Hempstead, NY – The Hofstra women's basketball team enjoyed a balanced scoring attack and excellent defense, as the Pride earned a 75-61 win over visiting Yale in front of the home crowd at the David S. Mack Sports and Exhibition Complex in non-conference action.
 
The Pride improves to 2-1 with Tuesday's win, and Yale drops to 1-2.
 
Chloe Sterling had another exceptional night on the hardwood, tying a career-highs in points and assists with 21 and six, respectively, while pulling down four rebounds and recording two steals. Emma Von Essen poured in 19 points against Yale on 7-13 shooting and three threes, while Zyheima Swint scored 14 points and recorded 12 rebounds for her second consecutive double-double, and LaNae' Corbett chipped in 11 points in the win.
 
The Pride fell behind by three through the first four minutes of the contest before scoring four straight points by Corbett and Swint to take a three-point lead at the 5:05 mark. Yale retook the lead with a four-point run of their own, and they ended the quarter with a jumper inside the final 10 seconds to lead, 14-11. After the slow start in the first quarter, Hofstra exploded in the second with nine unanswered points to take a six-point lead over the Bulldogs with 7:07 to go in the frame. Corbett's jumper at 9:09 sparked the run, which featured points from Von Essen, Swint, and Sabrina Larsson. Yale ended the run and cut Hofstra's lead to one several times during the midpoint of the quarter before retaking the lead at 1:52, but a driving layup by Alarice Gooden and two Micaela Carter free throws gave Hofstra a 33-30 lead going into halftime.
 
Hofstra opened the third quarter with a Swint bucket to move out to a five-point lead, but Yale kept it close and eventually tied the game at 39-39 with a 10-4 run lasting until 7:30. It would be the closest Yale came to retaking the lead for the remainder of the game, as Hofstra scored six straight points from Corbett, Von Essen, and Larsson to pull in front, 45-39, with 6:00 to go in the quarter. The Pride's lead grew to nine inside the final two minutes of the quarter, putting the score at 56-47 in favor of the hosts heading to the fourth quarter.
 
Hofstra's lead ballooned to double-digits with the first seven points of the quarter before a pull-up three from Von Essen gave the Pride a 66-50 advantage with 6:31 to play. Yale managed to get the difference back to single-digits with an 11-2 run lasting from 4:47 until the 1:41 mark, but the Pride iced the game with five straight points from Sterling to leave the Mack Sports Complex victorious.
 
Yale's Kiley Capstraw led the team with 17 points against the Pride, and Grace Thybulle pulled down a team-leading eight rebounds.
 
Hofstra takes a quick trip to Riverdale, New York, on Sunday, November 17, to take on Manhattan. Tip-off from Draddy Gymnasium is scheduled for 5 p.m.
 
NOTES:
-Hofstra improves to 6-6 all-time against Yale. This was the first meeting between Hofstra and Yale since December 11, 2007.
-Sterling's previous career-high of six assists came against South Alabama on February 7, 2024, as a member of James Madison.
-Hofstra held Yale to 38.3% from the floor (23-60) while shooting 49.1% (27-55).
-The Pride scored 32 points in the paint and 14 points off of 12 Yale turnovers.