The Hofstra women’s basketball team used a second-quarter surge to shine over Northeastern University on Saturday, Feb. 6, cruising to a 56-43 victory at the David S. Mack Sports and Exhibition Complex.
“I’m so proud of this team and how they have fought all year long,” said Hofstra head coach Danielle Santos Atkinson. “I said that we’ve had so much adversity and some tough challenges, but this team has been so resilient and just fighting every single day and we have been doing that together.”
Hofstra trailed 16–13 after the first quarter before taking control of the game in the second quarter, leading 32–22 heading into the locker room at halftime. Neither team had much success offensively in the third quarter, scoring only 11 total points. Hofstra scored seven of the 11 points to extend their lead to 13, 39–26, after 30 minutes of action.
The Huskies scored the first four points of the fourth quarter to make it a nine point game with 8:48 remaining. However, Hofstra responded to score the next six points with three–pointers from Jahsyni Knight and Selma Markisic to go back up 45–30 with 6:51 to go in the game. The Pride grew the lead by 17 before a 9-0 run from the Huskies cut the Pride’s lead to eight with 2:54 to play.
Knight stopped the run with a pair from the line three seconds later, and Markisic scored the next four points to end any hopes of a Huskies comeback. The Pride extended their lead back to 17, settling for the 13–point victory with a 56–39 final.
The defense was a key factor for Hofstra, with senior guard Rosi Nicholson recording a career-high seven steals in the win. The Pride held Northeastern to 10 total points in the second quarter and third quarter combined.
“I believe that confidence is coming from our defense,” Santos Atkinson said. “We talk about defense being something that you can control. Defense is a choice, and when we choose to play defense that way, we play with so much confidence on the offensive side.”
Jaylen Hines lead all scorers with 18 points along with 14 rebounds: her third double–double this season. “It all starts in practice,” Hines said while elaborating on the Pride gaining their swagger back. “We have an emphasis on defense in practice by competing and going against each other and just having that confidence, believing in ourselves and one another, and we bring that together and play together as a team”.
The Pride had two more players in double figures, with Markisic recording 12 points and Knight scoring 13 with four assists. Following the win, the Pride is currently sitting in 8th place and is 2–7 in the conference. Hofstra looks to continue building its momentum on Friday, Feb. 11, when they take on Drexel University. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. at the David S. Mack Sports and Exhibition Complex.
Photo Courtesy of Hofstra Athletics
