Tanksley, Bernardi lead Hofstra past Elon, 79-61

ELON, N.C. (AP) Ameen Tanksley had 25 points, and Brian Bernardi scored 17 to lead Hofstra to a 79-61 win over Elon on Saturday.

Tanksley and Bernardi hit five 3-pointers apiece as Hofstra (13-4, 4-0 Colonial Athletic Association) won its sixth straight game.

The Pride took 42-25 lead when Bernardi hit a 3 just 10 seconds into the second half, but a jumper by Ryan Winters cut Elon's deficit to 53-46 with 10:55 to play.

A layup by Rokas Gustys and a pair of Tanksley 3s sandwiched around a 3-pointer by Bernardi pushed the Hofstra lead to 18 with 8:03 left and the Phoenix trailed by at least 14 the rest of the way.

Elon (10-7, 2-2), which was led by Tony Sabato's 12 points, made one more field goal (25) than Hofstra, but the Pride made 10 more 3-pointers (14-4) and free throws (17-7).

Dion Nesmith had 13 points and a career-high 10 rebounds in the win. Juan'ya Green added 14 points, seven rebounds and six assists.