On Friday, Nov. 18, the Hofstra University women’s basketball team took the court to face off against the North Carolina Central University (NCCU) Eagles at the David S. Mack Sports and Exhibition Complex. The Pride got their first win of the season after defeating the Eagles 69-60. The Pride now have an overall record of 1-2, and the Eagles have an overall record of 1-4.
“It was great to be home and it was great to get the [win] at home,” said Hofstra head women’s basketball coach Danielle Santos-Atkinson. “The fans and the crowd came out to support us and we’re really appreciative of that.”
Hofstra won the tipoff to kick off the game. Less than a minute in, junior Zyheima Swint was fouled, resulting in two free throws. Swint went 1-2 to start the game on the right foot. Swint then fouled NCCU’s Tippy Robertson, who also converted one of two free throws to tie the game up early.
The Eagles were able to bounce back and take a 6-5 lead after junior Blessing Okoh hit a jumper in the paint. At this point, the Pride picked up the hustle with junior Ally Knights’ no-look pass to graduate student Rosi Nicholson for a beyond-the-arc shot for the lead once again. That was the start of a 5-3 run for the Pride, where Hofstra finished the first quarter on top 13-8.
Hofstra kept their offense moving with a 3-pointer converted by Knights to open the scoring in the second quarter. Sophomore Zaniyyah Ross-Barnes then pulled a big defensive play by registering two blocks in a row to prevent the Eagles from scoring that drive. Knights picked up the scoring once again with another 3-pointer, and senior Sorelle Ineza got a layup after a fastbreak to give the Pride a 10-point lead.
The Eagles went on a 7-0 run before Ineza hit a three while being closely defended. Graduate student Brandy Thomas shot a three with the shot clock winding down, sinking the bucket to help lead the Pride to a 31-26 lead over the Eagles going into halftime.
“I think Ally [Knights] did a great job majority of that first half and forcing them to have to play [defensively],” head coach Danielle Santos Atkinson said. “[The pressure] does slow you down at times and make it tough. It’s something that we’re going to continue to go back and work on.”
Returning from halftime, Hofstra seemed to have a fire under their feet with the way they were racking up points. Although the second half started with Okoh grabbing three points for the Eagles, Hofstra went on a 12-0 run in the blink of an eye. Ineza shot the first 3-pointer of the half and made it before Ross-Barnes got the layup in the paint. Nicholson then hit two 3-pointers in a row for a 42-29 lead over the Eagles.
The Pride had a little trouble with fouls at the end when six of NCCU’s nine points were from free throws. That did not stop the offense from producing as freshman Emma Von Essen beat the buzzer with a 3-pointer to end the quarter with Hofstra leading 52-37.
The final quarter saw a steady offensive performance by the Pride. The Eagles converted two free throws and two layups to start the quarter. Hofstra responded with another 12-0 run. Freshman Alarice Gooden started the scoring with a jumper in the paint. Swint and Von Essen both made layups before Swint went on to convert two free throws. Knights finished out the Eagles’ scoreless drive with a 3-pointer from the left side of the arc.
The Pride ran into foul trouble toward the end of the half, as most of NCCU’s points were converted on free throws. The Eagles were able to close the deficit to six after junior Kimeira Burks hit multiple threes. They tried to get back into the game by intentionally fouling the Pride, but Knights and Gooden both converted their free throws to finish out the game.
Knights and Nicholson finished the game with 13 points each, with a majority of their shots being 3-pointers. Burks led the Eagles with 21 points to finish the game.
The Pride returns to the court at the David S. Mack Sports and Exhibition Complex on Wednesday, Nov. 23, at 4 p.m. to face off against Alliance University.
Photo courtesy of Lee Weissman/Hofstra Athletics
