Hempstead, NY - Hofstra staged a valiant second half comeback but Elon was able to hold off the Pride, 69-56, Sunday afternoon in a Colonial Athletic Association game at the David S. Mack Sports and Exhibition Complex. Hofstra whittled a 26-point third quarter deficit to five in the fourth quarter but could not complete the effort. Elon would score the final seven points of the game to post the 13-point victory.

Hofstra fell to 3-13 overall and 0-5 in the CAA with the loss. Elon, which won for the fifth time in its last seven games, upped its record to 9-8 overall and 4-2 in league play.

Elon led 23-8 at the end of one quarter. The Phoenix used a 7-2 run early on to snap a 2-2 tie and take a 9-4 lead with 5:19 to go following a fast break layup from Saadia Munford. After a Hofstra basket cut the Elon lead to three, the Phoenix went on a 9-0 run to extend to an 18-6 lead with 2:12 to go. Elon's largest lead would be 15 (23-8) following Jaylin Powell's three-pointer with 1:02 to play as neither team would score in the final minute. Caria Reynolds, Marianne Kalin, Sandra Karsten and Jaylen Hines had Hofstra's points in the quarter.

The Phoenix would score the first five points of the second quarter to increase their lead to 20, 28-8, with 8:34 on the clock following an Ariana Nance three-pointer. The Pride responded with a free throw from Kalin and a layup from Hines. But Elon scored four unanswered and went up by 21, 32-11, with 7:05 to go before halftime. Elon would outscore Hofstra, 8-4, the rest of the quarter and took a 41-15 lead into the half.   

The Pride played an inspired third quarter, outscoring the Phoenix, 22-8. After trailing by 26, 46-20, Hofstra went on a 13-2 run to cut the deficit to 15. Kalin had five points in the run while Ana Hernandez Gil added a three-pointer. Hofstra would slice the Elon lead to 12, 49-37, at the buzzer as Kalin drained a mid-range jumper as time expired.  

The Pride's hot play continued into the fourth as Vanerlie Valcourt's three-point play pulled Hofstra to within nine, 49-40, and Hernandez Gil followed with a three-pointer to make it a six-point game with 9:19 to play. The Phoenix went back up by nine, 54-45, but the Pride scored five straight points to make it a five-point game with 6:06 to play. That was as close as the Pride would get though as Elon pushed back up to an 11-point lead with 2:59 to play after a pair of free throws from Ariel Colon. The Pride got back within six, 62-56, with 1:41 to go but the Phoenix closed out on a 7-0 run to account for the final margin.

Kalin and Hines led Hofstra with 16 and 14 points, respectively. Hines also added a game-high 11 rebounds for her third double-double of the season. Hernandez Gil would chip in eight points.

Munford led all scorers with 20 points for Elon. Colon and Jada Graves each added 12 points. Graves picked up a team-high six rebounds.

Hofstra is back in action Friday at James Madison. Tip-off in Harrisonburg, Virginia, is set for 7 p.m.

Notes:
-Hofstra outscored Elon, 41-28, in the second half and 22-8 in the third quarter
-Elon leads the all-time series, 10-3.
-Hofstra led on the glass, 32-29