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Hofstra University Athletics

THE PRIDE OF LONG ISLAND
THE PRIDE OF LONG ISLAND
Ashunae Durant
Ashunae Durant
54
Drexel DREXEL 15-12, 11-5 CAA
61
Winner Hofstra HOFSTRA 20-7, 11-5 CAA
Drexel DREXEL
15-12, 11-5 CAA
54
Final
61
Hofstra HOFSTRA
20-7, 11-5 CAA
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 F
Drexel DREXEL 9 15 12 18 54
Hofstra HOFSTRA 16 13 19 13 61

Game Recap: Women's Basketball | | By Jim Sheehan

WBB: Durant's Double-Double Leads Hofstra Over Drexel For 20th Win

Hempstead, NY – Hofstra sophomore forward Ashunae Durant recorded her eighth double-double of the season with 17 points and 17 rebounds to lead three Pride players in double-figures as Hofstra defeated Drexel, 61-54 in a Colonial Athletic Association contest at the David S. Mack Sports and Exhibition Complex Friday night.

The victory puts the Pride (20-7, 11-5) in a second-place tie with Drexel (15-12, 11-5) in the CAA standings and gives Hofstra its fifth 20-win season as a Division I member. It is also the Pride's first back-to-back 20-win seasons as a Division I member after a 20-13 campaign last season.

Durant, who posted her 15th career double-double, tied her career-high with 17 caroms, a mark she set at Drexel on January 9, 2015. Senior guard Darius Faulk nearly tallied a double-double with 10 assists and eight rebounds. Her assist tally was the second time she reach double digits this season and her third as a member of the Pride. She previously recorded 10 assists versus Saint Joseph's on Dec. 5.

Junior Krystal Luciano tallied 15 points while classmate Anjie White had 11 points and eight rebounds in 23 minutes of work. The Pride hit on 22-of-63 shots for a 35 percent mark.

The Dragons were led by junior Jessica Pellechio, who recorded a season-high 20 points on 7-of-19 shooting. Senior Rachel Pearson added eight points and four boards while junior Sarah Curran chipped in with eight points and six caroms. The Dragons hit on 19-of-59 shots for a 32.2 shooting percentage.

Drexel opened the contest with the first basket before the Pride went on a 7-2 run to open a 7-4 lead on a Jakelle King-Gilchrist free throw with 4:29 to play in the first quarter. After Pellechio hit a jumper for Drexel 10 seconds later, the Pride, behind two three-pointers from Luciano and a three-point play from Durant, went on a 9-3 spurt to take a 16-9 lead after the first quarter. The Pride was helped by eight second chance points in the period.

Hofstra opened the second with baskets by White and sophomore Aleana Leon to boost the lead to 11 at 20-9 with 8:58 to play in the half. But the Dragons, behind a four-point play from Pellechio, scored the next six points to close to within five at 20-15 on a Sara Woods jumper with 7:06 to play.

Hofstra responded by going on a 9-4 run with two King-Gilchrist free throws with 1:47 to play in the half to give the Pride a 29-19 lead. Durant had four of her nine first half points during the spurt. The Dragons closed the half with a jumper by Curran and a three-pointer by Pellechio, her third of the half, to close to within five at 29-24 at the intermission. Pellochio had 14 points in the first 20 minutes while Luciano also added nine for the Pride.

The Dragons made a brief run at the lead in the third quarter. After White opened the period with a pair of free throws for the Pride to boost the lead to 31-24, Drexel scored the next six points with Pelloechio getting the first four and Creighton scoring on a layup with 7:53 to play in the quarter to close to within one at 31-30. Hofstra answered with a 9-0 run with Durant hitting layups on each end of the spurt to boost the lead to 40-30 at the 4:42 mark.

After Carrie Alexander hit two from the charity stripe a little more than a minute later for the Dragons, Hofstra tallied six unanswered points to take their biggest lead of the contest at 46-32 after a Leon jumper with 1:55 to play in the period. Alexander and Pellechio sandwiched Drexel baskets around a King-Gilchrist bucket for the Pride to close out the third with a 48-36 Hofstra lead. The Dragons were 4-for-15 from the field in the third while the Pride dominated off the boards in the period with a 15-9 advantage.

The fourth quarter was a period of runs. The Dragons came out and scored the first six points on consecutive three-pointers by Pearson to close the deficit to 48-42 at the 8:30 mark. But Hofstra answered with five straight points, including four by Leon, to boost the lead to 53-42 with 6:27 remaining.

Drexel replied with a 5-0 run with Creighton hitting a three-pointer and Pearson sinking two free throws to climb to within six at 53-47 with 5:09 to play. King-Gilchrist hit a three-pointer for the Pride with 2:43 remaining to temporarily stop the Dragon rush and boost the lead to nine at 56-47. Lidge would convert a three-point play 1:05 later to cut the deficit to six again. But Durant would get a breakaway lay-up six seconds later for Hofstra before Curran would sink two free throws for the Dragons with 59 seconds remaining.The Pride would sink three of six free throws around a Curran jumper in the final 40 seconds to post the 61-54 victory.
 
Hofstra returns to action on Sunday when the Pride host the Cougars of Charleston at the David S. Mack Sports and Exhibition Complex. Game time for the Hofstra Senior Day contest is 2 p.m.
 
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