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Hofstra University Athletics

THE PRIDE OF LONG ISLAND
THE PRIDE OF LONG ISLAND
Kelly Loftus
Kelly Loftus scored 23 points for Hofstra in the WNIT first-round loss to Penn
58
Hofstra HOFSTRA 20-13, 11-7 CAA
65
Winner Penn PENN 21-8, 11-3 Ivy
Hofstra HOFSTRA
20-13, 11-7 CAA
58
Final
65
Penn PENN
21-8, 11-3 Ivy
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Hofstra HOFSTRA 29 29 58
Penn PENN 38 27 65

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

WBB: Hofstra’s Comeback Bid Falls Short In WNIT Loss At Penn

Philadelphia – Sophomore guard Kelly Loftus scored 23 points and helped Hofstra cut a 14-point deficit down to three, but Penn hit nine three-pointers as the Pride fell to the Quakers, 65-58, in the opening round of WNIT at the historic Palestra on Thursday night.

Sophomore forward Elo Edeferioka scored 15 points with eight rebounds and junior point Darius Faulk tallied eight assists and six rebounds, but Hofstra ended its season at 20-13. Penn's Michelle Nwokedi paced her team with 16 points and Kathleen Roche scored 13 points on 4-of-6 three-point shooting to help Penn improve to 21-8 and advance to the second round, where the Quakers will play Temple on Sunday.

Sydney Stipanovich blocked eight shots and scored 12 points. Penn started 8-for-11 on three-pointers and shot 64.3 percent from long range.

Hofstra was making the fifth-ever WNIT appearance in program history and fourth under Head Coach Krista Kilburn-Steveskey. Entering the game, the Pride had already clinched the fourth 20-win campaign in the program's Division I era that started in 1982-83. Three of those four seasons (2006-07, 2009-10 and the current one) have come under Kilburn-Steveskey.

Loftus shot 9-for-15, made four three-pointers and hit four three-pointers. It was the 10th time this season the product of Alexandria, Virginia scored 15-or-more points. Faulk's assist total was just two off her career of high 10 set at NJIT on Dec. 9, 2014.

Penn hit a three-pointer in the opening possession of the second half to make 41-29, which was a game-high advantage. Edeferioka responded for Hofstra's first points of the second half, which also marked the third straight game the Warri, Nigeria native scored in double figures. Edeferioka, who had back-to-back double-doubles in the CAA Championship to be named to the conference's all-tournament team, ended in double figures 14 times this season.

The Quakers allowed just two points through the first 7:54 of the second half. Nwokedi completed a three-point play and a 48-34 edge for the largest lead of the game. Hofstra's 6-0 run capped by sophomore forward Anjie White's jumper brought the Pride within 48-40 near the midway point of the second half. White finished with five points.

Sophomore guard Krystal Luciano hit a head-on three-pointer to make it 53-45.  Penn got the answer it was looking for when Nwokedi hit a three as the shot clock ticked down on the next possession. Penn then forced a stop and Stipanovich hit a jumper that barely beat the shot clock for a 58-45 lead.

Loftus ensured Hofstra did not go quietly, in hitting a three-pointer to bring Hofstra within 58-53 with 1:38 left. Using a frantic full-court press, Loftus forced a steal and made a layup to make it 58-55 with 1:23 left. But Stipanovich swished a right corner jumper on the next trip down for a 60-55 Penn edge. Hofstra would not get closer than five the rest of the way. 

Loftus scored 13 points in the opening half, falling short of her own school first-half season high of 15 points, when she shot 5-for-8. But Penn found a team-wide grove from three-point range in knocking down 5-of-7 attempts to build a 38-29 halftime edge.

Loftus needed just 7:14 to score in double figures for the 21st time this season. Her three-point play gave her 11 of Hofstra's first 15 points in staking the Pride to a five-point lead.  But Penn responded on a 6-0 run for the Quakers' first lead of the game.

The Quakers saw five players make at least one three-pointer in the first half, led by Roche's trio of three-pointers. The highlight was a high-arching three-point shot that hit just under the top border of the backboard and banked in with the shot clock expiring. Roche scored a team-high nine points in the opening half.

Edeferioka displayed an array of power and counter moves under the basket in making 4-of-6 shots for eight points and three rebounds in 12 minutes entering the break.

The game marked the first time Hofstra played at the Palestra since March 12, 1977 when the Hofstra men's basketball program fell to Notre Dame in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
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