To win their final game of the season, the Hofstra University women’s basketball team dominated Northeastern University 62-46. After starting the season 3-18, the Pride won five of their last eight games, finishing the year with an 8-21 record and 6-12 in conference play. Hofstra ended the season 10th in Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) standings, securing a first-round bye in the CAA Tournament.
“Great way to finish out this regular season,” said Hofstra head coach Danielle Santos Atkinson. “We were able to hold on and finish strong.”
The Pride started this game with another lackluster first quarter, falling behind 14-9 and shooting just 4-15 from the field. Like the game against Drexel University, the ball kept finding the bottom of the basket. Alarice Gooden led the charge in the second, giving Hofstra the lead with a pair of 3-pointers. She capped off her impressive half with 11 points, and Hofstra led 29-21.
It was all Pride from there, with Hofstra fully taking over in the third quarter. In the last five minutes of the quarter, Hofstra outscored the Huskies 16-6, shooting 7-15 from the field and 3-6 from beyond the arc. Nevaeh Brown fueled the run with seven points of her own, finishing the game 10 on 4-5 from the field and 2-2 from 3-point. Hofstra led 47-29 going into the final 10 minutes.
Hofstra struggled to start the fourth quarter. They committed five turnovers in just one minute and allowed a 10-0 Northeastern run. But with their lead shrinking, the Pride broke the press and the offense regained its rhythm. They matched Northeastern shot-for-shot in the final six minutes and came out with the win.
“We expected them to be able to pick up their pressure, we’ve worked on it,” Santos said. “I think not having that pressure throughout the entirety of the game, we weren’t as prepared when they did throw it on.”
Both sides of the floor flourished in Boston, Massachusetts, on Saturday, March 7. Offensively, Hofstra scored their third most points against a conference opponent as well as their most 3-pointers made in a game all season. Defensively, the Pride held the Huskies to 15 made shots, with only three from beyond the arc. Northeastern also turned the ball over 20 times, the Pride have consistently won the turnover battle since the start of the conference season. On top of this, seven Hofstra players recorded at least one steal, with Chloe Sterling grabbing two.
“We had talked about [our connection] early in the season, how connected we are as a team,” Santos said. “That plays a role in what that looks like on the offensive side and the defensive side. There’s been a better connection on the floor with our team and amongst our team and so defensively they’ve been able to play better as a unit.”
The Pride will now travel down to Washington, D.C. for the CAA Tournament. Their first game will be Thursday, March 12, at 6 p.m. against Towson University. Towson defeated Hofstra in both matchups this season, with just a four-point combined margin of victory. Hofstra will look to grab its first tournament victory since the 2023-24 season.
