The Hofstra University women’s basketball team lost its second conference game in a row to Drexel University 67-38 on Sunday, Jan. 11. The Pride fell to 3-12 overall, 1-3 in Coastal Athletic Conference (CAA) play and last place in the conference.
“I didn’t think we played with enough passion, with enough heart, with enough fight to compete in a conference game at this point in the year,” said Hofstra head coach Danielle Santos Atkinson.
Hofstra faced off against premium talent all season long, playing against three teams that were ranked coming into the season, multiple teams that had a record over .500 last season and the top teams of the CAA. There are a handful of games that they let slip away, but without those losses this team is looked at in a completely different way.
The Pride opened the game against Drexel with the second least amount of points in a quarter this season with five and finished off the half with just 19 points. They didn’t score a field goal for the first five minutes of the game, similar to their game against Towson University. By the time Hofstra got one to go, it was already 12-3. After this field goal, Drexel always led by at least nine points.
Drexel has one of the best scorers in the CAA in Amaris Baker, who is averaging 19.9 points per game. The Pride held her to just 14 points on 4-12 shooting, this allowed for junior Deja Evans to drop back-to-back 20-point games. Evans shot 80% from the field.
Hofstra was outscored by five or more in each quarter, with their most efficient quarter being 6-13 from the field and 1-3 from 3-point range in the second. They shot 10-44 from the field and 2-18 from 3-point in the other three quarters. Efficiency has been by far the biggest issue, with the team shooting just 35.6% from the field and 25.5% from 3-point – the lowest 3-point percentage since 2022 and the lowest field goal percentage since 1996.
Despite the loss, the seniors of the Pride tried their best to get the offense going. Sandra Magolico added another strong game to her impressive first season with the Pride, finishing the game with a double-double of 10 points, 11 rebounds and a block. Emma Von Essen returned to her efficient 3-point shooting self since coming off the bench. She has only taken 3.4 shots a game since coming off the bench, but she’s shooting 41% from the field and 45% from 3-point.
Hofstra returned home to face off against Stony Brook University on Friday, Jan. 16, at 6 p.m. Hofstra won their last matchup against the Seawolves in a 73-70 overtime thriller at home.
