West Long Branch, NJ – In a back and forth Colonial Athletic Association contest, the Hofstra women's basketball team dropped a tight 63-59 result on the road against hosts Monmouth Friday evening from the OceanFirst Bank Center in West Long Branch, New Jersey.
 
The loss drops Hofstra to 8-13 overall and 2-8 in the conference, and Monmouth improves to 11-11 overall and 6-5 against conference competition.
 
Brandy Thomas led the way for the Pride with 22 point and 10 rebounds, and Sorelle Ineza posted 10 point and six assists. Ally Knights and Zyheima Swint pulled down six rebounds each, and Knights dished out five assists.
 
Hofstra started the game on a 7-2 run with three points by Thomas and a pair of layups by Swint and Zaniyyah Ross-Barnes, who finished with six points for the Pride, before Monmouth made it a one-point game at the 5:29 mark. Emma Von Essen sunk a step-back three, and Ross-Barnes converted a driving layup, but Monmouth's Jania Hall scored on a three-point play with a layup and free throw to put the score at 12-11 after the media timeout. Thomas scored five straight points to put Hofstra's lead at six, but Monmouth scored the final seven points of the first quarter over a 2:53 stretch to lead, 18-17.
 
Hofstra jumped back in front with a Thomas jumper to open the second quarter, and Janaia Fargo hit a driving layup at 7:51 to cancel out a pair of Lucy Thomas free throws. Alarice Gooden converted two free throws, and Ross-Barnes made a tough layup for a 5-0 run lasting until the media timeout at 4:45. Monmouth took the lead with six unanswered points late in the third, but Von Essen banged in her second three-pointer of the game to put the Pride ahead by two with 1:15 left in the half. The Hawks rallied for back-to-back layups, and a Knights free throw at the end of the quarter put the score at 30-29.
 
Hofstra came out of the halftime break firing with seven straight points – five by Thomas and two from Von Essen – to lead 36-30. The Pride's lead grew to eight points with four straight Ineza points at the 5:11 mark of the third quarter. Monmouth cut Hofstra's lead to four with two Brianna Tinsley free throws and an Ariana Vanderhoop jumper, but Ineza put the Hofstra lead back to six with a layup at 3:39. Monmouth chipped away at the Pride's lead with another four points before Ineza floated in a close-range jumper at 1:52. Fargo connected on a driving layup with 21 seconds left, but Vanderhoop responded with a layup of her own to put the score at 46-44 in favor of the Pride going into the fourth quarter.
 
Monmouth raced out to an eight-point lead with 10 unanswered points to start the four quarter before Swint hit a tough hook shot at 6:08. Swint's basket kicked off a 6-0 Hofstra run to cut Monmouth's lead to two, with an Ineza jumper at 4:59 and a Thomas layup at 4:22. Monmouth responded with a 6-0 run to put the lead back at eight with 2:45 left in regulation. Five Thomas points brought the Pride within three at the 1:01 mark, and a Swint fast-break layup made it a two-point game with 36 seconds to go. After an Ineza rebound on the defensive end, Hofstra had an opportunity to tie the game or take the lead, but Thomas turned the ball over and Monmouth hit a pair of free throws with five seconds left to seal the win.
 
Thomas was one of three Monmouth players with double-digit points, scoring 19 against the Pride, while Vanderhoop scored 15 and Tinsley finished with 10. Vanderhoop lead all players with 13 total rebounds.
 
Hofstra welcomes Towson (13-8, 7-3 CAA) to the Mack Sports Complex on Thursday, February 9, at 7 p.m. Visit HofstraTickets.com for tickets to Thursday's game.
 
NOTES:
-This was the first meeting between Hofstra and Monmouth since 2001. Hofstra is now 5-8 all-time against the Hawks.
-The Pride held Monmouth to  32.3-percent shooting from the floor and just 15-percent from beyond the arc, but allowed the Hawks 23 free throw attempts.
-Hofstra outrebounded Monmouth, 38-34, and outscored Monmouth in the paint, 32-28.
-Brandy Thomas recorded her eighth double-double of the season.