Hempstead, N.Y. – Freshman forward Elo Edeferioka set a season high with 17 rebounds and tallied 11 points as one of four Hofstra players in double figures in the Pride's 77-68 victory over NJIT in the regular season finale on Saturday afternoon at the Mack Sports Complex.
Sophomore guard Asia Jackson scored 17 points, sophomore forward Ruth Sherrill netted 13 points, and senior forward Anma Onyeuku chipped in 11 points and five rebounds for the Pride. Hofstra's 13-0 second half run turned a NJIT lead into a double-digit Pride edge. The Pride capped the regular season with a .500 overall record at 14-14. NJIT's Uju Nwankwo scored 22 points with the Highlanders ending the season at 8-21.
Hofstra earned the fifth seed in the Colonial Athletic Association Championship in Upper Marlboro, Md. by going 8-8 in league play. The Pride will face fourth-seeded Drexel in the quarterfinals on Friday at 2:30 p.m. Two last-minute victories helped Hofstra sweep the regular season series, with Krystal Luciano's driving layup pushing her team past Drexel on the road on Feb. 2 and Edefeiroka's free throw breaking a deadlock in a home win on March 2.
The Pride went down 49-46 on Shakia Robinson's layup nearly four minutes into the second half. But Hofstra's 13-0 run put the Pride ahead. Senior guard Annie Payton generated a steal and went coast-to-coast for the layup, sophomore Alexis Carter hit a right-corner jumper and Edeferioka's layup capped the stretch in which Hofstra took a 59-49 lead. Hofstra kept NJIT scoreless for a six-plus-minute stretch during the run to erase what had been a three-point Highlanders lead, forcing eight missed NJIT field goal attempts and six turnovers.
NJIT tied the score at 62 on Nwankwo's three-point play. But Luciano allowed Hofstra to break the deadlock with a terrific backhand bounce pass to Jackson, which drew a foul. Jackson buried both free throws to put Hofstra ahead for good. Jackson secured the victory three-point play off a left-side drive, giving the Pride a 71-62 edge with 3:22 remaining.
Edeferioka bested her previous high of 14 rebounds set against the College of Charleston on the road on Jan. 17. Edeferioka registered her fourth career double-double.
Both squads played tight defense in the opening half as the team went into the locker room tied at 39. Jackson and Nwankwo both lead their respective teams with 12 points while Edeferioka grabbed eight rebounds. Sherrill gave the Pride a lift with eight points in her first nine minutes.
The Pride used an 8-0 run to take a 22-18 lead and prompted NJIT to call timeout. Dudley helped the Highlanders close the gap, scoring nine points in going 2-of-2 from the field and 4-of-5 from the line.
