Hempstead, NY – Three members of the Hofstra women's basketball team finished in double figures as the Pride battled for a gritty 67-65 home win over NJIT on Saturday afternoon from the David S. Mack Sports and Exhibition Complex. Hofstra's record now stands at 3-2 overall, while NJIT slips to 4-3 following the loss.
 
Brooke Anya totaled 14 points, eight rebounds, and a career-best four blocks against the Highlanders. Sorelle Ineza paced the Pride with 19 points while dishing out three assists, while Emma Von Essen registered 13 points, four rebounds, and three assists in the win, and Ally Knights led all players with six assists.
 
Hofstra raced out to a seven-point lead inside the first half of the opening quarter behind balanced scoring from Ineza, Von Essen, Anya, Zyheima Swint, and Selma Markisic. NJIT cut the Hofstra lead to one with six unanswered points, but Ineza hit a three pointer and a driving layup 30 seconds apart to put the Pride back on top by six. Von Essen closed out the first quarter with her second three of the stanza to put the score at 20-15 in favor of Hofstra.
 
Hofstra's lead ballooned to nine after a Swint jumper and a pair of Ineza free throws inside the first two minutes of the second quarter. The Pride kept an eight-point cushion over the Highlanders for most of the quarter, but NJIT clawed back with an 9-2 run lasting from the 3:49 mark until the 1:01 point, putting the margin at one. Anya connected on two free throws to give the hosts a three-point halftime advantage.
 
Hofstra came out of the break firing, as Janaia Fargo and Von Essen connected on back-to-back three pointers to make it a nine-point Hofstra lead over a minute into the third quarter. NJIT again cut the lead to one, this time after a 6-0 run, but the Pride rattled off five straight points to lead by six over the Highlanders. NJIT made it a one-point game inside the final minute of the quarter with five straight points, but the Pride capitalized on an Anya steal to lead by three after three quarters thanks to a driving layup from Ineza.
 
Von Essen knocked down a pull-up jumper 36 seconds into the start of the fourth quarter to grow Hofstra's lead to five, but a three-point play from NJIT's Alejandra Zuiga and a jumper by Madilyn Dogs evened the score at 55-55. Anya converted a turnover into a layup at 7:29 to put Hofstra in front, but NJIT took its first lead of the day with four consecutive points by Trinity Williams, giving NJIT a two-point advantage with 5:55 remaining. Hofstra countered with an Ineza trey on the next possession to put the home side back on top, and a Tionna Baker free throw made it a two-point game with 4:13 left. Trailing by two inside the final 30 seconds of regulation, Anya evened the game at 65-all with two free throws, and Fargo gave Hofstra the lead after she sunk one from the charity stripe with five seconds left. Anya recorded a takeaway with five seconds remaining on the clock, allowing her to score the final point of the contest on a free throw to give Hofstra its third win of November.
 
Trinity Williams led the guests with 18 points and eight rebounds, and Alajandra Zuniga posted 14 points.
 
Hofstra hits the road for its next contest; a 5 p.m. contest in upstate New York against Army West Point on Tuesday, November 30. The Pride returns to the Mack on December 3 with a 2 p.m. game against Lehigh.
 
NOTES:
-Hofstra is now 4-0 all-time against NJIT. This was the first meeting between the two programs since December 9, 2014.
-The Pride blocked seven NJIT shots, the most by Hofstra since a seven-block effort against UNCW on January 30, 2021.
-Hofstra outshot NJIT, 35.3% to 26.7%, from three-point range.
-Hofstra scored 18 points off 17 NJIT turnovers.
-The Pride has now won eight consecutive home games against non-conference opponents.
-Both teams went 15-20 from the free throw line.