Hempstead, NY - Sorelle Ineza's steal and fast break layup broke a 47-47 tie and Hofstra hit three-of-four free throws in the final seven seconds to hold off Molloy, 52-51, in the Pride's home opener Wednesday night at the David S. Mack Sports and Exhibition Complex.

Hofstra evened its record at 1-1 on the season while Molloy slipped to 1-2.

Ineza finished with 10 points, one of three Hofstra players in double-figures, and added two rebounds and a steal. JaKayla Brown led the Pride with 14 points and five assists. Rosi Nicholson also scored in double-digits with 10 points and led the team with eight rebounds and three steals. Jaala Henry and Jaylen Hines each scored eight points. Henry added seven rebounds, while Hines pulled down six.  Vanerlie Valcourt pulled down a career-best seven rebounds in just 12 minutes of action.

The first quarter did not see a great deal of offense as Molloy led 9-8 after the opening 10 minutes. The Lions took a 3-0 lead on a long-range jumper from Maya Thomas 2:30 into the game before the Pride stormed back with back-to-back buckets from Ineza and Nicholson, and a free throw from Henry to go up, 5-3, with 3:33 to play. The Lions would hit two free throws to tie the score before Nicholson drained a three to put Hofstra ahead, 8-5, with 1:36 to go. But Molloy would score the last four points, all on Safiyyah Lee free throws, to lead by one at the end of the quarter.

Scoring picked up in the second quarter as the teams combined for 26 points. The teams traded the lead to open the period as Brown put the Pride ahead by one, 10-9, with a pull-up jumper 26 seconds into the stanza before Janel Moore put the Lions back up with a layup 33 seconds later. The Lions would not relinquish the advantage the rest of the quarter and led by five, 24-19, at the half. Brown would score nine of the Pride's 11 points in the quarter.

Hofstra came out of halftime and scored five unanswered points on a three-pointer from Ineza and a jumper from Nicholson to tie the score at 24 with 8:05 remaining. With the score tied at 28, the Lions went on a 5-0 spurt before the Pride responded with four straight points to trail 33-32 with 3:15 on the clock. A Thomas three-pointer gave Molloy a 36-32 lead with 2:28 but the Pride scored the final five points of the quarter to lead 37-36. Valcourt started the run with a fastbreak layup, Henry added two free throws and Brown added a free throw with two ticks on the clock to close out the scoring.  

Hines extended Hofstra's lead to three, 39-36 with a pair of free throws early in the fourth quarter but Lee would tie the game for Molloy with a three-pointer with 7:17 to play. Lee would follow that with a layup nearly a minute later to give the Lions the lead once again, 41-39, with 6:22 to go. Hofstra got a free throw from Nicholson to make it a one-point game but Molloy got a steal and Gabriella Aspuru scored to put the Lions up by three, 43-40, with 4:24 to play. Henry hit a free throw followed by a three-pointer from Ineza to give the Pride a 44-43 lead with 3:08 remaining.

The Pride would eventually tie the score at 47 on a jumper from Hines with 1:50 left on the clock. Neither team would score again until 45 ticks remained when Ineza had a driving layup that gave Hofstra a 49-47 lead. The Pride would hit three-of-four free throws down the stretch, including two from Henry with five seconds to go that made it a two-possession game, 52-48. Lee would hit a three-pointer at the buzzer for Molloy to make it a one-point win for the Pride.    

Lee led all scorers with 19 points, while Thomas chipped in with 11 points. Lee also had a team-high seven rebounds.

Hofstra returns to action Saturday when it hosts Loyola Maryland at 2 p.m. Tickets are available for purchase at HofstraTickets.com, by calling (516)-HOF-TIXX, or by visiting the Hofstra box office during normal business hours.

Notes:
-Hofstra is now 5-0 against Molloy. The teams had not played since the 1981-82 season.
-Hofstra scored 17 points off 24 Molloy turnovers.
-The Pride outrebounded the Lions, 41-38, including 18-7 on the offensive glass.