Hempstead, NY – Sophomore Eli Pemberton tallied 27 points and junior Justin Wright-Foreman added 23 points to lead four Flying Dutchmen players in double-figures as the Hofstra Men's Basketball team defeated the Seahawks of UNCW, 96-76, in a Colonial Athletic Association contest at the David S. Mack Sports and Exhibition Complex Thursday night. The win came on Throwback Thursday as Hofstra wore 1950s era uniforms and were referred to as the Hofstra College Flying Dutchmen during the contest. 

In addition to his 27 points, which fell one point shy of equaling his career-high, Pemberton grabbed seven rebounds. Wright-Foreman notched his 23rd double-figure scoring game of the year and 49th of his career. Senior Rokas Gustys, who tallied 17 points and 16 rebounds, also had his 10th double-double of the season and 44th of his career. In the process, he became Hofstra's all-time career rebound leader at the Division I level.

Hofstra junior Kenny Wormley added 12 points, just two off tying his career high. Junior Desure Buie recorded a career-high 10 assists, topping his previous mark of eight against Delaware last month. The Flying Dutchmen shot 63 percent (34-54) from the field, including 11-for-17 from the three-point line, and outrebounded the Seahawks, 38-24.

UNCW, which also had four players in double-figures, was led by senior Jordon Talley with 21 points. Sophomore Ty Taylor added 14 points, classmate Jaylen Fornes contributed 11 points and freshman Jay Estime chipped in with 10. The Seahawks shot 44 percent (27-61) from the field.

In a fast-paced, high-scoring first half, the Flying Dutchmen grabbed early five-point leads, the latest at 13-8 at the 14:49 mark after a Wright-Foreman three-pointer. But the Seahawks battled back to tie the game twice, the latest at 25-all on a three-pointer by Jacque Brown at the 7:46 mark.

But the Flying Dutchmen then went on an 11-0 run, behind four points from Pemberton, over the next 2:52 to open up a 36-25 lead. Just 40 seconds later, Pemberton's three-point play gave the Flying Dutchmen their biggest lead of the first half at 39-27 with 3:59 to play in the half. UNCW closed to within nine but the Flying Dutchmen bumped the lead back to 12 at 46-34 with 1:24 to play on a Wright-Foreman jumper before settling for a 48-37 lead at the break. Pemberton led all scorers with 16 points in the half while grabbing six rebounds. The Flying Dutchmen shot 59 percent (17-29) from the field while the Seahawks connected on 14 of 28 shots.

Hofstra continued the high-scoring in the second half as the Flying Dutchmen received five points from Pemberton and four from Gustys in the Flying Dutchmen's 17-12 spurt over the first 4:43 to boost the lead to 65-49 with 15:17 to play. The Seahawks closed to within 13 several times, the latest at 76-63 on a Tally three-pointer with 8:42 to play. But the Flying Dutchmen went on an 18-9 spurt over the next 5:15 to open up their biggest lead of the contest at 94-72 with 2:15 to play before settling for the 20-point victory.
 
Hofstra returns to action this Saturday, February 3 when the Pride host the Cougars of Charleston in a CAA contest at the Mack Sports Complex. Game time is 7 p.m.
 
NOTES
- Thursday's game was the 38th in the series between Hofstra and UNCW. The series now stands tied at 19-all.
- Pemberton recorded his 18th double-figure scoring game of the season and 39th of his career. It was his fifth 20-point game of the year.
- Rokas Gustys became Hofstra's all-time career rebound leader at the Division I level with two early caroms. He passed John Irving (1974-77), who finished with 1,186. Gustys now has 1,201 rebounds in his career. He tallied his 16th game in double-figure rebounds and 68th of his career. Bill Thieben is the all-time leading rebounder in program history with 1,837 career rebounds from 1953-56. 
- Wright-Foreman extended his double-figure consecutive game scoring streak to 45, which is the fifth longest active Division I streak.