After their 12-point loss to the Stony Brook Seawolves on New Year’s Day, the Hofstra women’s basketball team redeemed themselves with a 46-42 win over the Elon University Phoenix on Friday, Jan. 6, for their first conference win of the season.

 “I thought we came at it and we played hard from the start,” said Hofstra women’s basketball head coach Danielle Santos Atkinson. “I think on the ball we did a great job.”

 The opening 90 seconds saw a stalemate until Hofstra guard Zyheima Swint snapped it with her second-chance paint shot. Elon’s Raven Preston nullified it with a mid-range jumper of her own just 12 seconds later, but the Pride went on a 7-0 run before Elon could strike back.

 Preston had a layup for an additional two points for Elon. After a series of missed shots and a foul on Brandy Thomas, Hofstra was up 11-4 courtesy of two additional points from the charity stripe. Elon’s Vanessa Taylor caught the rebound but was stolen by Hofstra’s Rosi Nicholson, who sliced through the court for a successful driving layup.

The Pride did get into foul trouble, giving the Phoenix’s Maya Johnson a chance at the free throw line. The first quarter buzzed with Hofstra up 13-5 on the scoreboard.

After the intermission, Hofstra’s Alarice Gooden scored a speedy pullup jump shot just 15 seconds into the second quarter. Graduate student Brandy Thomas poured in another two points with a driving layup. Sorelle Ineza had a similar idea with a mid-range jumper, and the Pride sat comfortably at 19-5.

Elon showed signs of mounting a comeback with back-to-back layups from Preston, Evonna McGill and Bria Harmon to cut the deficit to eight points, but this was put to a stop by a Swint layup to bring Hofstra’s score to 21-11.

 With five minutes to go in the frame, the Pride and the Phoenix traded shots via jumpers and layups from Nicholson, Zaniyyah Ross-Barnes, Vanessa Taylor and Preston. The teams went into halftime break with Hofstra up 25-15.

 The third quarter saw more back-and-forth action: a rim-rolling 2-pointer from Elon’s Kamryn Doty, a 3-pointer from Hofstra’s Emma Von Essen, a jumper from Phoenix guard Lenaejha Evans and a layup by Pride senior Sorelle Ineza.

 Elon didn’t show signs of letting up, with Preston and Ajia James layups sandwiching beyond-the-arc shots from Janaia Fargo and Nicholson. Preston had the last say in the third quarter with a 3-pointer, but it wasn’t enough to bridge the 36-27 difference between Elon and the Pride.

 Elon’s Chloe Williams opened the fourth quarter with a driving layup. Brandy Thomas’ responded with a 3-pointer just 50 seconds later to put Hofstra ahead by 10 once again.

 The Phoenix pressed further, signaling six points scored in just over two minutes. Hofstra was only able to muster a 3-pointer from Alarice Gooden in response, leaving the score at 42-35 with just under three and a half minutes to go.

Preston landed three free throw shots, putting the score within four. Back after two time-outs, a footrace ensued with Nicholson victorious, claiming a layup with her right hand for the Pride. However, a foul on her gave Preston yet another chance from the free throw line where she reaped one of two points. Preston stayed hot, stealing the ball from Thomas to land a layup and putting the score within three at 44-41.

The Pride caught a break when Evans was found guilty of a foul, gifting Ally Knights two successful free throws.

The once 10-point game came down to the wire with McGill’s last free throw for the 42nd point for Elon. It wasn’t enough for the Phoenix, as the Pride left the arena with a 46-42 win.

“I think it’s just a matter of the team staying composed and being together,” Nicholson said. “Just making sure that we’re on the same page, following and executing our game plan.”

“I’m [going to] remember this game,” Gooden said. “This is my first conference win with Hofstra, so I’m going to remember this game for a long time.”

 The women’s basketball team will be back on the hardwood to face the North Carolina A&T Aggies on Sunday, Jan. 8. Tip is slated for 2 p.m.

Photo courtesy of Neil Miller/Hofstra Athletics