The Hofstra women’s basketball team scored a season-low 32 points in a 45-32 loss against the Drexel University Dragons on Friday, Feb. 7, at the David S. Mack Sports and Exhibition Complex.
The Pride fell to 3-18 on the season and are still winless in Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) play.
Drexel came into this game with an 8-1 conference record and were on an eight-game winning streak. The Pride, however, were fresh off two straight home losses last weekend that both came down to the wire – including a game last Sunday which saw Ana Hernandez Gil almost tie the game for the Pride at the final buzzer.
The first quarter of action started off well for Hofstra. The Pride played strong defense against the top-ranked team in the conference. After a 4-0 Hofstra run in the first five minutes, Drexel finally got a shot to go down thanks to a three-pointer by Keishana Washington. Immediately following the media timeout, the defensive success would continue for the Pride after Drexel surrendered back-to-back shot clock violations. However, the struggles began as Hofstra turned the ball over five times and set up Drexel for a 10-0 run to end the quarter.
The second quarter saw the Pride only score seven points, giving them a total of 11 points in the first half. Hofstra’s defensive success was short-lived in the second as Drexel scored 12 more points, extending their lead to 22-11 at halftime. Marianne Kalin had six points and four rebounds in the first half. She finished the game as the Pride’s top scorer with 12 points and seven rebounds.
In the third quarter, the Pride went on a 7-2 run in the first 4:53 and cut Drexel’s lead to six. The Dragons finished their third quarter shooting only 21.1% and 0-8 from three-point range.
“I’m proud of our defensive effort,” said Hofstra head coach Danielle Santos Atkinson. “It’s probably one of our best defensive games we’ve played all year.”
The fourth quarter saw another run by Drexel, this time 10-0 as the Pride shot only 30% from the field. Turnovers, which have been a problem for the team all season, were once again a factor. The Pride turned the ball over 24 times in total and the Dragons took advantage, scoring 27 points from them.
“That’s kind of been our Achilles heel and our nemesis thus far,” Santos Atkinson said. “We’ve got to be able to play with confidence in that zone, we’ve got to be able to handle the ball with confidence.”
The Pride will look to break their 11-game losing streak on Sunday, Feb. 9, as they host the University of Delaware Fightin’ Blue Hens in another CAA matchup.
Photo courtesy of Hofstra Athletics
