Hempstead, NY- Freshman forward Shante Evans poured in 18 points and tied a career-high with 18 rebounds to lead Hofstra to a 68-51 victory over William and Mary in a Colonial Athletic Association matchup Thursday night at the Mack Sports Complex.
Evans (West Chester, PA) shot 9-12 in posting her conference-leading ninth double-double while senior Sam Brigham (Simsbury, CT) scored all 15 of her points in the second half to improve Hofstra to 10-8 and 3-3 in conference play. The Tribe fell to 9-8 and 2-4.
Sophomore guard Candice Bellocchio (Staten Island, NY) scored 14 points on 10 free throws and contributed four assists while junior Aamira Terry (Atlanta, GA) added eight points as the Pride moved to 7-2 at home in winning a second straight contest against a CAA opponent.
Evans was coming off a 19-point, 18-rebound performance against UNC Wilmington before torching another conference rival. The 6-0 first-year standout now has 37 points and 36 rebounds her past two games.
The Pride held William and Mary to 34.4 percent field goal shooting and forced 40 missed shots. Taysha Pye led the Tribe with 14 points and Tiffany Benson scored 10 points and added 13 rebounds for the double-double.
Brigham attempted just three shots in a quiet first half before drilling a pair of three pointers to start the second half. The veteran guard capped a 9-2 run by hitting a three and then completing a layup off a steal to put the Pride up, 41-26.
Brigham ensured Hofstra maintained momentum 9:20 into the second half, draining a top-of-the-key three-pointer for a 53-34 edge. Brigham finished 3-4 from beyond the arc to improve her career total to 110, needing just three treys for seventh-most in team history.
Hofstra Head Coach Krista Kilburn-Steveskey notched her 57th career victory, moving into third place in the program's all-time wins list in just her fourth season. Senior center Jess Fuller (Queens, NY) recorded four blocks to close in on a milestone. She needs just eight more to become Hofstra's all-time leader.
Both teams struggled to find any offensively consistency early, combining to miss 24 of 32 field goal attempts with 17 turnovers through the opening 11 minutes.
Hofstra awoke from the early doldrums to roll off a 13-0 run before William and Mary hit a trio of three-pointers in a back-and-forth half that featured four lead changes.
But Evans helped stabilize the Hofstra offense with 12 first half points, finishing a single rebound shy of notching the double-double before the break. The first-year phenom also made a highlight-reel worthy play with a put-back layup at the buzzer to send Hofstra into the locker room with momentum and a 29-24 halftime edge.
Hofstra will be back at the Mack Sports Complex for a Sunday matinee against CAA-rival Delaware. The contest will feature a pair of top freshmen with Evans going against the Blue Hens' Elena Delle Donne, who entered Thursday averaging just over 25 points. Tipoff is set for 2 p.m.
