The Hofstra University women’s basketball team defeated the College of William & Mary 54-34 to claim their third win in a row. The Pride are now 12-15 on the year, 7-9 in conference play, and move up to 10th in Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) standings.
“So proud of this team; so, so proud,” said Hofstra coach Danielle Santos Atkinson. “[I’m proud of] their effort and how they attacked it from the very beginning.”
Both teams came out cold in the first quarter, shooting just 21% combined for both teams with William & Mary leading 9-7. Starting 1-8 from three with five turnovers, it seemed like it would be a tough one for Hofstra, but coming into the second quarter, the Pride flipped the game on its head.
From the second quarter to the final buzzer, Hofstra dominated in almost every category. Beating out the Tribe in points, field goal percentage, free throw percentage, steals and both offensive and defensive rebounds.
The Pride played their best defense of the season in this matchup, holding William & Mary to just 34 points on 24% shooting with six steals. Coming off a game scoring 38 points in the paint against Northeastern University on Friday, Feb. 28, the Tribe scored just 10 points in the paint. Hofstra dominated that area all game as well, out-rebounding W&M by 12.
“We talked about being able to play defense together,” Santos said. “Whenever they defend together it changes our team.”
Senior center Zyheima Swint took over for the Pride, scoring 11 points with 13 rebounds and a steal. She led the team in points, rebounds and field goals. The second half of her frontcourt duo, Ramatoulaye Keita, led the team in offensive rebounds with 3-pointer.
“[Swint] helps us in so many ways that don’t always show up in the stat sheet,” Santos said. “Her defensive presence and the way she helps around the basket is one of the things that really makes her great. She’s done a great job at finishing around the rim, working to create those opportunities in order to finish and this team is relying on her to continue to do so.”
Junior guard Alarice Gooden led the way for the bench unit, as the second-highest scorer on the team with 10 points, adding two to go along with eight rebounds. She played a career-high 31 minutes.
“[Gooden] is playing with great confidence and so much composure, poise [and] patience,” Santos said. “She’s understanding what it is that we’re looking for; she’s been really locked in. Love the confidence that she’s playing with and what she has been willing to give on the floor to her team.”
Hofstra will look to continue this streak into their final two games of the regular season, the next of which is against Stony Brook University. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m. on Thursday, March 6, at the David S. Mack Sports and Exhibition Complex.
