The Hofstra University women’s basketball lost to the Hampton University Lady Pirates on Friday, March 1, 48-42. Avoiding a bottom-four seed may now be difficult for the Pride, as Hampton was the CAA’s lowest-seeded team entering the game.

Before the game, Hofstra head coach Danielle Santos Atkinson emphasized the importance of seeding for the Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) tournament, “We don’t want to play on that first day.”

Hofstra now sits third from last in the CAA standings with a 9-17 overall record and a 3-12 CAA record. Hampton maintains the bottom spot in the standings with a 3-22 overall record and an identical 3-12 CAA record.

Both the Pride and the Lady Pirates’ offenses appeared to take the day off. Each team had only one player reach the double-digit mark. Sorelle Ineza led the Pride with 13 points while Camryn Hill stayed on top of Hampton’s leaderboard with 12 points, scoring 9 points in the first quarter.

With a lack of offense, Hofstra’s quasi-alert defense helped them keep up with Hampton. As a team that averages 38.6 rebounds per game, Hofstra put up slightly above-average numbers, collecting 41 rebounds. Zyheima Swint was the clear defensive leader of the game, making 12 rebounds (including 4 offensive rebounds) and earning all three of the Pride’s blocks for the game.

The Pride did not score double digits in either the first or third quarter, giving up four points in the second quarter.

“We felt like we could play some more zone [defense] in this game, but when we got down, we weren’t able to sit back in the zone,” Santos said. “We had to force them into some quick shots and miss some turnovers but had to get out of it once we were down.”

Brooke Anya continued to lead the team with steals, adding two to make a season total of 33. Anya also trailed Swint with six rebounds before fouling out with 26 seconds left in the game.

Hofstra only held the lead for 1 minute and 14 seconds, allowing for 25 turnovers compared to the Lady Pirates’ 16 turnovers. Both teams had difficulty scoring due to the other team’s struggle to keep possession. For a high turnover count from Hofstra, Hampton only scored 17 points from turnovers. The number was only lower with the Pride, who made 15 points off turnovers.

Tionna Baker, a key member of Hofstra’s bench, played 12 minutes, scoring five points and added six rebounds to the Pride’s total.

“[Baker] is a great defender, so she was able to force some turnovers and was able to speed [the game] up, [and] cause some havoc, and was able to convert on the other end and get into the basket,” Santos said.

The Pride honored six graduating students, including Ineza, Anya and Swint, on their senior game and home finale on Sunday, March 3, against Monmouth University. A 2 p.m. tip-off is set at the David S. Mack Sports and Exhibition Complex.

 Photo courtesy of Michelle Rabinovich/Hofstra Chronicle