By Frank Aimetti – STAFF WRITER
A furious late-game rally fell just short as Hofstra (20-13) lost a nail-biter, 65-58, in the first round of the WNIT versus the University of Pennsylvania (21-8). A strong second half wasn’t enough after inconsistent defense put Hofstra in a 9-point hole going into halftime.
“We keep our heads high, but we should have won this game today,” said head coach Krista Kilburn-Steveskey after the game. “That’s two games in a row we should have won.”
With both teams preferring an up-tempo style of basketball, it was no surprise to see the game get off to a quick start. Fast-breaks and transition buckets were the story early as both teams attempted to push the pace as much as possible. The difference proved to be shot-making from beyond the arc, usually a strong point for the Pride, but in this game, an area in which they were at a severe deficit.
In a game that wasted no time in turning into a track-meet, an early Hofstra lead didn’t last long, eventually being buried under a hail of triples from Penn. Penn shot a scorching 7-for-9 from long-range in the first half, hitting not just open looks, but also heavily contested tries, and at one point, even a three-pointer that banked in off of the top half of the backboard.
Hofstra, on the other hand, had to work hard for every single basket inside. Elo Edeferioka had another strong game, punishing smaller defenders in the low post with her back-to-the-basket game, while utilizing a series of fakes to thwart the Penn shot-blockers. Edeferioka finished with 15 points and eight rebounds.
Kelly Loftus helped key the Hofstra offense early, setting a rhythm for the offense every time down the floor with her long-range shooting and off-the-dribble ability.
Unfortunately, she didn’t receive much support for most of the first half as the Pride offense struggled when Penn focused on eliminating Loftus’ airspace from behind the arc. Loftus finished with a game-high 23 points despite the loss. The highlights of her game performance presented Loftus as one of the best players on the court.
The game broke open about halfway through the first half when Penn’s transition offense started to provide open looks for their shooters with Hofstra defenders scrambling to protect the paint. A series of runs stretched the Penn lead to 38-29 going into the half, although it felt much more than that, due in part to how quickly and seemingly easily, Penn was able to score.
The second half got off to an inauspicious start with Penn picking up where they left off in the first half. Penn’s gameplan of attacking the Hofstra defense in transition and semi-transition, essentially before the Hofstra defense could get set in the half-court, was an unmitigated success as the Penn lead only increased as the half wore on.
The Hofstra offense also struggled to score in the early goings of the second half with the paint being protected by Penn’s rim-protectors. With the Pride facing a 14-point deficit with about 11 minutes to go, it appeared to be do-or-die time for Hofstra.
Hofstra’s run started as usual, with increased effort, execution, and intensity on the defensive side of the ball. Finally, the Pride started to put together consecutive stops to turn the tables on Penn. Hofstra used their own transition offense to attack a Penn defense that couldn’t seem to get back on defense quickly enough.
Kelly Loftus made her mark in the closing minutes, scoring eight points in about the last minute and a half. A Loftus steal and finish in transition cut the Penn lead to three. However, Hofstra would not get any closer.
Impressive execution by Penn and shots simply not falling for the Pride allowed Penn to escape with a narrow victory. Despite being disappointed by the loss, coach Kilburn-Steveskey was also able to look ahead to next season, and perhaps, increased success.
“It’s just exciting to know that everybody’s back and it’s exciting to have the blueprint in front of you, of what you need to do,” said Kilburn-Steveskey looking on to next season. “We know what we need to do to be consistently successful and that’s a nice thing to have with everybody back, it’s a good place to be.”
Penn will face Temple in the second round of the WNIT while Hofstra’s final record will sit at 20-13, marking its fourth 20-win season in program history since joining Division I.
