said of Coburn. “He made us all look smart playing the way he did today.”
“It meant a lot to me, but I was nervous at first,” Coburn said of his first start since high school. “I just had to come out strong, show everybody what I could do, and just keep being consistent.”
A native of Rosedale, Queens – less than half an hour’s drive from Hofstra’s campus in Hempstead – Coburn began his collegiate career upstate at St. Bonaventure in 2016 after a successful high school career at Cardozo. However, Coburn found himself buried on the Bonnies’ bench in a backcourt headlined by prolific scorers Jaylen Adams and Matt Mobley. Not only were Adams and Mobley the established stars of the backcourt, but they each also ranked among the top 100 nationally in percentage of minutes played that season, meaning there was very little opportunity for Coburn to see the floor. In fact, Mobley led the nation in the category, setting foot on the court for 95 percent of St. Bonaventure’s total minutes that season. Struggling with limited opportunity to make an impact on the court, Coburn accrued a mere four total points over 12 games played all season. With Adams and Mobley both eligible to return in 2017-18, Coburn instead chose to move back downstate and take his talents to Hofstra.
Coburn has already notched three games with double-digit points this season and established himself as a vital piece of an offensive powerhouse that ranks 40th in the nation in adjusted offensive efficiency according to KenPom. Not only are the Pride finding great success from the field, but Hofstra also currently ranks second in the country in free throw percentage, at 80.4 percent.
It was Coburn who kicked off Saturday’s scoring with a layup 28 seconds into the game, and Coburn again who sparked the 11-0 Hofstra run to close the game which turned a close contest into a blowout in the blink of an eye. The best news of all for Mihalich’s club is at any given time, Coburn is at best Hofstra’s third biggest threat on the floor.
The star of the show remains senior guard Justin Wright-Foreman, who led all scorers with 24 points Saturday. Another Queens native, Wright-Foreman extended his streak of 20-plus point efforts to 12 games going back to last season, and has already hit the 30-point mark three times this year. Not only is Wright-Foreman one of the five most dangerous scorers in the country, but he has now honed his craft to become an effective distributor. With six assists on Saturday, Wright-Foreman leads the Pride with 4.4 assists per game this season.
Junior Eli Pemberton continues to excel in his Robin role. Pemberton packed the box score Saturday with 12 points, seven rebounds, and five assists, but his most memorable play of the day didn’t even result in points. Midway through the second half, Pemberton chased down an errant pass headed for the end of the baseline and saved it for a teammate while himself navigating a sea of cheerleaders and ending up a good 20 feet from the court itself. In fact, Pemberton’s only shortcoming may be that he did not also grow up in Queens, though it’s not a long trip to his Middletown, Connecticut home.
Hofstra returns to action Monday night, continuing its miniature tour of MAAC opponents with a trip to the Bronx to take on Manhattan, where the Pride looks for its first-ever win against Jaspers head coach Steve Masiello. Tipoff for the contest at Draddy Gymnasium is slated for 7 p.m.
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