THE FIRST LOOK
Hofstra will begin its final regular season weekend on the road with a meeting against Elon at the Schar Center. Hofstra (9-19, 3-13 CAA) is entering the matchup with wins in two of its last three games, most recently suffering a 61-51 decision to UNCW. Elon, who is 8-19 overall and also 3-13 in the conference, has lost its last five games, dropping two games this past weekend to Delaware and Drexel.
LAST TIME THEY MET
The Hofstra University Women's Basketball team dropped a Colonial Athletic Association game to the UNCW Seahawks at the Trask Coliseum by a score of 89-54. UNCW improved to a perfect 9-0 on its home court.
Junior guard Sandra Karsten finished as the Pride's leading scorer with 10 points with the help of her 5-of-6 effort from the free throw line. Junior forward Marianne Kalin shot 50 percent from the field (4-of-8) and finished with nine points, and junior guard Ana Hernandez Gil rounded out the top-three scorers with eight points. Freshman Caria Reynolds chipped in with six points and corralled a team-high seven rebounds despite seeing just under 13 minutes of playing time.
Four players finished in double figures for UNCW including GiGi Smith (18), Shrita Parker (15), Chinyere Bell (13) and Lacey Suggs (12).
HOFSTRA'S LAST TIME OUT
Boogie Brozoski, Ana Hernandez Gil and E'Lexus Davis each scored in double figures for Hofstra, but Elon pulled away in the fourth quarter to post a 77-64 Colonial Athletic Association victory at the David S. Mack Sports and Exhibition Complex. Elon outscored the Pride, 21-12 in the fourth quarter.
Brozoski finished with 15 points on the day with Hernandez Gil adding 14. Davis had a season-high 13 points and added five rebounds and a career-best five steals in the game. Sica Cuzic had five points and a team-best six rebounds for the Pride as well.
Maupin led Elon and all scorers with 18 points on 7-10 shooting. Saadia Munford had 15 points and six rebounds, and Powell added 11 points. Kayla Liles had a season-high eight assists.
INSIDE THE SERIES
- Hofstra and Elon meet for the 10th time in program history
- Elon leads the all-time series, 7-3
- The first meeting between the two teams came on February 15, 2015 when Hofstra won, 55-53 on the road. It was the first year
- that Elon formerly joined the CAA.
A WIN OVER ELON WOULD…
- improve Hofstra's overall record to 10-19 and 4-13 in the CAA
- be the 212th career win for Kilburn-Steveskey
- be the 713th known victory in the history of Hofstra women's basketball and 469th at the NCAA Division I level
SCOUTING THE PHOENIX
The Phoenix have been struggling lately, coming into Thursday's matchup on a five-game skid. Emily Maupin is the only member of the Elon squad that has started and played in all 27 games and leads the team with 11.8 points per game, 6.1 rebounds per game, field goal percentage (.480), and blocks (19.) Brie Perpignan is the team's second leading scorer with 8.8 points per game, and has led the team in scoring in three of the last five games.
Elon has one of the weakest defenses in the league, as the Phoenix are second to last in scoring defense (69.5), ninth in scoring margin (-7.3), last in field goal defense (.430) and last in three-point field goal defense. (.430). In addition, the team has the tendency to turn the ball often with 18.0 miscues per game which ranks ninth.
SCOUTING THE PRIDE
Heading into Thursday's contest, the Pride will rely on its upperclassmen including seniors Boogie Brozoski and Sica Cuzic, who led the Pride in scoring last game against UNCW. Brozoski has led the Pride in scoring in three of the last three games, averaging 10.7 points per game during the stretch.
Ana Hernandez Gil has also caught fire as of late, as she has hit at least four three pointers during the last two of the last three contests which is above her average of 2.3 three-pointers pre game which ranks third in the CAA. In two of the last three games, Hernandez Gil went on a tear, making three-straight three pointers in under a two-minute span.
Hofstra has also seen major contributions from its bench lately. Against Delaware, Hofstra got a huge performance from junior Mikiyah Croskey, who was 6-of-9 from the floor for a season-high 13 points. In addition, freshman Caria Reynolds has been the player to watch out for most over the last few games, as she has shot 10-of-12 from the floor (83 percent) and grabbed her first collegiate double double against Charleston with 12 points and 10 rebounds. Hofstra also got a boost earlier in February when Sica Cuzic returned to the lineup. Since her return, Cuzic has added 8.8 points and 3.7 rebounds off the bench for the Pride.
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.
UP NEXT
Hofstra will play in its regular season finale against William & Mary on Saturday, March 9 at 2 p.m. at Kaplan Arena. The Pride will then await its seeding for the upcoming CAA Championship.
