Hempstead, NY – In front of a packed crowd of local elementary school students on "What I Want To Be" Day, the Hofstra women's basketball team came away with a 66-53 win at home over Delaware State in a Wednesday afternoon contest from the David S. Mack Sports and Exhibition Complex.
 
The Pride moves to 2-1 following its win, and Delaware State falls to 0-4.
 
Emma Von Essen and Zyheima Swint paced the hosts with 14 and 12 points respectively, while a trio of Sorelle Ineza, Tionna Baker, and Selma Markisic finished with eight points each against the Hornets. Swint's eight rebounds led Hofstra on the day, and Ally Knights recorded six assists.
 
Hofstra jumped out to a three-point lead on the heels of a Von Essen three and a close-range jumper by Ineza, but Delaware State rattled off a 9-0 run to pull ahead 11-5. After a Markisic three-pointer and a Denijsha Wlson layup made it a three-point game, Hofstra went on a 7-0 burst lasting nearly three minutes to lead 17-15 after Savannah Brooks connected on a jumper at 2:19. Free throws by Knights and Onna Brown put the score at 19-15 in favor of the hosts at the end of the first quarter.
 
Hofstra's lead grew to five following another Knights free throw in the second quarter, but the Hornets scored eight unanswered points to lead by five before upping their lead to seven with a Brooks second-chance layup at 4:14. Delaware State's lead grew to eight on back-to-back three pointers, but the Pride ended the quarter on a 5-0 run inside the final two minutes with three points by Markisic and a Baker three to put the home side behind by two going into halftime.
 
Swint evened the score at 35-35 on a layup eight seconds into the start of the third quarter, keying a massive 17-2 that lasted just over seven minutes and saw baskets from Von Essen, Knights, Swint, and Brooke Anya to grant the Pride a 13-point advantage over the Hornets. Delaware State cut Hofstra's lead to 10 with 10 of the final 16 points of the third quarter. The Pride hit a shooting percentage of .600 in the third quarter while holding Delaware State to just .222 shooting. The Pride's defensive display continued into the fourth quarter as they limited Delaware State to just seven points and a game-low .167 shooting percentage to power the hosts to their second consecutive win of the season.
 
Wilson led Delaware State with 18 points, while Brooks posted 13 points and a team-best four steals. Both tied for the team-lead in rebounds with six.
 
Hofstra will be staying within the Tri-State Region for its next game, as the Pride makes the trip to Connecticut to take on Sacred Heart on Sunday, November 19. Tip-off against the Pioneers is 2 p.m.
 
NOTES:
-Hofstra is now 5-1 all-time against Delaware State.
-The Hofstra bench outscored Delaware State's bench, 18-8, and the Pride scored 34 points in the paint to Delaware State's 20.
-Hofstra has now won seven consecutive home games against non-conference opponents.