MONTREAL – Justin Wright-Forema scored a game-high 33 points as the visiting Hofstra University Pride came from behind to defeat McGill 88-76 in men's preseason basketball at Love Competition Hall, Saturday.
 
The result dropped McGill to 4-6 against NCAA Div. 1 teams and gave Hofstra a perfect 4-0 record on their cross-border tour against RSEQ conference opponents. The Pride also defeated UQAM (85-62), Bishop's (110-51) and Concordia (99-87).  
 
In a highly-entertaining contest that featured six lead changes, McGill led 25-20 after the opening quarter but Hofstra rallied to take a 52-46 edge into the intermission.
 
With McGill trailing 57-51 and 3:43 remaining in the third quarter, Dele Ogundokun hit a trey and made a subsequent foul shot to register a rare four-point play that narrowed the gap to 57-55 and appeared to be a turning point. The Redmen rebounded to go ahead 67-62 after three stanzas but unraveled in the final quarter, which was won 26-9 by the visitors from Hempstead, N.Y.
 
Wright-Forema, a 6-foot-1 junior guard from Queens, N,Y., who played 36 of the 40 minutes, shot 11 for 21 from the floor, including a 6-for-12 performance from three-point range. He finished with six fouls was one of five players permitted to remain in the game despite reaching the five-foul limit. Both head coaches agreed to increase the personal foul limit to eight as getting more playing time was a mutual objective.
 
Three Redmen reached double figures in scoring, led by newcomers Alex Paquin of Montreal and Jamal Mayali of Toronto, with 14 points apiece. Noah Daoust, a senior from Dorval, Que., added a dozen points.
 
Hofstra teammates Matija Radovic and Eli Pemberton also reached double figures, with 20 and 17 points, respectively.
 
The Pride shot 43.6 per cent on their field-goal attempts (27/65), including a 13-for-25 effort from downtown. McGill shot 43.6 from the floor (24/55), draining eight of 25 treys. Both teams had 34 rebounds and went to the foul line more than 30 times, with Hofstra making 21 of 33 and McGill draining 20 of 31. The Pride committed 14 turnovers, compared to 16 by the Redmen.
 
After a challenging early preseason agenda that featured 10 contests against NCAA Div. 1 programs, McGill gets a four-week break to settle into school and will resume their exhibition schedule Oct. 5-7, when they travel to Alberta, where they are slated to confront Calgary, McMaster and Acadia at the Calgary Cup tournament.
 
Hofstra has a 10-week break before resuming their schedule against the Army team from West Point, N.Y., on Nov. 10.
 
 
SOURCE:
Earl Zukerman
Communications Officer
Athletics & Recreation
McGill University
514-398-7012 (Tel.)
m.athletics.mcgill.ca (mobile website)
www.mcgillathletics.ca
earl.zukerman@mcgill.ca
@EarlZukerman (twitter)
 
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