After a career performance from freshman forward LaNae’ Corbett, the Hofstra University women’s basketball team look to keep the momentum going this week as they start their Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) schedule. They kick off 2025 on the road against Monmouth University and the University of Delaware. The Pride enter conference play with a 5-6 record, finishing the 2024 calendar year on a two-game winning streak. With the help of top scorers Corbett and Chloe Sterling, the team took care of business at home against Iona University on Sunday, Dec. 29, with a final score of 59-43. Corbett finished with a career-high 24 points, earning CAA Player of the Week honors for the first time in her career.
Corbett finished the game with six rebounds, a career-high four steals, two assists and one block, along with her 24 points. It was still a true team effort, with production from Sterling, who added 11 points and contributed six rebounds and three steals. Zyheima Swint also added eight rebounds.
Sterling, Corbett and Emma Von Essen enter conference play as the Pride’s top scorers with each player averaging double digit points per game. Sterling leads the team with 15.4 points per game, followed by Von Essen with 12.4 and Corbett with 11.
Conference play opens against Monmouth on Friday, Jan. 3. The Hawks enter the contest after a 64-51 victory against American University on Dec. 21, 2024. Sitting at 5-6 on the season, they look to continue their winning record at home, where they currently stand at 4-1.
The Hawks had three players reach double figures in the win with forward Taisha Exanor leading the way with 13 points in 27 minutes of play. Forward Ella Farrelly added 11 points and a game-high 12 rebounds while forward Divine Dibula had 10 points.
Senior guard Damaris Rodriguez and Exanor stand as the Hawks’ top scorers, averaging 12.7 and 12.5 points, respectively. Exanor also leads the team in rebounds, with 8.6 boards per game, followed by Farrelly with 7.9 rebounds per game.
Hofstra and Monmouth have met 14 times, dating back to their first meeting on Jan. 2, 1991 with the Hawks owning the head-to-head record 9-5. The most recent matchup was Mar. 3, 2024, where the Pride fell short 66-50. Friday will be just the fourth meeting between the two sides since Monmouth joined the CAA in 2022, but the Pride look for a fresh start in 2025, having lost the last seven games against the Hawks going back to 1998.
The game will tipoff at 7 p.m. at OceanFirst Bank Center in West Long Branch, New Jersey. Fans can watch on FloCollege and can listen to the radio broadcast on WRHU 88.7 FM.
The Pride are also slated to play Delaware on Sunday, Jan. 5. The Fightin’ Blue Hens sit at a 3-7 record, with a two-game losing streak ahead of their upcoming match against Drexel University on Friday, Jan. 3.
Sophomore center Ande’a Cherisier leads the team in scoring, averaging 11.3 per game. Guard Tara Cousins adds 10.9 points per game this season. On the defensive side, forward Chloe Wilson leads in rebounds, with 6.4 rebounds per game while guard Ella Wanzer leads the season in steals with 18.
In their last matchup against the United States Naval Academy on Dec. 19, 2024, Delaware fell short 79-69. Cousins and Wanzer led in scoring with 16 points and 14 points, respectively. Guard Jiya Perry earned a career-high eight rebounds.
The Fightin’ Blue Hens have dominated the head-to-head matchup with a 70-12 all-time record against the Pride. Hofstra will look to break a 17-game losing streak against Delaware this week.
Tipoff is set for 2 p.m. at the Bob Carpenter Center in Newark, Delaware. Fans can tune in on FloCollege, or they can listen to an audio-only broadcast on the Hofstra Alternative Web Channel.
