Game Details: November 29, 2018 | 7:00 p.m.
Location: David S. Mack Sports and Exhibition Complex | Hempstead, N.Y.
Game Links: Live Stats |
Pride Productions Live Audio |
Pride Productions Live Video |
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Hofstra Links: Roster |
Schedule |
Statistics |
News |
Game Notes
Sacred Heart Links: Roster |
Schedule |
Statistics |
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Game Notes
Twitter Updates: @HofstraWBB |
@HofstraPride
THE FIRST LOOK
Hofstra (3-4) returns to the David S. Mack Sports and Exhibition Complex for the first time in exactly 20 days after playing in five-straight road games, including a three-game trip to Nashville, Tenn. In the five-game stretch, Hofstra posted a 2-3 record with wins against St. Bonaventure and Stetson. Sacred Heart (2-3) is entering the contest on a two-game losing streak, falling to Providence and Monmouth last Wednesday and Sunday. Sacred Heart's two wins this season are against Siena and New Hampshire.
GETCHA' TICKETS!
Tickets can be purchased at HofstraTickets.com, by calling (516) HOF-TIXX or by visiting the Hofstra Athletics Box Office in the lobby of the Mack Sports Complex.
HOW TO WATCH
There will be Pride Productions live video and audio of the game, as well as live statistics. Links to all three can be found on this page and on the women's basketball schedule page at GoHofstra.com.
LAST TIME THEY MET
It was an instant classic at the Pitt Center when the teams last met on November 30, 2017. In a double-overtime battle,
E'Lexus Davis scored a career-high 19 points, including nine in double overtime, as Hofstra took down Sacred Heart, 86-81. Both teams finished with four players in double figures, with Hofstra getting double doubles from
Ashunae Durant (23 points, 12 rebounds) and
Aleana Leon (12 points, 12 rebounds). Katherine Haines posted a double-double for the Pioneers (23 points, 10 rebounds) while Candice Leatherwood scored 21.
HOFSTRA'S LAST TIME OUT
Boogie Brozoski netted a season-high 22 points on 43 percent shooting, as Hofstra escaped with a victory over Stetson in the final game of the Challenge in Music City. Brozoski also tallied six assists on the day, including five in the first half alone.
Ana Hernandez Gil also finished in double figures with 11 points, nine of which came from three-pointers. Hofstra had a 12-point lead at halftime, however Stetson came back within one point with 12 seconds remaining, however Brozoski drained two-straight foul shots to increase the Hofstra lead to three. Stetson had the final possession with 10 seconds remaining but missed the chance to tie the game at the buzzer.
INSIDE THE SERIES
- Hofstra and Sacred Heart meet for fourth time in a series that dates back to the 2004-05 season when Hofstra won by a point, 67-66.
- Overall, Hofstra has the upper hand in the all-time series, 3-0.
- Hofstra defeated the Pioneers last season in double overtime, 86-81.
- Krista Kilburn-Steveskey is 1-0 against the Pioneers, with that win occurring last season.
A WIN OVER SACRED HEART WOULD…
- Improve Hofstra's overall record to 4-4, moving to .500 on the season
- Be the 206th career win for Kilburn-Steveskey
- Keep Hofstra's undefeated record against the Pioneers
- Be the 707th known victory in the history of Hofstra's women's basketball and 464th at the NCAA Division I level
SCOUTING THE PRIDE
Heading into the matchup against Sacred Heart, the Pride will continue to rely on its two seniors in Cuzic and Brozoski. The two have combined for 189 total points which is 44 percent of the Pride's scoring this season and the most of any other class. Both Brozoski and Cuzic are among the top-15 in the Colonial Athletic Association in scoring, as Brozoski ranks eighth with 14.4 points per game while Cuzic is 12th with 12.6 points per contest. The senior combo is not just a scoring threat however, as both Cuzic and Brozoski rank in the top five in the league in other categories. Cuzic currently ranks sixth in the CAA with 7.3 rebounds per game, while Brozoski is fourth in assists per game, checking in 4.3 per contest. In addition, Brozoski is first in the CAA in three throw percentage, making 23 of 24 of her foul shots (.958).
The key to success all year long for the Pride has been its ball handling. Currently, Hofstra suffers 16.7 miscues per game which is fourth in the conference behind James Madison (13.6), Northeastern (15.4) and Drexel (14.3). The Pride turns the ball over 2.3 times less per game than its opponents, good for the fourth-best turnover margin in the CAA. Hofstra's opponents also stolen the ball away from Hofstra 32 times through seven games, an average of only 4.57 per game which is the best in the league by nearly one steal per game.
In addition, Hofstra is tied for the third-best assist/turnover ratio, having dished out 91 assists to suffering 101 turnovers for a ratio of 0.9, behind Drexel and Northeastern (1.1) and William & Mary (1.0). With that, the Pride is first in overall assists with 91. Of Hofstra's 155 field goals this season, 91 have come from an assist (59 percent). In the season opener vs. Iona, Hofstra's 21 assists are the second-most in a single game in the league this season, behind Charleston's 23 assist performance against North Greenville on November 7. Against Stetson, Hofstra made 11 field goals in the first half, with all 11 tagged with an assist.
Hofstra is led by head coach Krista Kilburn-Steveskey in her 13th season. She has averaged nearly 17 wins per season since arriving on campus in 2006 while posting seven winning seasons and leading the Pride to five appearances in the Women's National Invitation Tournament (WNIT) including two consecutive appearances in 2014-15 and 2015-16. In addition, Kilburn-Steveskey is the winningest coach in Pride history, capturing her 200th win last season against Charleston.
SCOUTING THE PIONEERS
As a team, the Pioneers average 61.2 points per game, just .2 more than Hofstra's 61.0 points per game. In its last contest against Monmouth, Sacred Heart netted a season-low 50 points on a season-low 27 percent shooting.
Sacred Heart currently has three players who average double figure point totals, led by Katherine Haines who has only played in three of the Pioneer's games this season so far. Averaging 30.3 minute per game, Haines tallies 15.3 points per contest (51 percent FG) as a forward. Fellow graduate student Erin Storck, a 40 percent shooter, is next with 14.0 points per game, and has taken a team-high 5.2 three-pointers per contest. Sophomore guard Adrainne Hagood has 10.8 points per game, shooting 38 percent on the season. The Pioneers have only three players who have started all five games so far, including Hagood, Candice Leatherwood (9.8 ppg) and Olivia Dabney (4.0 ppg).
Sacred Heart is led by a familiar face to the Hofstra Pride, Jessica Mannetti, who spent four seasons at Hofstra as an assistant coach for Krista Kilburn-Steveskey. Mannetti's first season at Sacred Heart came in 2013-14, as she led the team to a 12-18 record that year. The Pioneers posted a 16-13 mark a season later before she led Sacred Heart to its fourth NEC regular season title with a 16-2 league record in 2015-16. Last season, she led the Pioneers to its 18th consecutive NEC postseason appearance with a 13-5 conference record followed by a WNIT tournament appearance. A three-sport athlete in college, Mannetti graduated from Concordia College in Bronxville, N.Y. in 2001 with a degree in business administration. She played volleyball, basketball and softball at Concordia.
UP NEXT
Hofstra will get back on the road for three more away games, first with a mid-week trip to Holy Cross on Wednesday, December 5. Hofstra will then travel to UMBC on Sunday, December 9 and then will enjoy a 12-day break before Siena on Friday, December 21.
