By Andrew Scharff
If you were driving past the Mack Sports Complex Wednesday night, you wouldn’t have thought that there was a basketball game was going on, much less a game that had a pivotal role in shaping the seeding for the upcoming CAA Tournament.
Well, there was a game going on, and the 150 people in attendance were treated to a close, sometimes sloppy game between two of the three teams that were tied in the CAA standings at 6-5.
In the end it was Hofstra that was able to come back and beat William & Mary (W&M) 62-56, led by Cigi McCollin’s 17 points. Lana Harshaw added 15 points and 11 rebounds, and both McCollin and Harshaw hit clutch baskets down the stretch to clinch the win.
“I’m pleased with the win,” Hofstra head coach Krista Kilburn-Steveskey said. “I was pleased with the tempo and we kept battling even though we didn’t shoot the ball too well.”
The first half was very back and forth, with neither Hofstra nor W&M taking control of the game. There were nine lead changes and three ties.
“We were trying to increase the tempo, so with that you’re going to have a few more turnovers,” Kilburn-Steveskey said.
Hofstra led most of the first half as the Pride decided to change things around and increase the tempo. With Hofstra trying to push the tempo, W&M forced 13 turnovers, which kept them in the game. Hofstra held just a two-point lead heading into the half.
In the second half, Kilburn-Steveskey decided to sit star center Vanessa Gidden due to her offensive struggles. With a smaller Hofstra lineup in the game, W&M forwards (14-9, 6-6 CAA) Kyra Kaylor (20 points) and Devin James (8 points) went to work. The frontcourt tandem combined for 16 second half points and Hofstra suddenly found themselves down seven points with six minutes remaining.
With the Pride down seven, the defense buckled down and the seniors played to their class atdning. After Kaylor hit a free throw to make the lead seven, the Pride came down the floor. After Kaylor hit a free throw to give the Tribe its largest lead of the game, big game performer McCollin stepped up and drilled a shot-clock beating three-pointer to get her team back to within striking distance.
“Seven point lead, there’s one second left on the shot clock and you let the best shooter on the floor shoot a wide open three,” W&M head coach Debbie Taylor said. “Combined with other mistakes, that’s how you give up a seven-point lead.”
Gidden (6 points, 5 rebounds), re-entered the game on defense and made a clutch basket, which was followed by two Harshaw free throws, tying the game at 51.
“She wasn’t shooting the ball that well, but she was playing good defense,” Kilburn-Steveskey said. “Vanessa is doing a great job and she’s just going to have keep plugging.”
Harshaw continued her strong play when she stole the ball and passed to McCollin for an open jumper. McCollin missedthe shot, but it was Harshaw who was there to put back the rebound as well as getting fouled. After making the free throw, Hofstra held a three-point lead it would not relinquish.
“I saw the loose ball and I was just focusing on the layup,” Harshaw said. “If I get hit, I get hit. I just wanted to try to put it in.”
With the score 60-53 and Hofstra on a 15-3 run, W&M sophomore center Katie Tausanovitch (9 points) hit her first career three-point attempt, but Hofstra sophomore guard Niki Williams (14 points) sunk two free throws to ice the game and give Hofstra a pivotal win.
With the win, Hofstra (17-6, 7-5) is still in good position to earn a bye in the first round of the CAA tournament, which would be beneficial in the team’s quest for its first ever NCAA tournament berth.
