Washington, DC – The Hofstra women's basketball team had a six-point halftime lead slip away against North Carolina A&T as the Pride's 2023-24 season came to an end in the quarterfinals of the 2024 CAA Women's Basketball Championship with a 55-40 defeat to the Lady Aggies from the Entertainment & Sports Arena in Washington, DC.
 
The 13-seed in the CAA Championship, Hofstra's final record stands at 11-21. Meanwhile, four-seed North Carolina A&T is now 20-10 and will face top-seed Stony Brook in the semifinals on Saturday. The Pride's season ends in the quarterfinals for the third consecutive season.
 
Zyheima Swint led all Hofstra players in scoring with 10 points, and Brooke Anya was the team's top rebounder this afternoon with 11 rebounds. Swint pulled down eight rebounds, while Alarice Gooden scored nine points off the bench.
 
North Carolina A&T raced out to a six-point lead with a 12-6 run prior to the media timeout at 3:43. Coming out of the break, Hofstra went off for seven unanswered points while keeping the Lady Aggies scoreless for the remainder of the first quarter. Anya got the run started with a free throw after the media timeout, and Gooden drained a corner three to cut the deficit to two. Anya sunk another free throw to make it a one-point game with 40 seconds left, and she gave Hofstra its first lead of the game with a layup at the buzzer to put the Pride on top 13-12.
 
Hofstra's lead grew to five to start the second quarter with four early points on field goals from Swint and Emma Von Essen. The Lady Aggies ended their scoreless rut with a layup at 5:35 to make it a three-point difference, but the basket was countered by a Gooden free throw and a acrobatic layup from Tionna Baker at 2:31, increasing Hofstra's edge to six points. The teams traded points down the final stretch of the quarter, with another Baker basket following a jumper by A&T's Chaniya Clark, putting the score at 24-18 at halftime.
 
Hofstra maintained its lead over the Lady Aggies throughout the third quarter, weathering through a scoring drought for both side that lasted from 8:08 after a three by D'Mya Tucker until 4:04 when Clark converted a layup and free throw to tie the game for the first time since the first quarter. Sorelle Ineze responded with a trey on the next possession to retake the lead. However, it wouldn't last long, as North Carolina A&T surged back in front with a 7-1 run to lead by three going into the fourth quarter.
 
The momentum fully shifted into A&T's favor with an 8-2 burst to open the fourth quarter, and the Lady Aggies' lead reached double-digits on a Maleia Bracone trey at 6:22. North Carolina A&T outscored the Pride 10-6 in the final 5:36 of the game to move on to the semifinals.
 
Jordyn Dorsey led all players with 15 points for the Lady Aggies, while Clark posted 10 points and 19 rebounds.
 
NOTES:
-Von Essen finishes her sophomore season with 85 three-pointers, the third-most in a season in Hofstra women's basketball history.
-Ineza's Hofstra career concludes with 944 points, 258 rebounds, and 184 assists.
-Hofstra is 1-3 all-time against North Carolina A&T.
-The teams each recorded 41 rebounds.