Baltimore, MD – The Hofstra women's basketball team battled tooth-and-nail for an entire 40 minutes plus overtime, but the Pride suffered a 62-61 defeat against hosts Loyola Maryland Saturday afternoon from Reitz Arena in Baltimore, Maryland. The win snaps Hofstra's two-game winning streak and sends the Pride to 4-5 on the year.

Rosi Nicholson went a perfect 6-6 from the floor and went 4-4 from the free throw line to finish with 17 points against the Greyhounds to tie her career-high, and the graduate student also finished with six rebounds, one block, and one steal for the Pride. Zyheima Swint scored 14 points and led the team with nine rebounds, and she tied a career-high with three blocks. Sorelle Ineza posted her second consecutive game in double figures with 13 points, including a team-high three three-pointers, while she contributed with four rebounds and two assists. Brandy Thomas finished with eight points, eight rebounds, and a team-high four assists.

The Pride trailed Loyola Maryland (5-6), 18-14, after a back-and-forth first quarter. Hofstra narrowly led by two at multiple points of as the teams traded points in the early stages of the quarter, but the Greyhounds took a three-point lead on three straight free throws by Meliah Van-Otoo at 3:37. Hofstra moved to within on late in the quarter on a Zaniyyah Ross-Barnes jumper at 1:35, but a Taleah Dixon three-pointer with 12 seconds left put the hosts ahead by four at the end of the quarter.

Hofstra kept with Loyola Maryland point-for-point through the first half of the second quarter, but the Greyhounds scored five straight points to lead, 27-20, with 4:45 left on the clock. Back-to-back Hofstra threes by Nicholson and Ineza brought the Pride back to within one before an Ineza jumper with 1:00 before halftime gave Hofstra a one-point lead. A Greyhound three put the hosts up by two, and a layup at the buzzer put Loyola Maryland ahead by four going into halftime.

Back-to-back Nicholson two-point baskets tied the game at 32-32 within the first two minutes of the third quarter, but Loyola Maryland pulled back in front with a pair of free throws at 7:25. A tough Swint layup evened the score once again, but an 8-2 run gave the Greyhounds a 42-36 lead with 5:04 remaining in the quarter. Back-to-back Swint layups brought the Pride to within two before the hosts pulled back in front by four. Five of the final six points of the quarter were scored by the Pride from the free throw line, putting the score at 45-45 entering the fourth quarter.

The lead changed twice and the score was tied twice in the opening four minutes of the fourth quarter before Loyola Maryland took a four-point lead on a pair of free throws and a Kelly Ratigan layup with 3:48 left in the quarter. An Ineza three-pointer brought the Pride to within one shortly after Ratigan's layup. The Greyhounds upped their lead to two off a free throw at 1:47, but Swint cashed in a contested layup to even the score at 55-55 with 1:13 remaining in regulation. Neither team was able to score the go-ahead bucket, and the buzzer sounded with the score still tied.

Bri Rozzi hit a three-pointer inside the first 30 seconds of overtime, but the Pride went right down the court and scored on a Swint layup to put Hofstra down one. A pair of Nicholson free throws saw Hofstra take its first lead of the game since the first quarter. Ally Knights sunk two free throw to put the Pride on top, 61-58, with 24 seconds left in overtime. Rozzi scored a pair of free throws to put the Greyhounds behind one with 18 seconds to play, and a Hofstra turnover gave the hosts a chance to win the game. A Knights foul with three seconds left sent Taleah Dixon to the line, and she hit both free throws to give Loyola Maryland the lead with three seconds remaining. A desperation three by Knights failed to find the basket, and the hosts escaped today's game with a win.

Loyola Maryland's Dixon led all players with 21 points, while Rossi finished with 11 points for the home side, and Lex Terien led the Greyhounds with eight total rebounds.

The Pride returns to action on Sunday, December 18, on the road against Delaware State. Tip-off against the Hornets from Dover, Delaware is set for 1 p.m.

NOTES:
-Nicholson is the second Hofstra player to go perfect from the floor this season, joining Zaniyyah Ross-Barnes after the sophomore went 6-6 against Alliance on November 23.
-The Pride finished with shooting percentage of 42.9 and held Loyola Maryland to 31.1-percent from the floor.
-Hofstra outrebounded Loyola Maryland, 38 to 35, but the Greyhounds forced 23 Hofstra turnovers while only giving the ball away 16 times.
-Hofstra's all-time record against Loyola Maryland stands at 1-3 following today's game.