Despite terrific individual performances from multiple team members, the Hofstra women’s basketball team didn’t have enough left in the tank to hold off a surprisingly resurgent UNCW team, falling to the Seahawks by a 56-54 final score on Friday afternoon.
“A massively tough one today…we had a ton of opportunities, and we couldn’t connect,” said Hofstra head coach Krista Kilburn-Steveskey after Friday’s game.
Friday’s matinee contest was a special one for Hofstra, as the Mack Sports Complex played host to hundreds of local elementary schoolers for “What I Want to Be Day.” The large crowd made for a raucous atmosphere, with crowd noise unlike any the Pride had seen at home so far this year.
Yet, not even the pronounced home-court advantage could prevent Hofstra from slipping to 1-4 in the CAA, while giving up UNCW’s first win in the conference, after a six-game skid.
After a 4th quarter in which the Seahawks offense snapped out of the doldrums and outscored the Pride 19-9, a game in which the Pride had controlled from the get-go was sent into overtime.
“Some things offensively didn’t go our way, and our response rate to that has been something of an issue,” Kilburn-Steveskey. “It’s a game of momentum shifts.”
The Seahawks had been buoyed in the second half by the emergence of Jasmine Steele, a typical starter who sat the entire first half, only to come off the bench with a vengeance, scoring 13 points and dishing out five assists.
“Jasmine Steele came in and really attacked us,” Kilburn-Steveskey said.
The fans in attendance were treated to some free basketball, but the Pride just came up a basket short. Aleana Leon, who had scored 14 points exclusively in the second half and overtime, missed a pair of crucial free throws with just a few seconds left, leaving the door open for UNCW to ice the game with some free throws on its own end.
Amber Reeves only knocked down one of her free throws, and a quick timeout from Kilburn-Steveskey advanced the ball to the frontcourt, giving the Pride a chance with 2.1 seconds left, down by two. Unfortunately, Krystal Luciano couldn’t handle the inbounds pass, and could only chase it down and attempt a wild heave at the basket, which sailed wide, sealing the deal for the Seahawks.
Luciano was terrific all afternoon, posting a game-high 15 points, as well as coming up one assist shy of a double-double, with nine dimes.
She was aided by Ashunae Durant, who continues to be a punishing force on the low block for the Pride. While only scoring nine points, Durant pulled down a career-best 21 rebounds, almost half of the entire team rebounding total.
As indicated by Friday’s final score, the contest wasn’t exactly pretty, with both teams shooting low percentages from all over the floor. After the first quarter of play, the score was just 8-7 in favor of the Pride. At halftime, Hofstra led by a 19-15 score that looked as if it should have belonged to the now-defunct Hofstra football team.
Hofstra’s defense was solid all afternoon, but the Pride were downright lethal on defense early in this contest, smothering the Seahawks and forcing shot clock violations, five-second violations on the baseline as well as numerous last-second shots that didn’t have a prayer.
The crowd noise may have factored in, too, as many times the UNCW players didn’t seem to recognize the shot clock as it ticked down.
As the second half commenced, both teams seem to pick up the production on offense, as Hofstra scored more points in the third quarter (20) than it did in the entire first half. In fact, the Pride outscored UNCW 20-9 in the third, and it seemed as if Hofstra was taking advantage both on the scoreboard and on the glass, with Durant and Sandra Dongmo imposing their will on the boards.
Dongmo posted one of her best statlines of the season, with eight points and 11 rebounds. Foul trouble late in the game prevented her from adding to those totals.
The loss was Hofstra’s second in a row, and dropped the Pride to just .500 on the season, with an 8-8 record. UNCW improved to 6-11, and now stands at 1-5 in the CAA.
The slate doesn’t get any easier for the Pride, who will have to turn around and head to Philly for a Sunday afternoon date with Drexel University. The Dragons are 12-4 on the season, with a 3-2 mark that’s good for fourth place in the CAA.
That tip-off is set for 2 p.m. on Sunday afternoon.
