The Hofstra University women’s basketball team delivered an emphatic 75-43 win over UNC-Wilmington on Sunday, Feb. 22. The win is the Pride’s second straight and third in four games, improving them to 6-19 with a 4-10 record in the Coastal Athletic Association (CAA). UNCW fell to 6-20 with a 2-13 conference mark.
“I’m really proud of how this team came out and performed,” said Hofstra head coach Danielle Santos Atkinson. “When you’ve got 20 assists and nine turnovers, that says a lot.”
Ball security has been an adventure for Hofstra this season. The Pride is averaging 16.7 turnovers per game but only turned the ball over nine times on Sunday. They stayed below double-digit turnovers for just the fourth time this season.
Micaela Carter delivered a career night, pouring in a game and career high 23 points, and hauling in two steals.
“I just think my teammates found me. I was running the floor well, and I was just taking open shots when I had them, so it was giving me a lot of confidence throughout the game,” Carter said.
Carter’s big day started in the first quarter when she picked off a pass and took the ball to the hoop herself for two. One possession later, she drained her first of five 3-pointers.
Hofstra never trailed, taking the lead 48 seconds in and never relinquishing it. Ema Karim dominated the first half along with Carter, with 10 points and five rebounds.
“I feel like everyone was sharing the ball, so it was easy to shoot when I was open,” Karim said.
Hofstra took a 21-11 lead into the second quarter but were quickly on their heels. The Seahawks scored two straight buckets to cut the deficit to two possessions for the final time. Between the Angelina Pelayo jumper, which brought UNCW within six, and the next time they scored, Hofstra had scored 16 points and opened a 37-16 lead, the Pride took a 39-18 lead into halftime.
Hofstra kept the foot on the gas in the second half, Carter continued her dominance, and Sana’a Garrett took the game over, scoring nine of her 11 points in the second half and grabbing two steals.
“She came out and did exactly what we needed of her,” Santos said. “I thought she did a great job not only of sharing the ball, having four assists with zero turnovers, but then also finding her opportunities at the rim.”
Hofstra’s frontcourt was consistently rotating. Sandra Magolico, Ayen Angoi, Deivejon Harris, Olivia VanPatten, Kiyanna Blacks-Stewart and Michaela Hodge all got playing time, and none of them played for more than 20 minutes.
“It’s great to have the depth that we have [and] to be able to bring people in and have a rotation where when we sub, I don’t feel as though we drop off one bit,” Santos said
Next up for the Pride is a game that many have circled on their calendar. Elon University is heading to Long Island on Friday, Feb. 27, for a 6 p.m. clash. This game isn’t only a crucial conference matchup, it is the return of LaNae’ Corbett. Corbett spent last year with the Pride and was honored as a member of the CAA All-Rookie team. She is averaging 11.5 points and four rebounds per game this season.
