BRONX, N.Y. – The Hofstra University women's basketball team used a dominant third quarter and out-scored Houston in the second half, but eventually fell short against the Cougars, 54-44 at the Fordham Holiday Classic on Sunday afternoon at Rose Hill Gymnasium.
 
Freshman guard Sorelle Ineza and senior forward Marianne Kalin led the Pride with 11 points each, while Kalin shot 46 percent (5-of-11) from the floor. In addition to her point total, Kalin tied for the team-lead with nine rebounds and three steals. Ineza and sophomore Shawn Mills also had three steals, while redshirt sophomore forward Jaylen Hines finished with nine boards. Hines and Hernandez Gil tallied eight points for the Pride.
 
A slow start saw Hofstra drop to a deficit as many as 18 midway through the second quarter, but the Pride managed to stay with the Cougars with six-straight points including a jump shot by Ineza and three-pointer by Hernandez Gil. Houston took those points right back but sophomore Vanerlie Valcourt added a pair of field goals under the two-minute mark to make it a 31-17 game at halftime.
 
Houston scored the first bucket of the third quarter, but Hofstra stormed back with a dominant 13-0 run to get back within three points at the 2:07 mark in the third. During the spurt, Hofstra held Houston without a point for nearly six and a half minutes while causing seven turnovers and offensively, Kalin chipped in six points, Hines added four and Hernandez Gil chipped in another three-point basket. Hofstra shot 47 percent from the field (7-of-15) with two three-pointers in the quarter.
 
Houston got five points back before an Ineza three-pointer with 51 seconds left kept it close at five, but the Cougars took control in the paint and out-scored Hofstra, 16-11 in the final frame to take the win.  
 
Hofstra will continue action at the Fordham Holiday Classic for the final non-conference game of the season tomorrow (Monday, December 30) against the Samford Bulldogs. Tip-off at the Rose Hill Gymnasium is set for 1 p.m.
 
NOTES:
-Hofstra and Houston met for the first time in program history
-Kalin and Ineza each notched their fifth game this season in double figures. It was Kalin's fourth game in double figures out of the last five and Ineza's third out of the last four.
-The Pride shattered its season-high with 14 steals. The previous season-high was nine.