Newark, DE – Sorelle Ineza poured in a career-high 21 points, but the Hofstra women's basketball team dropped its Colonial Athletic Association opener, 77-65, to Delaware from the Bob Carpenter Center in Newark, Delaware.
 
Hofstra drops to 6-6 overall and 0-1 in the CAA in the final game of the calendar year, while Delaware moves to 8-4 overall and 1-0 in the conference.
 
Ineza set a new career-high with four three-pointers and tied a career-high with eight field goals against the Fightin' Blue Hens, while adding three rebounds, one steal, and one assist for the Pride. Brandy Thomas finished with 13 points and seven rebounds, and Zyheima Swint led the team with eight rebounds while finishing with eight points. Rosi Nicholson and Ally Knights led the team with five rebounds each, and Nicholson recorded five takeaways.
 
After Hofstra opened the game with a 9-4 run on Delaware at the 7:04 mark of the first quarter, the hosts scored four points to bring themselves to within two of the Pride. A three from Thomas, followed by a pair of Swint free throws at 5:13, gave Hofstra a seven-point lead before the media timeout. Delaware came out of the break and went on a 9-2 run lasting the remainder of the quarter to lead 20-17.
 
Hofstra's hot hand resumed to start the second quarter with four straight baskets, including a pair of Ineza treys, for a lengthy 11-3 run to put the Pride ahead, 28-23 with 6:33 on the board. Delaware cut the lead to two at 4:43 with a three-point basket of their own, but back-to-back jumpers by Thomas and Emma Von Essen, coupled with an Ineza floating jumper, gave Hofstra a seven-point lead with 2:05 remaining before halftime. Delaware sunk a two-pointer to bring the score to 34-30 in favor of the Pride.
 
Delaware cut the Hofstra lead to two with a three-pointer at 7:44 of the third quarter, but free throws by Knights and Thomas put Hofstra's lead back to five. Von Essen hit a three-pointer following a Delaware layup to put Hofstra in front by six with 5:58 to go before Delaware retook the lead with 12 unanswered points to go up, 48-42, at the 2:42 mark. Ineza scored five of Hofstra's six points in the final stretch of the quarter, putting the score at 50-48 heading into the fourth.
 
Thomas momentarily tied the game with a two-point jumper early in the fourth quarter, but Delaware retook the lead with a 7-2 run lasting nearly three minutes until Ineza sunk a three-pointer at 6:03 to bring the Pride to within two. Delaware made it a four-point contest at 5:41, but Ineza hit another big three-pointer seconds later to put Hofstra down one at the media timeout with 5:08 still to play. After the break, Delaware put the game out of reach with a 16-0 run lasting until Alarice Gooden hit a two-point jumper at 1:04. A Thomas jumper and a three-pointer from Janaia Fargo were the final Hofstra points of the contest.

Klarke Sconiers led all players with 21 points in tonight's game, while Kharis Idom (16 pts.), Jewel Smalls (13 pts.), and Makayla Pippin (13 pts.) all finished in double figures for the Fightin' Blue Hens.

Hofstra returns to the Mack Sports Complex on Sunday to host Stony Brook for the 13th Long Island Rivalry meeting. Tip-off against the Seawolves is 2 p.m. Visit HofstraTickets.com for ticket information.
 
NOTES:
-Hofstra shot a season-high 58.8% (10-17) from beyond the arc.
-Sorelle Ineza has scored at least 10 points in five consecutive games.
-Delaware won the battle at the boards, 42-33.
-Hofstra's all-time record against Delaware is now 12-69.