By Brian Bohl

Philadelphia – Freshman Ashunae Durant set career highs with 21 points and 17 rebounds, including a fast-break layup with 22 seconds left in overtime to power Hofstra to a 53-52 win over Drexel in a Colonial Athletic Association matchup on Friday night at Daskalakis Athletic Center.

Durant posted her second consecutive double-double and set a Hofstra season high for rebounds. Sophomore Kelly Loftus knocked down all four of her three-pointers in the second half, including a clutch left-wing shot just before the shot clock expired that tied the score at 48 with 35 seconds remaining in regulation.

Sophomore forward Elo Edeferioka grabbed 12 rebounds and contributed seven points to help Hofstra stay undefeated in CAA play by improving to 10-4 and 3-0 in league action. Sarah Curran paced Drexel with 17 points and Alexis Smith poured in 11 points off the bench, but the Dragons fell to 8-6 and 2-1.
For the third consecutive regular season meeting, Hofstra scored the game-winning basket in the final minute. The Pride swept the regular season series in 2013-14 before the Dragons defeated Hofstra in the CAA Tournament quarterfinals.

Junior guard Darius Faulk set up Loftus' game-tying three-pointer when she grabbed the offensive rebound and kicked it out to the left corner near the Pride bench. Loftus knocked down the shot as Drexel's defense scrambled to get back to the perimeter. All 12 of Loftus' points came after halftime.

Hofstra appeared to get a defensive stop, but the officials ruled Drexel maintained possession with 3.1 seconds left in regulation. Jamila Thompson missed the shot at the end and Durant came up with the rebound, sending Hofstra to its fifth overtime game of the season. It is the first season since 2008-09 that Hofstra has played five overtime games in a single campaign.

The Pride improved to 3-2 in overtime games, though Drexel's Jackie Schluth gave the Dragons a 52-51 lead off a jumper to the right off the low block. Drexel forced a turnover on the next possession, but Faulk registered two of her three steals in the final minute of overtime to give Hofstra possession back with 25 seconds on the clock. Faulk then hit a trailing Durant on a sprint to the basket.

Faulk then stole the ball from Curran to end the threat as Hofstra preserved the one-point lead. Loftus also held Drexel's Rachel Pearson to just two points on 1-of-7 shooting. Pearson entered the game averaging 11.5 points. 
 
The squads entered as the CAA's top-two ranked defenses and they both lived up that billing. Neither team shot better than 32 percent from the floor with the squads going a combined 6-for-35 from three-point range. Durant grabbed nine offensive rebounds and eight on the defensive glass in 34 minutes. The previous rebounding high for a Hofstra player this season was Edeferioka's 15; last set versus Robert Morris on Dec. 6.

Hofstra held the lead from the first minute until Sarah Curran hit a right-corner three-pointers off a dish-out pass for Drexel's first edge of the game at 27-26 with 14:23 left. That marked the first made three-pointer for either squad.

Drexel missed the first eight shots against Hofstra's man-to-man defense as the Pride held the home team scoreless through nearly the first five minutes. The defensive struggle in the opening half continued as the Pride slogged its way to a 22-18 lead at the break.

Durant paced all scorers with seven first-half points. Neither team made a three-pointer (on a combined 0-for-12). Hofstra held a team to just 18 points in the opening half for the second time in three games with the Pride limiting the College of Charleston to the same total on Jan. 4 in the CAA opener.

Hofstra will cap a stretch of four games in eight days and two road games in a three-day span with a 2 p.m. road game against Towson on Sunday from SECU Arena.