By Joe Pantorno (Editor-in-Chief)

There was a loud thud. Anma Onyeuku was called for the charge after Hofstra’s transition game was quelled towards the end of the first half.

While some Hofstra players and coaches protested the call, it took a moment to focus on what exactly made such a sound.

Lying on the floor was senior forward Candace Bond, Hofstra’s vocal leader and recently named CAA Defensive Player of the Year.

With one senior leader, forward Shante Evans already on the bench with foul trouble, a bad situation was looking like it was going to become much worse.

Going up for the rebound, Bond took a hit and fell on her head and neck and was not getting up. Worrisome moments, but she managed to sit up and walk to the bench with some assistants.

“When I first hit the floor, I don’t know what I was thinking,” Bond said. “My teammates came up to me and said that they needed me and I was ready.”

After passing a pair of concussion tests, Bond was back.

And she didn’t miss a beat.

With nine points, nine rebounds and three blocks, Bond sparked a defense that held Northeastern to just 52 points. In its previous meeting, the Huskies put up 88 against Hofstra.

“I knew my team needed me and there is no way that I wasn’t coming back,” said Bond.

“As a coach you have to stay positive and tell them that everything is going to be great,” said Kilburn-Steveskey. “Those were scary moments…I’m just very happy she’s okay.”

More than okay, the charisma was at an all-time high as she seemed to display boundless amounts of energy.

It’s difficult to win three games in three consecutive days, especially with the conference’s number one seed waiting in the semifinals, but Bond’s clean bill of health and demeanor will have Hofstra flying high into Saturday afternoon.