With one second left in the game, Rosi Nicholson made the layup and one to give the Hofstra University Pride a 63-62 win over the University of North Carolina Wilmington Seahawks (UNCW) in a Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) matchup at Trask Coliseum in Wilmington, NC. The Pride improves to 8-8 overall and 2-3 in conference play.
Brandy Thomas led the team in scoring with 19 points and eight rebounds. Nicholson followed with 10 points and five rebounds.
“The things we wanted to get better at, they did this game,” said head coach Danielle Santos-Atkinson. “They played hard, they worked together, and they played with a lot of confidence.”
The Pride played with a strong press in the opening minutes of the first quarter to slow down UNCW’s attack. UNCW kicked off the scoring with a jumper from Carrie Gross. Thomas received a pass from Ally Knights to get a jumper, and she followed up with a layup to give the Pride a 4-2 lead. Zyheima Swint received the ball while driving to the basket and put up the layup for two. Jayde Gamble was fouled on UNCW’s possession and made both free throws to give the Seahawks a one-point lead.
Unfortunately for the Pride, Asia Henderson scored a floater to give UNCW a three-point lead. Following another two points from the Seahawks, Hofstra couldn’t grab points on their next possession resulting in Evan Miller getting a jumper for UNCW.
The Pride’s offense started to catch fire in the dying minutes of the first quarter. Sorelle Ineza sunk a 3-pointer for Hofstra, followed by Emma Von Essen sinking a 3-pointer of her own, decreasing the Seahawk lead to five. Sorelle finished the quarter with a three-point shot to get the Pride within two of the Seahawks. UNCW finished the quarter leading 17-15.
Gamble kicked off the second quarter by scoring a mid-range jumper. Nicholson makes her first bucket of the game with a left-handed layup. Janaia Fargo entered the game and immediately made an impact for the Pride. She received the ball before driving to the basket for two.
Ineza drove in for a layup for the Pride, who continued to grab points in the paint. Thomas came up big to sink a shot to get the Pride within one with 5:30 remaining. Alarice Gooden added another 2 for the Pride after Knights snagged the offensive rebound. Fargo followed up with a 3-pointer, taking the four-point lead over the Seahawks.
With 2:45 remaining, Nicholson made a 3-pointer from the left side of the key to keep Hofstra’s offense going. Hofstra inbounded after a Gooden steal, and Thomas was able to get a layup for the Pride to finish the half leading, 35-29.
The third quarter managed to be low scoring between the two teams, but Hofstra held on to their lead. Swint got the first points of the third quarter with a layup for two. The Pride then added seven to their total to have an 11-point lead over the Seahawks. With 5:30 to go, Thomas made the layup and one to keep Hofstra’s offense going. UNCW was able to get four points before Ineza scored two jumpers in a row. The Pride finished leading 51-42.
A 5-0 start from the Seahawks did not stop the Pride from making their shots. Thomas was fouled at the end of the drive, where she made both free throws before Fargo hit a jumper of her own. Ineza and Thomas were each sent to the line in the dying minutes, both making all of their free throws. Nicholson came up with the game-decider with a layup with one second left and then sank the ensuing free throw to give Hofstra the 63-62 win.
“At the end of the day, it’s not the play that’s going to make the points. It was Rosi being able to step up, attack the basket and understand the time on the clock,” coach Santos-Atkinson said.
Hofstra ended the day shooting 45.3% from the paint and 37.5% from beyond the arc.
Hofstra returns to the court on Sunday, Jan. 15, to take on the College of Charleston Cougars at 1 p.m. in Charleston, South Carolina.
Photo courtesy of UNCW Athletics/Brandon Sans
