The Hofstra University women’s basketball team is gearing up for another pair of Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) contests. The Pride looks to bounce back after their 63-44 loss to North Carolina Agricultural and Technical University. Hofstra starts the week 9-9 with a 4-3 conference record, putting them at eighth in the CAA standings.
The Pride will start the two-game road trip in Wilmington, North Carolina, to take on UNC-Wilmington (UNCW) on Friday, Jan. 31. UNCW is 10-10 this season and 4-3 in CAA play, placing them ninth in the standings. The Seahawks are one of the best offensive teams in the conference, averaging 65.2 points per game, which ranks second in the CAA.
UNCW is coming off a win against Hampton University where they defeated the Lady Pirates 66-50. Ali Zelaya led her side with 15 points and a game-high of 13 rebounds. Taylor Henderson, UNCW’s leading scorer, added 10 points, eight rebounds and five assists. Henderson averages 11.8 points per game while also leading their team in assists and free throw attempts as Hofstra will look to keep her off the charity stripe.
The Pride is looking to extend its eight-game winning streak against the Seahawks with tipoff scheduled for 7 p.m. from Trask Coliseum. Fans can tune in to the game on FloCollege or listen to an audio-only broadcast on the Hofstra Alternative Web Channel (HAWC).
The Pride will then travel to Charleston, South Carolina, for a rematch against the College of Charleston. The Cougars are 13-5 on the year and 4-3 in conference play.
Charleston won the first matchup against Hofstra in Hempstead, New York, on Friday, Jan. 10 by a score of 64-51. McKinley Brooks-Sumpter led the game with 18 points, trailed by Sophia Tougas with 15 points off the bench and 13 points from Taylor Barbot.
The Cougars own one of the best offenses in the CAA while remaining one of the elite defenses in the country.
Charleston ranks first in the conference in points, field goals made and free throws made while leading the NCAA in average turnover margin and ranking in the top-five for steals per game and forced turnovers per game.
Ramatoulaye Keita and Emma Von Essen led the Pride with 11 points each in the loss as Keita grabbed a game-high of 15 rebounds.
Keita has stepped up for the Pride during conference play with freshman LaNae’ Corbett missing the last five games due to injury. Since Corbett went down, Keita is averaging 8.0 points, 8.8 rebounds and 1.4 steals on 43% from the field.
After a pair of tough games shooting the ball, Von Essen is heating up from behind the arc. In her last two games, she shot 57% from 3-point range, sitting just three 3-pointers from tying Tonya Yandrisevitz for fourth all-time in career 3-pointers made in program history.
Tipoff from TD Arena is set for 2 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 2. Fans can tune in to the game on FloCollege, or on HAWC.
