Hempstead, NY - Sica Cuzic scored a game-high 19 points to lead three Hofstra players in double-figures but Sacred Heart pulled away from Hofstra late in the fourth quarter for a 70-64 win Thursday night at the David S. Mack Sports and Exhibition Complex.

The Pioneers improved to 3-3 on the season and snapped a two-game losing streak with the win. Hofstra fell to 3-5 on the season.

Hofstra shot 58-percent from the floor in the first quarter compared to 33-percent for Sacred Heart but the score was tied at 14 after the opening 10 minutes. Cuzic and Marianne Kalin paced the Pride with four points.

The Pride opened the second quarter on a 7-2 run behind five points from Boogie Brozoski to take a 21-16 lead with 8:12 on the clock, but the Pioneers responded with a 9-4 spurt to tie the game at 25 with 5:11 to play on Adrianne Hagood's fast break layup. Sacred Heart would take a 28-27 lead with 3:59 on the clock before the Pride closed out the quarter on a 13-7 run to take a 40-35 lead into halftime. Ana Hernandez Gil had a three-pointer to start the run and Cuzic added six points during the outburst.

Hofstra scored the first basket of the third quarter before Sacred Heart went on a 10-0 run to take a 45-42 lead on Olivia Dabney's three-pointer with 5:01 to play. Brozoski ended the Pioneer run and tied the score at 45 with a three-pointer coming out of a Hofstra timeout. Cuzic followed with a traditional three-point play to put the Pride back up by three, 48-45 with 3:32 remaining in the third quarter. The teams would trade the lead five times over the final 2:11 with the Pioneers taking a 54-52 lead at the end of the quarter on a buzzer-beating layup from Jayla Davis.

Hofstra took a 58-56 lead following a 6-2 run to start the fourth but could not pull away from the Pioneers. There would be one tie score and six lead changes in a 4:51 stretch with Sacred Heart taking a three-point lead, 67-64, with 1:32 remaining on Hagood's fast break layup. Hofstra had a long possession that saw Sacred Heart whistled for two fouls before the Pride turned the ball over. After a missed shot for Sacred Heart, the Pride regained possession with under 40 seconds to play. Another Pioneer foul put Hofstra at the line but both shots were missed. Hofstra was forced to foul, and Erin Storck hit one of two to make it a two-possession game. Stork would then seal the game for the Pioneers with two more free throws with 11 seconds to go.

In addition to her 19 points, Cuzic also added a game-high 11 rebounds for her third double-double of the season. Kalin had 14 points and six rebounds while Brozoski added 12 points and six rebounds.

Storck and Hagood shared team-high honors for Sacred Heart with 16 points each. Madison Cheatham added 11 points and Davis had 10. Storck also grabbed nine boards to lead the Pioneers.   
 
The Pride will be back in action Wednesday, December 5, when they travel to Holy Cross for a 6:05 p.m. tip.

Notes:
-Hofstra was playing its first home game in 20 days.
-Brozoski has scored in double-figures in all eight games this season.
-Cuzic scored in double-figures for the fifth time this season.
-Hofstra is now 3-1 all-time against Sacred Heart, which is coached by former Hofstra Assistant Coach Jessica Mannetti.