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Hofstra University Athletics

THE PRIDE OF LONG ISLAND
THE PRIDE OF LONG ISLAND
Ashunae Durant
Ashunae Durant tied a career high with 21 points (photo by John Crouch\UNCW Athletic Communications)
68
Winner Hofstra HOFSTRA 12-3 (3-1 CAA)
64
UNCW UNCW 5-10 (1-3 CAA)
Winner
Hofstra HOFSTRA
12-3 (3-1 CAA)
68
Final
64
UNCW UNCW
5-10 (1-3 CAA)
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 F
Hofstra HOFSTRA 16 15 23 14 68
UNCW UNCW 19 19 19 7 64

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

WBB: Hofstra Posts Come-From-Behind CAA Win At UNCW

Wilmington, N.C. – Junior guard Kelly Loftus and sophomore forward Ashunae Durant each scored 21 points to pace Hofstra and senior guard Darius Faulk scored five points in the last 1:30 to power Hofstra to a come-from-behind 68-64 win over UNCW in a rare weekday afternoon contest on Friday at Trask Coliseum.

Hofstra saw two teammates score 20-plus points in one game for the first time since March 5, 2014 and the Pride shot 55.6 percent from the field. The Pride held UNCW to just seven fourth-quarter points, including a meaningless three-pointer at the buzzer, to ignite a comeback after the Pride went down by as much as 11 points.

The victory improved Hofstra's overall record to 12-3 and improved the Pride's conference mark to 3-1. Head Coach Krista Kilburn-Steveskey's team has won three of the first four league games for the second consecutive year after starting 4-0 last season. UNCW fell to 5-10 and 1-3.

Hofstra has won seven of the last eight games in the series dating to 2012-13. The Pride has won three of the last four meetings at Trask Coliseum.

Durant tied a career-high with 21 points and shot 9-for-11 while adding eight rebounds. Loftus cracked the 20-point plateau for the fourth time this season. UNCW's Shatia Cole scored 23 points with 17 coming in the first half. Rebekah Banks added 16 points and Naqaiyyah Teague posted 14 points.

Down 57-54 entering the fourth quarter, Durant hit a layup that proved to be the only two points for either team in the last quarter's first five minutes. Junior Sandra Dongmo, who gave Hofstra a boost off the bench with seven points and eight rebounds, made a clutch bank shot to give Hofstra a 58-57 with the shot clock expiring.

Banks responded with a low-block basket while drawing a foul but missed the free throw. Teague hit a jumper for a three-point UNCW lead at 61-58. Durant's jumper brought Hofstra within 61-60 and helped her tie her career high for points set previously at Drexel last season.

Faulk then swung the game's balance with her end-to-end play, stealing Teague's drive attempt and going coast-to-coast for a layup to put Hofstra ahead by one with 1:24 left. Faulk then rebounded Jasmine Steele's missed three-pointer, made a layup on the other end and complete the three-point play for a 65-61 edge with 59 seconds left. Durant made a late free throw for a 66-61 lead to secure the victory.

Hofstra took the lead for the first time since the game's opening minute when junior guard Krystal Luciano buried a three-pointer for a 53-52 Pride lead. UNCW took a 57-54 lead into the final corner as Teague hit a pair of free throws.

Hofstra shot a season-best 70.6 percent from the field in the opening half, going 12-for-17 as Loftus and Durant each racked up 11 points. But UNCW generated 14 turnovers and held a 21-4 edge in points-off-turn-overs to take a 38-31 halftime lead. Cole put UNCW up by double digits with a layup that made it 34-24 and extended the Seahawk's edge to game-high 11 points with two free throws for a 36-25 advantage before Durant's basket on the last possession brought Hofstra within seven points entering the break.

A pair of Hofstra teammates scored 20 points for the first time snce Anma Onyeuku and Annie Payton did at William & Mary two seasons ago. 

Durant scored seven of Hofstra's first nine points in the opening quarter and the Pride went 6-for-7 from the field in a strong performance in the opening quarter to close within 19-16 of UNCW after 10 minutes. Loftus scored six points in the quarter as Hofstra shot 70 percent on field goals in the period.

Hofstra will have a quick turnaround as the Pride returns home to face William & Mary on Sunday at 1 p.m. in a televised game produced by the American Sports Network and airing locally on SNY. 
 
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