The Pride opened conference play on Friday, Jan. 5, with an 82-54 dismantling of the UNC-Wilmington (UNCW) Seahawks. This win improved the Pride to 7-5 on the season and got them back in the win column after a 53-45 loss to Manhattan College and opens their Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) conference schedule with a win. On the other side, UNCW cannot buy a win, as they dropped their sixth consecutive game and fall to 2-10 on the season and start conference play 0-1.
“[It feels] great, we talked about being able to open up CAA play at home, being able to kick off this weekend with a homestand and what we wanted that to look like and really looking to make a statement in this game with what we want the CAA season to look like for us,” said Hofstra women’s basketball head coach Danielle Santos-Atkinson.
The Seahawks scored the first five points of the game, but it was all Hofstra after that. The Pride went on an 11-0 run and did not relinquish the lead. Dominating 42-18 in the first half gave them in full control of the game by halftime. While play evened out in the second half, Hofstra still outscored UNCW by four.
Sorelle Ineza and Emma Von Essen led the way offensively for the Pride, with 17 and 15 points, respectively. Von Essen killed the Seahawks from beyond the arc with five 3-pointers, while Ineza had a more balanced attack, with four 2-point field goals to go alongside her three 3-pointers. Zyheima Swint rounded out the players in double digits for the Pride, with 10 points on four-of-six shooting.
The Pride’s offensive effort as a team was one of their best of the season – as a team they shot nearly 50% from the field and from beyond the arc.
“What I’m most proud about is how well they played in a total team effort,” Santos said. “The 26 assists and 55 rebounds are things that really stand out because those are effort things, those are things you’ve gotta be intentional about, those are things that we’ve been working on and emphasizing in practice, and I think they did a great job with it.”
Brooke Anya and Ally Knights both had four assists for the Pride, with Janaia Fargo, Alarice Goodwin and Kayley Joseph-Bernard adding three of their own.
Defensively, the Pride suffocated UNCW’s offense, holding the Seahawks to just 54 points on 26.6% shooting. Hofstra also held the Seahawks to only two made 3-pointers. Anya anchored the Pride on defense, leading the team in both rebounds with 11, as well as in steals with three. Tionna Baker pulled down eight boards of her own while Swint led the team in blocks with three.
“We wanted to dominated and I felt as though we did,” Santos said.
The Pride are back in action at home against the College of William & Mary at the David S. Mack Sports and Exhibition Complex on Sunday, Jan. 7.
Photo courtesy of Alexis Friedman/Hofstra Athletics
