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Hofstra University Athletics

THE PRIDE OF LONG ISLAND
THE PRIDE OF LONG ISLAND
Elo Edeferioka
Elo Edeferioka had a double-double with 11 points and 11 rebounds
56
Hofstra HOFSTRA (20-12)
62
Winner James Madison JMU (29-3)
Hofstra HOFSTRA
(20-12)
56
Final
62
James Madison JMU
(29-3)
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Hofstra HOFSTRA 23 33 56
James Madison JMU 24 38 62

Game Recap: Women's Basketball | | By Brian Bohl

WBB: Hofstra’s Strong Effort Falls Just Short In CAA Championship Game Defeat To JMU

Upper Marlboro, Md. – Sophomore forward Elo Edeferioka recorded her second double-double in as many days with 11 points and 11 rebounds, but James Madison's Jazmon Gwathmey and Toia Giggetts combined for 31 points as the third-seeded Pride fell to the top-seeded Dukes, 62-56, in the Colonial Athletic Association Championship finals on Sunday afternoon at Show Place Arena.

Fellow sophomore forward Anjie White nearly had a double-double for Hofstra with 11 points and eight rebounds, but the Pride (20-12) fell just short in the program's first-ever appearance in the CAA championship game. James Madison (29-3) won its fourth CAA title since 2010 and second in a row to earn the league's automatic berth to the NCAA Tournament.

Sophomore guard Kelly Loftus scored all 16 of her points in the second half and junior guard Jakelle King-Gilchrist added eight points and three assists off the bench. Hofstra is a strong contender for an at-large bid to the WNIT. That field will be released on late Monday night. The Pride defeated William & Mary in the quarterfinals and Delaware in the semifinals, marking the first time in program history Hofstra won two games in any single CAA Championship.

Gwathmey (17 points) and Giggetts (14 points) paced JMU, which won the league's regular season title and entered receiving votes in the Associated Press top-25 poll. JMU improved to 29-3 (with one of the losses coming at the hands of Hofstra in Harrisonburg on Feb. 22.). Destiny Jones scored nine points off the bench.

Edeferioka and sophomore guard Krystal Luciano were the Hofstra players named to the All-CAA Tournament team.

Hofstra took a one-point lead with 8:59 left in the game as White's free throws put Hofstra ahead, 42-41. But Giggetts, who was named the tournament MVP, hit a close-range on the next possession, giving JMU the lead for good.

Before the exchange of leads, a strange moment occurred when junior point guard Darius Faulk tried to drive to the basket with Hofstra trailing 41-40. Faulk was called for the charge, her fourth foul, with 9:48 left. But then a power failure caused a 15-minute stoppage as the lights were turned back on in the Show Place Arena.

Following the resumption of play, Hofstra forced the defensive stop and White drew a foul on a second-chance put-back attempt. White hit both free throws for a 42-41 Hofstra lead with 8:59 left. But Gwathmey scored nine points in the final nine minutes.

Loftus, who shot 5-for-12 in the second half, scored in double figures for the 20th time this season to bring Hofstra within 53-50 with 2:40 left.

Gwathmey then responded with the game-clinching shot in hitting a left-corner three-pointer in front of JMU bench for a 56-50 lead. Gwathmey's shot was the first three-pointer of the game for either team, and it came with 2:06 remaining.

Hofstra held JMU junior guard Precious Hall, the CAA Player of the Year, scoreless for the first 23:46 as the guard missed her first 13 shots from the floor with Faulk and the Hofstra zone defense both working to limit her.

Hall broke through with a coast-coast drive and a three-point play that gave JMU a 33-26 lead with 16:14 remaining, marking her first points of the game. Hall entered averaging 20.9 points. Hall finished 1-for-20 from the field but scored nine points by going 7-for-7 from the line.

JMU forced five consecutive Hofstra missed shots and went ahead, 37-28, for the game-high lead. Faulk banked a shot off the glass for a 6-0 run that brought Hofstra within 37-34 right before the 12-minute mark in the second half. White's turnaround jumper out of a media timeout made it 39-36 and Loftus' drive and two free throws also put the Pride within three.

Loftus then hit a floater at the 10-minute mark to bring Hofstra within 41-40 before the lights flickered and then went off.

Both teams played aggressive defense with neither team shooting better than 33 percent from the floor in the first half. Hall, JMU's leading scorer, and Loftus, Hofstra's scoring leader, were both held scoreless in the opening 20 minutes as JMU took a 24-23 lead into the break.

Edeferioka, who posted a 12-point; 16-rebound effort in the CAA semifinal victory over Delaware the previous day, nearly notched her second consecutive double-double in the first half alone by scoring nine points on eight rebounds to help Hofstra stay within one point heading into the locker room.

JMU took the lead in the early attrition battle, going up as much as eight before the Pride battled back to tie it with 3:24 left on King-Gilchrist's fast-break layup. King-Gilchrist provided a jolt off the bench with six points on 3-of-4 shooting in the first half.

Five players scored at least four points for the Dukes in the opening half, paced by Jones' five points and seven rebounds. Hofstra limited JMU to 11-for-38 (28.9 percent) from the field.

Hofstra is 9-14 all-time in the CAA Championship. JMU will be making its 11th NCAA Tournament appearance.
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