Fairfield, CT – Sorelle Ineza, Zyheima Swint, and Emma Von Essen all finished in double-figures for the Hofstra women's basketball team in a hard-fought 63-60 road defeat to Sacred Heart from the William H. Pitt Center.
 
Hofstra drops to 2-2 following Sunday's defeat, and Sacred Heart improves to 3-1.
 
Ineza led all players in Sunday's contest with 20 points while recording three assists, three rebounds, and she tied a career-best with three steals. Von Essen finished with a career-high 18 points against the Pioneers, and Swint scored 10 points and added 12 rebounds for her first double-double of the season while leading the team with a pair of blocks. Ally Knights added six points and four assists, and Brooke Anya pulled down 10 rebounds.
 
Sacred Heart jumped out to a 7-4 lead inside the first five minutes of the opening quarter before a Knights three evened the score at 7-7 with 4:40 to go. The hosts scored eight straight points to lead by nine, and a basket from downtown by Ineza cut the Pioneer lead to six. Sacred Heart scored the final three points of the quarter to make it a nine-point lead.
 
The Pioneers widened their lead to 14 with an early three-pointer and a fast-break layup, but Hofstra rattled off eight straight points to cut the deficit to three points. Von Essen scored eight points during the run, while Ineza scored three, making it a 26-23 score with 3:21 left before halftime. After Sacred Heart made it a five-point game, Hofstra cut the lead down to two with a Ja'Miyah Bryant free throw and a contested layup by Swint at the 1:34 mark. The Pioneers scored the final basket of the half on a fadeaway jumper, putting the score at 30-26.
 
After a 21-point third quarter saw Sacred Heart lead by nine going into the fourth, Hofstra opened the fourth quarter with an Ineza three to make it a six-point contest. Sacred Heart put the difference at 10 points with four straight free throws, but a Von Essen trey kicked off a 6-0 run to bring the Pride to within four. Sacred Heart scored five points on consecutive possessions to make it a nine-point lead for the hosts with 4:31 remaining, but Hofstra would spend the next four minutes on an 8-2 run to pull to within two points with 36 seconds left after Ineza finished off a tough layup late. The Pride had an opportunity to send the game to overtime with 7.1 seconds left and down by three, but they couldn't get the final shot off before the buzzer blared.
 
Sajada Bonner and Ny'Ceara Pryor tied for the most points on the Sacred Heart roster with 18 each, while Pryor led the Pioneers with eight rebounds.

Hofstra returns to the David S. Mack Sports and Exhibition Complex for a 2 p.m. contest against NJIT on Saturday, November 25. For ticket information, HofstraTickets.com, call (516) HOF-TIXX, or visit the Hofstra Athletics Ticket Office based inside the Mack Sports Complex.
 
NOTES:
-Hofstra is now 3-3 all-time against Sacred Heart.
-Hofstra connected on a season-high 10 three-pointers against the Pioneers. Von Essen and Ineza each hit four three-pointers.
-The Pride recorded 44 total rebounds to Sacred Heart's 32
-Sacred Heart outshot Hofstra, 40.4%-33.3%.