The Hofstra women’s basketball team wrapped up regular season play on Saturday, March 5, with a 67-52 victory on the road against the UNC-Wilmington (UNCW) Seahawks. The Pride finished the regular season with a 7-19 overall record while going 4-14 in conference play.
“Coming into this game we wanted to make sure we had a good start,” said Hofstra head coach Danielle Santos Atkinson. “We wanted to come out with better fire, better energy and effort on that defensive end, and we did that.”
Both teams traded baskets to start out the game. Rosi Nicholson got things going for Hofstra with a fastbreak layup in the opening minute. UNCW took their biggest lead of the quarter with six minutes to play, up 9-4 after a free throw by Rinnah Green. The Pride answered with a 6-0 run, back ended by a layup from Maniya Custis to give Hofstra a 10-9 lead with 1:39 to go. At the end of the first quarter, the score was knotted up at 13.
The lead continued to change in the second quarter with both teams looking to pull away. Custis knocked down a three-pointer with 8:20 left to play, giving the Pride an 18-17 lead. UNCW was able to get to the line often, converting on three more free throws to gain a 26-20 advantage. The Pride was scoreless in the final three minutes, paving the way for the Seahawks to close out the half strong with a 30-23 lead.
Hofstra’s Selma Markisic drilled a three-pointer early in the third quarter to cut the Seahawks’ lead down to four, 30-26. UNCW continued to stay in front until 4:32 remained in the quarter, when Nicholson knocked down a three-point shot for the Pride, tying things up at 36. The next possession for the Pride resulted in another three-pointer by Jahsyni Knight, giving Hofstra a 39-36 lead. Hofstra extended its lead to 46-40 with 33 seconds remaining in the third, before UNCW answered with a three-pointer to cut the deficit down to a one possession game. Hofstra closed the quarter with two free throws by Knight, up 48-43 going into the fourth quarter.
The Pride opened the final quarter with six consecutive points from Markisic, bringing its lead up to double-digits, 54-43 with 9:10 to go. Hofstra stayed in front, with UNCW only able to cut the deficit to six with 3:59 left on the clock. The Pride ended the game on an 11-2 run with Jaylen Hines scoring six points as Hofstra took home the win in the team’s regular season finale.
Carrie Gross led the way for the Seahawks with 12 points off the bench, while Sierra DaCosta added eight points and six rebounds. Green also put up eight points in the defeat.
For Hofstra, Hines had a near double-double, scoring 20 points with eight rebounds, shooting 9-16 from the field. Nicholson had 11 points and added seven rebounds. Knight put up 11 points with four assists, and Markisic added nine points in the victory.
“We’ve got to play in the tournament,” Santos Atkinson said. “It’s 0-0, and everybody is coming in with a blank slate. And everybody’s coming in at the end of the year wanting to be playing your best basketball. We want to go in one game at a time. We want to compete from the tip, and we want to put it all together and continue to play as hard as we can for four quarters.”
The Pride will now head to the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) Championship tournament at the Daskalakis Athletic Center in Philadelphia, PA, where they take on UNCW in first round action on Thursday, March 10.
Photo Courtesy of Hofstra Athletics
