The Hofstra University women’s basketball team ended its eight game losing streak in a blowout 75-59 win over Hampton University on Sunday, Feb. 8. The Pride played their best game of the season and now sit at 4-18 and 2-9 in Coastal Athletic Conference (CAA) play. 

“I’m just so proud of this team,” said Hofstra head coach Danielle Santos Atkinson. “We talk a lot about how they continue to show up, how they continue to fight. It’s a hard season, and for them to continue to show up the way that they do and continue to work on the things we’re asking of them and buy into the connection that we have to have, it just says a lot about the character of the players that we have on our team.”

Every game throughout this conference run had felt the same, but this game was different since Hofstra trailed for just 33 seconds, regaining the lead with a little over six minutes left in the first quarter and not giving it up again. Hofstra’s lead was as high as 22 points.

“I don’t care if it’s just us and the people in that room that believe it, but this team has it,” Santos said. “We have everything we need in order to go get this thing done; it’s just getting over the hump of being able to close.”

This was the Pride’s best offensive game all season, scoring their most points against a Division I opponent. They made the most 3-pointers in a game all season with nine and shot their best from beyond the arc with 45%. They dominated the boards, out rebounding Hampton by 20 and 11 on the offensive side. 

“We believe what this team is capable of. To be able to see it on paper is great,” Santos said.

Hofstra saw four strong performances from their guards. Senior guard Emma Von Essen had her best game of the season, finishing with 14 points, four rebounds and a season high four 3-pointers. Since she became a starter, Von Essen’s minutes and shot attempts have been limited, but her impact on the court is always felt. With her four threes, Von Essen is just one 3-pointer away from tying Jen Brickey for 2nd all-time in 3-pointers made for a Hofstra women’s basketball player with 230 3-pointers. 

“I wish I got one more tonight, but that’s great,” Von Essen said. “Now I’m looking forward to the future even more.”

Micaela Carter continues to show up in her best season with the Pride, totaling 15 points, four rebounds and two assists. She has an inability to lose confidence and allows follow-through on her shots, with two of her rebounds coming from her own shots. She’s averaging nine points shooting 54.3% from the field in her last six games.

Since entering the rotation at the start of conference play, Nevaeh Brown has made an impact offensively. She has three games with more than 15 points, with the Pride going 2-1 in those games. Brown has the ability to complete tough shots, always showing up in dire moments, whether it’s the end of the shot or play clock with a mid-range shot. She finished the game with 17 points and six rebounds on 7-11 shooting.

“Whenever you have a good game personally, it doesn’t feel good when you don’t come up with the win, so honestly I’m happier about the win than how well I played,” Brown said.

Chloe Sterling has been the Pride’s most consistent and reliable scorer, gaining points by any means necessary. She finished the game with a near triple-double of 15 points, eight rebounds, eight assists, a steal and a block while coming off a 20-point performance on Friday, Feb. 6.

“She’s like a double-edged sword,” Brown said. “Not only can she pass to us and get us open, but she can get in there and go get a bucket too.”

Last season, the Pride hit a seven game skid in late January to mid-February but finished the season winning five of their last six games. This year, the Pride went on an eight-game losing streak from January to February. The game against Hampton could be the one that this team needs to turn the score around just before the conference tournament in March.

“[This win] is everything, not just because it’s that point in the season where you want to be putting it all together, but we have to be able to get the confidence that we need going into the conference tournament,” Santos said. “I think this allows us to see what we’re capable of and continue that through the remainder of this conference play.”

Hofstra will travel to the John W. Pope Jr. Convocation Center in North Carolina to take on Campbell University on Friday, Feb. 13 at 7 p.m. Hofstra leads the all-time series between the two teams 2-1. They won their last matchup 55-47 last season.