By Joe Pantorno, Sports Editor
Thursday’s match-up between Hofstra and William & Mary may not have had the same offensive fireworks that the first 100-97 Pride victory did, but it had the same results for the Pride.
Hofstra (16-5, 8-2 CAA) saw three players record double-doubles, senior guard Candice Bellocchio (14 points, 11 assists), junior forward Shante Evans (19 points, 10 rebounds) and senior forward Marie Malone (10 points, 10 rebounds), in the Pride’s 82-75 victory.
“This is a great team win over a team that’s given us fits,” said head coach Krista Kilburn-Steveskey. “I was proud that we had a good team effort tonight.”
It’s the first time Hofstra has had three players record double-doubles in a game since December 9, 2010 against Niagara.
Sophomore guard Katelyn Loper, adding 12 points, and junior forward Candace Bond, who had 10, rounded out Hofstra’s double-digit scorers on the day.
An 11-2 run to start the game by Hofstra was wiped away by the play of William & Mary’s Jaclyn McKenna and Emily Correal as the Tribe went into halftime with a 36-33 lead.
Bellocchio took over in the second, scoring 12 of her 14 points by using aggressive drives to get to the hoop. When the driving lanes collapsed, Bellocchio provided the kick out pass to the open shooter, resulting in 11 assists for the senior point guard.
“I’m always smiling on the court because this offense is fun,” said Bellocchio. “It’s great when we share the ball.”
Loper was one of the scorers who benefited from Bellocchio’s play. After starting the game 0-4 from three-point land, the sophomore finished 2-3 from beyond the arc, scoring eight of her 12 points in the second half.
“I told Kate to just take a deep breath,” said Kilburn-Steveskey. “She got two wide open looks in the second half that were awesome and then she just started taking it to the hoop.
Hofstra’s bench, led by Malone provided a significant spark for the Pride. Freshman guard, Andreana Thomas, hit some big shots down the stretch and sophomore forward, Anma Onyeuku, hit her first career three-pointer.
“That was a lift,” said Kilburn-Steveskey. “All three of them were great. A lot of good pluses tonight.”
The Pride hit 19 of its 38 shots in the second half, to open up an 11 point lead and hold on to sweep the season series from William & Mary (9-13, 2-9 CAA).
Along with the offensive prowess, Kilburn-Steveskey was happy at the fact her team held William & Mary to 75 points.
“I thought collectively we were communicating better on the floor,” said Kilburn-Steveskey. “We knew what they were going to do like the back of our hand. It was two smart teams playing on the floor.”
