Hofstra women’s basketball (2-2) bounced back from a 77-49 loss at Stony Brook Tuesday, Nov. 13, with a 67-59 victory over St. Bonaventure University (2-2) in Allegany, New York Saturday afternoon, Nov. 17. The Pride struggled through the third quarter but persisted on to pull themselves out of a two-game losing streak.
Senior guard Sica Cuzic led the Pride in scoring and recorded a career-high 27 points, scoring 20 of those points in the first half. She also led the Pride with 10 rebounds to complete her second double-double of the season.
“[Cuzic] responds,” said Hofstra head coach Krista Kilburn-Steveskey. “She can contribute in so many ways, and tonight it was on the offensive end. Her value on the court goes beyond even just scoring points. She just responded today and just really wanted to compete. She pulled her teammates together, and I was really proud of her.”
The Pride was in control during the first half of the game outscoring the Bonnies 43-36. Junior guard Sandra Karsten put the Pride ahead with an 11-point lead, the largest of the contest, after hitting a three-pointer with 1:53 to go in the first half.
During the third quarter, the Pride looked like a different team. They missed a majority of their shots and only scored five points. Junior guard, Ana Hernandez Gil, missed all attempted shots, four of which were three-pointers.
The Bonnies took advantage of the Pride’s missed shots and closed the seven-point gap, eventually gaining the lead for the first time.
The Pride came alive at the end of the third quarter to fight off the Bonnies rally. With 1:07 left in the third, E’Lexus Davis tied the score 48-48 after making one free throw shot for the Pride.
“[There’s] a little basketball adversity that we need to work on, and it’s our third quarter,” Kilburn-Steveskey said. “There was a bunch of things that changed the momentum. It’s a combination of them switching, the momentum, shifting from calls, all these uncontrollable [things]. The controllable was our shot selection, and I think we let them back in with some poor decision making.”
Hernandez Gil got her flow back in the fourth quarter and hit a three-pointer to put the Pride back in the lead. Senior Boogie Brozoski lifted the lead 60-55, scoring five straight points.
With 40 seconds left in the game, St. Bonaventure’s Danielle Migliore had an opportunity to tie the score with a three-pointer, but was blocked by Karsten, saving the game for Hofstra.
“This line-up tonight is a great line-up,” Kilburn-Steveskey said. “It’s just nice for them to feel a little bit more comfortable out there and trust each other. Their ability to switch and rotate, talk and communicate made it a lot better.”
Up next, The Pride will travel to Nashville, Tennessee for the Challenge in Music City. Hofstra will first take on Wright State University on Friday, Nov. 23, followed by Marist College and Stetson University the next two days.
Photo Courtesy of Hofstra Athletics
