The Hofstra women’s basketball team advances in the Coastal Athletic Association tournament after a 57-53 win over the College of William & Mary Tribe on Thursday, March 14. The Pride moves on to the quarterfinals, where they will take on the North Carolina A&T State University Aggies on Friday, March 15.
This win may have meant a little more to the Pride, as not only will their season continue for at least one more game, but they also advanced by knocking out the team who ended their season last year. Hofstra lost to W&M 74-64 in the conference quarterfinals last March.
It was a true offensive team effort for the Pride, who never looked back after a scorching first quarter in which they put up 20 points on 57% shooting. By the end of the afternoon, Hofstra had four players in double figures: Brooke Anya, Zyheima Swint, Ally Knights and Sorelle Ineza.
Swint was a defensive anchor and rebound guzzler while contributing 11 points offensively. Swint had a team-leading four blocks and pulled down 14 rebounds, leading the game and securing her second straight double-double game and sixth this season.
Brooke Anya also recorded a double-double, her third of the season, cashing in 11 points and 11 rebounds along with three steals.
Ally Knights added season-high ten points for the Pride and was also Hofstra’s best facilitator with five assists.
Sorelle Ineza rounded out the leading scorers for the Pride with ten points.
William & Mary kept up the fight even after falling behind by as much as 16 points in the second quarter. The Tribe kept the Pride at arm’s length throughout the second half, even leading for the first time with three minutes left. Alarice Gooden got the lead back for the Pride, who would not allow another point from W&M.
Graduate forward Nytah Young led The Tribe offensively, scoring 22 points on 8-19 shooting. She also corralled 10 rebounds, being the third player in the game to achieve a double-double.
Cassidy Geddes, a freshman guard, also had a 14-point performance, even if it did not match up to her 22-point outing against the Pride on Jan. 26.
Hofstra will not get to celebrate for long, as they have a date with the North Carolina A&T State University Aggies not even 24 hours after this victory. While the Pride have a ways to go if they want to become conference champions and punch a ticket to the big dance, their current focus is knocking off the Aggies and reaching the CAA semifinals for the first time since 2021. Tipoff is 2:30 p.m. from Washington, D.C.
Photo courtesy of Rafael Suanes/CAA
