The Hofstra University Pride women’s basketball team snapped their five-game losing streak in a 72-58 win over Hampton University, on Thursday, March 2, in Hampton, Virginia.
“Really, really proud of this team in the way they fought and continued to fight throughout the game,” said head coach Danielle Santos-Atkinson. “Their adversity was not perfect, but they did a great job staying the course and did a great job with sticking to the game plan.”
Sorelle Ineza led the team with a career-high 24 points, and Zyheima Swint followed behind with her first career double-double with 14 points and 14 rebounds. Brandy Thomas hit a career milestone as she reached 1,000 career rebounds on her fifth rebound of the game.
“I always talk about [Thomas’s] impact not only on the floor but off the floor; she’s a great leader for us, her energy is infectious and her aggressiveness and competitiveness really push our team to another level,” Atkinson said. “Happy to see her get that milestone and be
able to wrap up her career this year saying that she was able to do that.
The start of the game didn’t reflect the final score, as Monmouth lead 14-11 at the end of the first quarter. Ineza made up six of the points in that quarter with Alarice Gooden, Emma Von Essen and Swint added the remaining five.
“[Swint] was aggressive, looking to score and looking for opportunities to be able to get to the basket,” Atkinson said. “Last game they stormed her and made it tough for her to get baskets, and she did a great job at it tonight of being aggressive, focusing and finishing around the rim.”
Hofstra took the lead before halftime, scoring 30 points in the second quarter alone. Thomas started the quarter hot with a layup and two free throws in the opening minutes. The Pride held the Pirates to only 19 points in the quarter, showing a strong defensive effort by the team. With a little over a minute left in the quarter, the Pride combined for eight points, heading into halftime leading 41-33.
In the opening minutes of the third, Hofstra outscored the Pirates 12-4. Ineza scored eight of the 12 points with Thomas and Swint contributing the rest, allowing the Pride to go into the fourth quarter leading 58-44.
Hofstra is known for a shaky fourth quarter performance, and that was highlighted when Hampton came out scoring the first six points of the final quarter. Von Essen stopped their scoring streak with a 3-pointer, doubled down with a Kayley Joseph-Bernard layup for the Pride. The fourth quarter continued to be a back-and-forth fight, but Hofstra succeed in taking the 72-58 win.
The Pride finished shooting 56.3% in the paint and 40% from downtown.
The Pride returns to the court on Saturday, March 4, to finish their Colonial Athletic Association season campaign against the College of William and Mary Tribe in Williamsburg, Virginia at 1 p.m.
Photo courtesy of Evan Bernstein/Hofstra Athletics
