West Point, NY – The Hofstra women's basketball team led from start-to-finish against Army West Point as the Pride picked up its first road win of the season, 54-43, from inside Christl Arena. The win puts the Pride at 4-2 to end the month of November, and Army West Point slips to 2-5.
Emma Von Essen scored 11 points to lead Hofstra in scoring, while
Zyheima Swint and
Sorelle Ineza each tallied eight points.
Brooke Anya paced the Pride with a team-leading nine rebounds against the Black Knights, and Swint was close behind with eight rebounds.
Ally Knights scored five points and led the team with two assists.
Hofstra opened the game on a 12-3 run to establish its lead over Army West Point, with three-pointers by Ineza,
Selma Markisic, and
Janaia Fargo. Hofstra's lead would grow to 10 down the stretch before the Black Knights closed the gap to five with the final five points of the first quarter.
Army West Point made it a three-point game twice before the second quarter media timeout, but the Pride responded with 10 unanswered points to increase the lead to 13 points. Markisic knocked down a three pointer, while Swint,
Brooke Anya, and Fargo all contributed with two-pointers, and Knights converted at the free throw line to give the Pride its biggest lead of the game. The Black Knights ended the scoring drought with a two-point jumper as time expired, putting the score at 30-19 going into halftime.
Army West Point capitalized on early third quarter turnovers to bring the margin back to single-digits before back-to-back baskets by Ineza and Von Essen made it a 10-point difference with 4:13 remaining in the quarter. A pair of Reese Ericson three-pointers and a contested layup from Kya Smith cut Hofstra's lead to just two points with 3:38 still to go before the end of the frame. Knights cashed in with a jumper following an Army West Point turnover to end the run, and the quarter ended at 36-33 in favor of Hofstra after Reece sunk a free throw.
The Pride came out of the break firing with seven straight points from its interior duo of Anya and Swint to put the Hofstra lead back to double-digits inside the first 2:30 of the fourth quarter. The Black Knights answered right back with a trio of two-pointers, making it a six-point margin with 5:39 to go before the end of regulation. With the score at 45-41 at the 2:27 mark, Von Essen knocked down a three-pointer to give the Pride a seven-point advantage, and baskets by Anya and Ineza gave Hofstra a 52-41 advantage over the home side with 35 seconds left in the contest. The Pride held off any attempt at a comeback by the Black Knights before the buzzer sounded.
Ericson led the Black Knights with 11 points.
Hofstra returns to the David S. Mack Sports and Exhibition Complex for a three-game home stretch, starting off with a 2 p.m. conest against Lehigh on Sunday, December 3. For ticket information, visit HofstraTickets.com, call (516) HOF-TIXX, or visit the Hofstra Athletics Ticket Office located in the lobby of the Mack Sports Complex.
NOTES:
-Hofstra moves to 7-5 all-time against Army West Point. Hofstra has now won three consecutive meetings against the Black Knights.
-The Pride held an opponent to under 50 points for the first time since the Pride's 46-42 win over Elon on January 6, 2023.
-Hofstra held Army West Point to just 25.8% from the floor (16-62) while shooting at a 40% clip from the field (22-55).
-Hofstra outrebounded Army West Point, 41-34. The Pride has outrebounded five of its six opponents this season.
