After falling by five points against Northeastern University on Friday, the Hofstra women’s basketball team got handed its second consecutive loss by the Elon University Phoenix on Sunday afternoon.
Unlike the close-knit game on Friday night, the final score in this one signaled anything but a competitive matchup, with Hofstra down 80-55 when the final buzzer sounded.
The Pride simply couldn’t get much going offensively, while the Phoenix were on their game throughout the contest.
Hofstra shot a mere 34 percent from the field and 26 percent from the three-point line, while Elon connected on 53 percent of their shots, sinking 47 percent from downtown.
Leading Elon’s efficient attack was Shay Burnett, who came two rebounds shy of recording a triple-double. Burnett finished with 12 points, 11 assists and eight rebounds, propelling the offense forward with her diverse contribution. Burnett also wreaked havoc on the Pride defensively, gathering five steals in the game.
One of Burnett’s beneficiaries was Malaya Johnson, who scored a team-high 17 points, while also grabbing six rebounds for the Phoenix.
Solid contribution came all over for Elon, with 11 players getting on the board with many nearing double figures.
Hofstra on the other hand, had only seven players put up points. When taking away Boogie Brozoski’s game-high 26 and Marianne Kalin’s 10, the Pride were left with just 19 points.
“Boogie’s spirit needs to continue to transpire into every single person and we’re just not there yet,” said head coach Krista Kilburn-Steveskey.
Elon, who is undefeated at home this season, was just more physical than the Pride, outrebounding them 40-32.
The Phoenix also outdid Hofstra with 36 points in the paint in comparison to the Pride’s 20.
Though Hofstra was able to level the intensity throughout some parts of the game, even dueling with Elon in a 16-16 second quarter, it wasn’t sustained throughout the game, causing a tough road environment to get the best of them.
“I don’t think we understand the level of intensity that has to carry for four quarters. We’re just not tough enough,” Kilburn-Steveskey said.
The loss places Hofstra at 5-12 in conference play and puts them at No. 7 in the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA).
With only one game remaining in the regular season, Hofstra will at least try to get the ball moving in the right direction before the CAA Tournament begins.
The season finale is set for Saturday, March 3, against Northeastern.
