Graduate student Brandy Thomas had a season-high 27 points, but that wasn’t enough as the Stony Brook Seawolves defeated the Hofstra Pride 67-55 on Sunday, Jan. 1. Hofstra’s record dropped to 6-7 overall and 0-2 in conference play, and Stony Brook improved to 8-5 and 2-0 in conference play.
“Both teams played extremely hard, and it was a well-fought game,” head coach Danielle Santos-Atkinson said. “Defensively [the team] did a good job of forcing some tough shots and putting them in positions where they would have to go deeper in the shot clock or go into their second or third option.”
Stony Brook sophomore Sherese Pittman started the scoring for the Seawolves as she scored a mid-range jumper to give Stony Brook the 2-0 start.
Hofstra junior Zyheima Swint then started the offensive drive for the Pride as she sent the ball to senior Rosi Nicholson. Although Nicholson missed her shot, Swint snagged an offensive rebound and put the ball away to give the Pride two.
Thomas added two back-to-back jumpers before Swint got a jumper of her own to give the Pride a three point lead. Senior Sorelle Ineza had the last say in the quarter with a jumper, leaving the first quarter tied with Stony brook at 13.
After a turnover by the Pride in the Seawolves’ half, Stony Brook senior Gigi Gonzalez took the ball down court to finish the uncontested layup. Hofstra got within one of Stony Brook as Swint sent the ball to Thomas at the top of the key, giving her a 3-pointer to sink with ease to trail the Seawolves 17-16.
Thomas recorded her 13th point of the game when she received the ball from junior Ally Knights and made the mid-range jumper over a Stony Brook defender to give Hofstra the 20-19 lead. Thomas added on four more unanswered points with a jumper and went two-for-two on free throws to give the Pride a five point lead. That didn’t last for long, as the Seawolves rallied back and finish the half on top, 34-30.
Stony Brook got the first points of the third quarter before the Pride were able to go on a scoring run, outscoring the Seawolves 16-3. The drive was kickstarted with a jumper from freshman Emma Von Essen who also finished the drive with a made three-point shot. Thomas added to her tally with a jumper and Sorelle made a 3-pointer. The rest of the quarter was back-and forth between the teams before Thomas made a jumper that helped put Hofstra ahead 51-48.
The final 10 minutes featured a dominant Stony Brook offense who outscored the Pride 19-4. Thomas made two free throws and freshman Alarice Gooden scored a jumper, but the Stony Brook defense kept the team off the board otherwise.
“[Thomas] was aggressive from the start, and that’s what we needed her to do,” coach Santos-Atkinson said. “She was looking to get to the rim, attack the basket, and find her open shot, and her teammates were looking for her as well.”
The Pride finished shooting 39.6% from in the paint and 25% from beyond the arc, while the Seawolves shot 34.4% from in the paint and 25% from beyond the arc.
Along with Thomas’s 27 points, she also had seven rebounds and two assists. Sophomore Zaniyyah Ross-Barnes had a strong defensive performance with five blocks.
The Pride return to the court on Jan. 6 to continue their CAA campaign against the Elon University Phoenix at the David S. Mack Sports and Exhibition Complex at 7 p.m.
Photo courtesy of Neil Miller/Hofstra Athletics
