To secure their first win of the 2025-26 season, the Hofstra University women’s basketball team defeated Yale University 73-66 on Tuesday, Nov. 11. This was Hofstra’s first away-win against Yale since 1999. Hofstra is 4-1 in the second game of the season after dropping their opener since 2022.
“We knew that it was [our defense] that we had to take care of,” said Hofstra head coach Danielle Santos Atkinson. “We didn’t fold; they cut it close and tied it up, we didn’t fold.”
The highlight of the win for the Pride was their defense and rebounding. The program is known for its hard-nosed attitude and dominance on the glass, and they stood on that against Yale. Hofstra grabbed 17 offensive rebounds and 35 total rebounds. In the second half, the Pride held the Bulldogs to 11-24 from the field and just 1-4 from three, after Yale shot 5-13 from beyond the arc in the first half.
The graduates and seniors showed out in the win. Transfer Sandra Magolico walked away totaling 13 rebounds, including eight offensive rebounds. Magolico also tallied 25 points on 11-17 shooting with three steals. This was one of the best games a member of the Pride has had on both sides of the ball in recent history.
“She’s everywhere on the floor – everywhere and everything to our team,” Santos said. “She does a great job; she’s got so much energy … She’s all over the rebounds. She does a great job being able to score on the inside or facing up. She’s very versatile in what it is and how she can score.”
Alarice Gooden has become one of the best offensive players, as well as a top defender, for the Pride since late last season. Since March 2, Gooden has averaged 11 points on 42% shooting, while also being Hofstra’s most reliable perimeter defender. She finished with 15 points and a steal against the Bulldogs and fired a clutch layup to put Hofstra up three with just over 20 seconds remaining.
“She’s so steady, playing with so much confidence and we got all the confidence in her,” Santos said. “Put the ball in her hands and she can go and make plays, so tough and physical, she plays both ways.”
With Emma Von Essen on the bench in foul trouble, sophomore guard Ema Karim stepped up by playing 34 minutes and is now emerging as a serious rotational piece for the Pride. Karim currently sits fifth in minutes per game with 23. This season, she has already totaled 46 minutes in two games, advancing the 36 minutes she logged across 10 games last season.
“We had her in multiple positions. We had her playing [small forward], we had her playing the wing, inside, had her guarding the bigs [and] guarding the guards,” Santos said. “She just has such a high basketball IQ that she’s able to move around on the floor and create opportunities on both ends.”
The Pride hosted their first home game of the season against another Ivy League opponent, University of Pennsylvania, on Saturday, Nov. 15. Tipoff was set for 1 p.m. from the David S. Mack Sports and Exhibition Complex.
