With their second consecutive disappointing loss, the Hofstra women’s basketball team could not stop the bleeding as the Northeastern University Huskies bullied their way to a 68-48 win over the Pride on their home court.

“We came up short and in a lot of areas I thought we got better but there were some areas where we were not very good,” said Hofstra head coach Danielle Santos-Atkinson. “We were unable to get the stops that we needed consecutively tonight. This team is an excellent defensive team when we want to be.”

The Pride struggled offensively throughout with the team shooting 31% from the field as well as 29.6% from behind the arc. Their only offensive standout was Guard Emma von Essen, who was the only Hofstra player to score in double figures with 13 points and three rebounds.

“Emma worked hard offensively to find some open opportunities and some open shots. She was aggressive and she can play in that mid-range and shoot the three. So her continuing to stay aggressive and find those opportunities will be valuable for us.” Atkinson said.

The first half was tightly contested with both teams displaying offensive and defensive miscommunication. Northeastern played off the Pride’s miscues as they started to pull ahead. But Von Essen was able to drain multiple three-point shots to keep Hofstra in the game before the half.

Ally Knights and Brandy Thomas tried to aid the Pride with nine and seven points respectively. But the pair remained cold from all areas of the floor. Thus, digging the Pride into an early deficit going into the half 33-24.

“I thought Brandy started well,” said Atkinson. I believe she would’ve continued had she not gotten into foul trouble. She sat for an extended period in the first half. So we were hesitant to put her back in the game, so it was tough for her to get it going.”

Although with a slow first half, the Huskies blazed through the Hofstra defense in the second half with three players cementing double figures in the game. Among those three were Derin Erdogan(16), Deja Bristol(16), and JaMiya Braxton(13). Their dominance came from all over the floor with a 54.2% from the field and 55.6% behind the three-point line. Northeastern also excelled in the paint on both ends of the court with 26 points on the offensive side.

The second half remained sloppy for the Pride as the Huskies continued to surge to keep the looming gap in the game. The Pride only scored 10 points in the third quarter, giving the Huskies a 20 point lead going into the fourth.

Hofstra continued to battle in the fourth, but the Huskies bolstering offense continued to pound their way through the Pride in an eventual 20-point loss. The Pride now stands at 8-10 overall, with a 2-5 record in conference play this season.

This loss for the Pride is eerily similar to one of their most recent games against North Carolina A&T State University. With Hofstra losing 63-44 on their home court. The Pride played sloppy with many plays in that game reoccurring against Northeastern. Coach Santos-Atkinson commented on that loss stating, “There were some things that, for us as a team, were just unacceptable and can't happen.”

With two of these games happening within mere weeks of each other, the Pride continues to blister the foundation of the team and seeks to right the ship with 11 games left in the season.

In their next matchup, looking to quickly turn the page. The Hofstra women’s basketball team will match up against the Drexel University Dragons at the Daskalakis Athletic Center on Friday, Jan. 27 with tip-off set for 7 p.m.

 Photo courtesy of Hofstra Athletics/Lee S Weissman