The Hofstra Pride women’s basketball team suffered their third straight loss as they fell to the Northeastern University Huskies 59-52 at the Cabot Physical Education Center in Boston, Massachusetts, on Sunday, Feb. 19.
The rally came up short for the Pride as they cut a 13-point deficit at the end of the third quarter to just seven, but it was a lost cause.
“We had to go, we had to get after it,” said Hofstra head coach Danielle Santos-Atkinson. “We couldn’t sit back, we couldn’t wait. There was more than enough time on the clock for us to be able to get it done.”
Hofstra trailed by double-digits going into halftime following a poor second quarter where they were outscored, 17-7.
“That was tough, especially with the shots that we were missing,” Santos-Atkinson. “I believe it was a little deflating for us at times because they were point-blank layups. We had worked really hard to get the shot that we wanted, and then when we did get the shot, we came up short.”
Northeastern’s Gemima Motema led the way for the Huskies as she finished as the leading scorer on the night with 16 points, 14 of which were scored in the first half before slowing down in the second half with only two points.
“[Motema] got out in transition,” Santos-Atkinson. “It was a track meet for her, and she won it every time in the first half. She’d run, they’d throw it to her, and she’d get the easy layup..”
Sorelle Ineza was the leading scorer for the Pride with 12 points. Other notable contributors included Zyheima Swint with 11 points and six rebounds and Brandy Thomas with seven points and eight rebounds. Those who came off the bench combined for eight points.
“We need people coming off the bench and impacting the game,” Santos-Atkinson said. “There are multiple ways to impact the game; it’s not only points and rebounds. If you know where to go offensively, run the sets correctly, and execute with some tempo and confidence, you’re impacting the game.”
Hofstra heads home later this week as they take on the Drexel University Dragons, who currently lead the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) with a conference record of 11-4. It will be the first of four remaining regular season games for the Pride.
“We’ve got to continue to prepare,” said Atkinson. “We’ve worked too hard to this point. We’ve worked really hard, and there’s no other option for us right now. It’s not in our DNA to roll over and quit; it’s not who we are and it’s not what we’re going to do. We’ve got to continue to work and get better.”
At this late stage of the season, the Pride will take this loss as an opportunity to learn.
“We improved in many categories today and we fell short in others,” said Atkinson. “We’ve got to look to put four quarters together. We’ve got to put an entire package together of what this team is able to contribute so we can click on all cylinders and play our best game.”
Photo courtesy of Hofstra Athletics
