Hempstead, N.Y. – Junior Kelly Loftus scored a game-high 26 points and sophomore Ashunae Durant recorded her second consecutive double-double of the season to lead the Hofstra Pride to a 71-66 victory over the Stony Brook Seawolves in a non-conference matchup at the Mack Sports Complex Tuesday night.

Hofstra improved to 2-0 on the season while Stony Brook had their record evened at 1-1.

Loftus hit 9-of-17 field goal attempts, including 6-of-10 from the three-point line, and added two free throws for her season-high output. Durant posted her ninth career double-double with 16 points and 15 rebounds. The Pride shot 41 percent from the field (28-for-68) and connected on 8- of 25 three to post the school's first 2-0 start since 2009-10. 

Stony Brook was led by senior Brittany Snow with 22 points and 13 rebounds while freshman Ogechi Anyagaligbo added 12 points and nine boards. The Seawolves shot 46 percent from the field on 23-for-50 shooting.
 
The Pride jumped on the Seawolves early as Loftus hit two three-pointers and senior Darius Faulk added a lay-up for an 8-4 lead almost two minutes into the first quarter. But Stony Brook scored the next five points with Snow's three-point play giving the Seawolves their first lead of the contest at 9-8 at the 6:20 mark. After two lead changes and a tied score at 12-12, Hofstra went on a 9-5 run, behind four points from Krystal Luciano, to close the quarter with a 21-17 advantage.

Kori Bayne-Walker opened the scoring in the second quarter with a jumper to bring Stony Brook within two at 21-19 but Asia Jackson and Loftus hut back-to-back three-pointers to equal the Pride's biggest lead of the half at 27-21 at the 8:25 mark. Anyagaligbo and Snow responded with lay-ups for the Seawolves to cut the deficit to 27-25 with 6:25 to play in the half. Loftus hit a jumper and a three-pointer for Hofstra around a Snow lay-up to boost the Pride lead to 32-27 with 3:17 to play. Anyagaligbo brought Stony Brook back by hitting three free throws around a Jakelle King-Gilchrist jumper to move the score to 34-30 in favor of the home team with 64 seconds to play. Durant then hit a jumper with 42 seconds remaining to close out the scoring in the half with Hofstra holding a six-point advantage.

Loftus led all scorers in the half with 14 points including four three-pointers on five attempts. Snow and Anyagaligbo led the Seawolves with nine points each.

Hofstra opened up an 11-point advantage for the first of three times in the third quarter as Anjie White opened with a jumper and Loftus hit her fifth trey of the contest for a 41-30 lead just 48 seconds into the period. Stony Brook would close to within seven at 49-42 after a lay-up by Snow with 3:25 to play in the quarter. But Durant would score the next six Hofstra points to open up the Pride's biggest lead of the game at 55-42 with 1:36 remaining in the third. Two free throws by Davion Wingate and Snow and a lay-up by Jenkins closed the Seawolves deficit to nine at 57-48 at the end of three quarters.

Stony Brook scored the first seven points of the fourth quarter to climb within two at 57-55 at the 7:27 mark after a lay-up by Anyagaligbo, a three-point play by Wingate and a lay-up by Snow. But Loftus' driving lay-up started a 7-2 Hofstra run with her free throw at the 3:15 mark capping the spurt and giving the Pride a 64-57 lead. While the Seawolves went cold from the field, going 0-6, they made up some ground at the line as Bayne-Walker and Snow each hit two free throws before Durant sank two for the Pride with 1:30 left to give Hofstra a 66-61 advantage. Christa scored a three-point play with 56 seconds remaining to close to within two. But Loftus hit her sixth three-pointer of the game 20 seconds later to bump the lead to 69-64 on the way to the victory.

Tuesday's game was the tenth meeting between Hofstra and Stony Brook. The Pride lead the series, 9-1.

Hofstra returns to action on Thursday, November 19 when the Pride travel to Washington, D.C. to face the Eagles of American University at 7 p.m.