West Point, NY – The 2020-21 Hofstra women's basketball season got off to a strong start when the Pride defeated the Army Black Knights on the road Wednesday, 81-78.
 
Five players reached double figures in scoring, including junior Jahsyni Knight who shined in her Hofstra debut, recording 17 points, seven assists, six rebounds and two steals. In addition, sophomore JaKayla Brown tied her career-high of 17 points, shooting 7-of-12 from the field (58 percent) while also recording three steals and three rebounds.
 
Junior Jaala Henry also had a solid debut for Hofstra, putting up 15 points on 55 percent shooting while also pulling down a team-high nine rebounds. Redshirt junior Jaylen Hines netted 14 points (7-of-15) and six boards, and sophomore Vanerlie Valcourt (5-of-6 FG) tallied 11 points and five rebounds to round out the double-digit scorers.
 
Hofstra got out to a 23-15 lead over Army after the first 10 minutes, and Brown shined for the Pride as she went 5-of-6 from the field for 10 points during the first stretch of action. With Army ahead, 15-13 with 2:16 in the first frame, Hofstra used a 10-0 run to gain an eight-point lead heading into the second quarter.
 
Hofstra stayed hot in the second stanza and reached its largest lead of the contest on three occasions. The Pride scored 22 points during the quarter, bringing the halftime score to 45-35.
 
The fourth quarter saw Army take a four-point lead (71-67) by the 6:51 mark, but the momentum shifted toward the Pride when Henry converted on a three-point play before Knight collected her own miss and put it back to give Hofstra a 74-73 advantage.
 
Army refused to let up and made it a back-and-forth affair when Alisa Fallon knocked down a three-pointer to put the Black Knights ahead, 76-74, but Hofstra responded with three-straight points, including a nice driving layup by junior Rosi Nicholson with 16 seconds on the clock. Fallon struck again for the Black Knights and made a second chance layup with seven seconds left, but Hofstra responded in a big way when Knight tossed an inbound pass into the paint, finding Hines for a lay-up that put Hofstra on top, 79-78 with 5.6 seconds on the clock. The Pride sealed the deal with Henry was fouled and made both free throws, cementing the three-point victory.
 
In the end, Hofstra dominated in the paint outscoring Army 56-32 in the interior while collecting 20 offensive rebounds. The defense was strong as well, causing 22 Army turnovers while Hofstra committed just eight.
 
The Pride will look to continue its strong start on Sunday when Hofstra travels to the University of Pittsburgh for a non-conference contest. Tip-off at the Petersen Events Center is set for 2 p.m.
 
NOTES:
-It was the first meeting for Hofstra and Army since November 17, 2001. The all-time series between the two teams is now tied, 5-5
-Five players reached double figures in scoring since November 6, 2018 when Hofstra put five players in double figures against Iona
-Hofstra is 6-0 in its last six season openers and has won eight of its last nine
-Hofstra's 81 points was the most since the 2017-18 season when the Pride defeated Towson, 83-72 against Towson on Feb. 18, 2018