The Hofstra women’s basketball team fought their way to a thrilling overtime victory to remain undefeated at home against the University of New Orleans Privateers 64-60 on Wednesday, Dec. 21. 

Despite the win, Hofstra head coach Danielle Santos Atkinson relayed how frustrated she was with the way the team performed in the game. “We didn’t work as smart as we could have,” said Santos Atkinson. “Our turnovers were more than what we could’ve imagined, but we were able to get the win. We also know there are things we did in this game that are not acceptable, and those things are not going to work during conference play. But I’m glad we’re able to get some rest now and get refreshed coming back to start the new year.”

The first quarter started slowly as both teams wreaked havoc on the defensive side of the ball. The Pride’s Brandy Thomas created space and squeezed through the paint, laying the ball in to score the first bucket of the game 2-0. The Privateer’s defense held out longer than Hofstra’s and secured multiple turnovers. This led to New Orleans’ Nahja Scott tying the game with a mid-range jumper. However, the Pride answered right back with a 3-pointer by Alarice Gooden to make the game 5-2. From this point on, the Pride crumbled with multiple miscues and miscommunication. Hofstra surrendered eight points as the Privateers gained the lead 10-5 at the end of the first quarter.

In the second, the Pride handled and balanced their offensive and defensive woes to make their comeback in the game. A steal by Brandy carved the path for a fast break from Rosi Nicholson to make the layup for another two points. The Pride clicked into a groove eventually, tying the game at 12 from another jumper by Thomas. A back-and-forth game ensued with six lead changes nearing the end of the quarter. A layup by Zyheima Swint ended the first half with a 29-21 score over New Orleans.

After halftime, Hofstra controlled most of the third, giving themselves a gap over the Privateers. Hofstra swarmed the New Orleans offense as Nicholson, Gooden and Thomas built Hofstra a 39-31 lead. Gooden sunk two free throws with seven seconds left in the third quarter, giving the Pride a nine-point lead of 41-32 heading into the fourth quarter.

Both teams slipped back into their old ways in the fourth quarter with New Orleans’s suffocating defense leaving the Pride with no options on offense. Hofstra remained in control, securing a 3-pointer from Thomas and a jumper in the paint by Gooden to put the game back up by nine, 46-37, with just under five minutes remaining. A free throw from the Privateer’s Dearica Pryor made the score 49-48 as the quarter began to wind down. After a timeout, New Orleans’s Kyla Davis came up big with a clutch 3-pointer to take a 51-49 lead over the Pride with 22 seconds left in the game. Pride’s Emma Von Essen pulled the team within one point, making one out of two free throw attempts. Pryor responded with another free throw to widen the gap to two, 52-50. With the game now up to free throws, Thomas secured two free throws to send the game into overtime.

Overtime provided more defense than offense, but the Pride tallied up on the free throws toward the end of overtime. Hofstra’s Janaia Fargo made three out of four free throw attempts, extending the Hofstra lead 56-52 with three minutes left to play. Hofstra maintained a sizeable gap between the Privateers, but two jumpers from Kyla Davis and Brianna Ellis pulled New Orleans to 62-60. However, with eight seconds left in the game, a foul committed by Davis sent Pride’s Jada Peacock to the free-throw line. She made both shots to solidify the Hofstra win over New Orleans, 64-60.

Thomas, Ineza and Gooden all posted in double figures for the Pride, displaying 19, 14 and 13 points respectively. Thomas also added 13 rebounds with her game in the paint.

In the next game on Friday, Dec. 30, Hofstra looks to stride into the new year with a win in their first conference play of the season going up against the University of Delaware Fightin’ Blue Hens. The game is scheduled for a 7 p.m. tipoff on at the Bob Carpenter Center in Newark, Delaware. 

 Photo courtesy of Hofstra Athletics