The Hofstra University women’s basketball team is on its way down to Washington, D.C., to take on Towson University in Game 4 of the Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) Women’s Basketball Tournament. The Pride finished 10th in the CAA standings, receiving a first-round bye; their first matchup will take place on Thursday, March 12, at 6 p.m.
It’s been a roller coaster of a season for the Pride, to say the least. In January, Hofstra went 1-8, with their lone win coming in a 54-46 victory over UNC-Wilmington. Through multiple rotation changes and players coming back from injury, Hofstra head coach Danielle Santos Atkinson never lost hope in this team, saying time and time again that they have what it takes to win.
On Feb. 8, the Pride defeated Hampton University after 35 days without a win. It was an emotional moment for the team, celebrating in the locker room and bearing smiles in the post-game press conference. Including that win against Hampton, Hofstra finished out the season 5-3 with a point differential of +49. Four of the five wins came on a weekend just two days after a loss; those quick turnarounds were among the biggest momentum drives for the team at the tail end of the season.
The Pride’s opponent, the Tigers, sit at sixth in the CAA and hold a 10-8 conference record. Their last four games were against the second to fifth seeds in the CAA. Towson went 3-1 in these games with a +23-point differential. Their only loss was a six point deficit to to Monmouth University, where Gigi Gamble dropped an astounding 41 points on 14-20 from the field and 6-7 from 3-point.
Senior guard India Johnston, Towson’s leading scorer from the bench, has averaged 23.3 points in her last seven games. Johnston and junior guard Thalia Shepard, who has averaged 12.4 points over her last seven games, will be the main point of focus for the Pride in this matchup. Hofstra has managed to hold Shepard to 5.5 points per game in the two matchups between the two teams.
In the first matchup, Hofstra led a major comeback by going on a 16-4 run to end the half with a strong performance from Nevaeh Brown, tying the game. The second half was back and forth, and Hofstra had a chance to tie or win the game with 11 seconds left but couldn’t get a shot off. The Tigers were averaging 71.5 points per game going into this game; the final score was 47-46 in favor of Towson.
Johnston proved to be a problem for Hofstra in their most recent matchup, finishing the game with 25 points and four made 3-pointers. After a tied first half, Hofstra led by three going into the final 10 minutes. Alarice Gooden’s 17-point performance was spoiled by a last second 3-pointer by Tilda Sjökvist. Towson won 58-55.
Hofstra has seen strong shooting performances from a multitude of players down the stretch: Brown, Emma Von Essen, Chloe Sterling and Micaela Carter. It’s vital for the Pride to have at least one of these players going against Towson, especially early in the game. Hofstra’s leading scorer in each Towson game finished with 17 points, the first being Gooden and the second being Brown. Von Essen, Carter and Sterling have led the Pride in scoring in each of their last five games.
