Hofstra guard Jalen Ray (20) and others raise the trophy after defeating Northeastern in an NCAA college basketball game for the championship of the Colonial Athletic Association men's tournament Tuesday, March 10, 2020, in Washington. Hofstra won 70-61. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)Associated Press

Joe Mihalich's Hofstra squad is back in the Big Dance after topping Northeastern 70-61 to win CAA

By DANIEL KUCIN JR. The Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — Senior guard Eli Pemberton scored 12 of his 19 points in the second half and Hofstra came from behind to beat Northeastern 70-61 Tuesday night to win the Colonial Athletic Association Tournament and return to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2001.

The top-seeded Pride (26-8) clinched the CAA's automatic bid and reached the NCAA Tournament for the fifth time in program history. It's Hofstra's first CAA title.

Coach Joe Mihalich's is back in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2007, when he was at Niagara. Players sprayed Mihalich with water on stage after receiving the CAA trophy.

Senior Desure Buie scored a game-high 20 points and was named the tournament's most outstanding player. Jalen Ray scored 17 points, and Isaac Kante grabbed 15 rebounds.

Hofstra trailed at halftime and used a 17-4 run to pull away. The Pride held conference leading scorer Jordan Roland to just 11 points.

Maxime Boursiquot led Northeastern with 15 points and nine rebounds.

Hofstra was nearly unstoppable during tournament play and delivered an 18-point drubbing of Drexel in the quarterfinals. The Pride scored another double-digit victory against Delaware in the semifinals when they didn't miss a shot for the game's first five minutes.

BIG PICTURE

Northeastern: The Huskies ran out of gas, and their Cinderella run at the CAA Tournament ended with a thud. Northeastern (17-16) upset third-seeded Towson and then beat Elon to reach the tournament championship game.

Hofstra: The Pride are expected to be a No. 13 or 14 seed in the NCAA Tournament and a big underdog in the first round. But the celebration is on in Hempstead, New York, because it has been so long since Hofstra made it.