The Hofstra University women’s basketball team went on the road and defeated Hampton University, 53-47, on Feb. 28. The Pride have now won back-to-back games and improved 11-15 on the year and 6-9 in Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) games. They now sit at 11th in conference standings, just one game behind Towson University. If the Pride can climb into at least 10th place, they will receive a bye in the CAA tournament.
“We fought, we fought, we fought and we fought,” said Hofstra head coach Danielle Santos-Atkinson after the win. “At times it wasn’t pretty, but they continued to fight.”
It especially wasn’t pretty for either team in the first quarter. The Pride went into the second ahead by just three points. Both teams shot a combined 28% in the first. Hofstra’s defense pressured the Pirates all night, forcing seven turnovers in the first quarter and 17 throughout the entire game.
Janaia Fargo led the Pride, scoring a career high 20 points along with six rebounds. This was her best performance of her career. With Hofstra’s leading scorer Chloe Sterling out for the rest of the season due to an injury, Fargo stepped up on a night where points were hard to come by.
“I think that she has been willing to do and give whatever this team needs to be successful,” Santos said. “She has been wanting to see her teammates be great and wanting to see this team be successful.”
Fargo exploded on a night when Emma Von Essen was not her usual self. The junior struggled mightily, going 4-21 from the field. In addition, she couldn’t buy a 3-pointer, going just 1-14 from long range.
The frontcourt duo of Ramatoulaye Keita and Zyheima Swint continued to dominate both the boards and the paint for the Pride, and chipped in to score seven and eight points respectively, along with a combined 17 rebounds and six offensive boards. Keita and Swint have anchored the Pride’s frontcourt all season, and both women have been crucial in Hofstra’s last two wins.
“At this point in the season, it’s about how hard you compete, how long you compete and what kind of effort you’re willing to give,” Santos said.
The Pride looked to extend their winning streak to three when they visited the College of William & Mary on Sunday, March 2, for their final road contest of the season. Tipoff was at 1 p.m. from the Kaplan Area in Williamsburg, Virginia.
