The Hofstra University women’s basketball team suffered its third conference loss in a row on Friday, Jan. 16. Thanks to the 61-44 defeat to Stony Brook University, the Pride fell to 3-14 and 1-4 in Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) standings.
“There’s a lot of things in the stat sheet when you look at it,” said Hofstra head coach Danielle Santos Atkinson. “You would think that we would come out on the other end. This team has it, has what it takes. We got to figure out how to fight through adversity.”
Hofstra led only once throughout the entire game for 38 seconds; the score was 16-14 with five minutes remaining in the second quarter. They experienced a very familiar start to the game, scoring just seven points in the first quarter and 18 for the first half.
Although the Pride kept it relatively close throughout the game, the game collapsed similarly to how it did during its match at the College of Charleston by the end. Down late, Hofstra attempted a full court press to put pressure on the Seawolves and force turnovers, but it didn’t take long for Stony Brook to expose the holes in the defense. They scored 24 points in the fourth quarter, which was 10 more than their second highest scoring quarter.
“I think it was a communication breakdown,” Santos said.
The consistent difference in efficiency between Hofstra and its opponents has been a glaring issue this season. Besides Stony Brook having more free throws, the Pride shot just 32% from the field and 17% from 3-point while Stony Brook shot 52% from the field and 46% from 3-point. Winning the turnover battle is something that every team looks for; it’s a key to success.
Although the Pride won in three of their last four games, they haven’t found success standing 1-3 in that span.
“We have to be able to finish layups as we force those turnovers,” Santos said. “We’ve gotten a ton of layups and we come up short. Sandra Magolico had her second double-double in the last three games, finishing with 14 points and 12 rebounds. She’s averaging 8.4 points and 12.0 rebounds in her last five games … She’s locked in. She wants it. She’s doing exactly what we’ve asked her to do.”
Hofstra was set to play Northeastern University on Sunday, Jan. 18, at 2 p.m.
