By Joe Pantorno, Assistant Sports Editor
Sophomore forward Shante Evans scored a career high 36 points and added 14 rebounds as the Hofstra University women’s basketball team closed out the regular season with a 91-84 victory over William & Mary Wednesday night.
“We did what we needed to do and we got out of there with a win,” said head coach Krista Kilburn-Steveskey.
Hofstra’s full court press defense caused six William & Mary turnovers in the first four minutes, allowing the Pride to start the game on a 9-2 run, shooting 4-6 from the field.
William & Mary’s shooting started heating up, cutting down on turnovers, answering Hofstra with a 14-5 run to tie the game 16-16 with 10:10 remaining in the first half.
Two straight three-pointers from senior guard Aamira Terry and freshman Kate Loper re-established a Hofstra lead just 20 seconds later.
Tribe junior guard Taysha Pye caused problems for Hofstra, scoring 14 points in the first half.
Hofstra’s swarming defense began forcing turnovers again, re-opening a 41-28 lead with 3:16 left in the half.
William & Mary cut the lead to 43-35 at halftime, despite 17 points from Evans in the first 20 minutes.
The Tribe shot out of the gates and tied the game 47-47 with less than 3 minutes gone in the second half.
“We weren’t getting what we needed to get out of the press,” said Kilburn-Steveskey. “It felt like there were times when we were playing chase and that’s why the score was as high as it was.”
The Pride answered right back with a 10-3 run after William & Mary’s solid stretch.
Loper caught fire, taking some of the attention away from Evans, sinking three consecutive three-pointers, giving her a new career high in points (26) with 7:19 gone in the second half, which gave the Pride a 63-54 lead.
Loper and Evans continued to be the main source of scoring, recording 54 of Hofstra’s 70 points at the 8:37 mark. The Pride led 70-61 at that point.
William & Mary would not go away, going on yet another run to tie the game at 72-72 with just over five minutes remaining.
The teams traded baskets, as the Pride continued lean on Evans to keep it in the game.
“She had four people on her,” said Kilburn-Steveskey. “It was pretty amazing.”
A three-pointer from sophomore guard Candace Bond put Hofstra up 81-78 with 2:45 left in the game. Hofstra then got a defensive stop and Evans gave the Pride a five-point lead with a layup and just over a minute left.
Hofstra got another defensive stop and knocked down its free throws to seal the victory. The Pride finished the game 24-26 from the foul line.
“That just showed that we were focused,” Kilburn-Steveskey said. “Our focus is what definitely helped us towards the end.”
Loper and Evans combined for 62 points, the highest combined total for any Hofstra duo this season. The Pride improves to 18-11 on the season and 10-8 in Colonial Athletic Association play to end the regular season. The Pride has earned the fifth seed in the CAA Tournament and will face William & Mary for the third time this season Thursday, March 10 at 2:30 P.M.
