Hempstead, NY – The Hofstra women's basketball team's four-game winning streak came to an end Friday night from inside the David S. Mack Sports and Exhibition Complex, as Charleston won, 64-51, against the Pride.
Hofstra sits at 7-7 overall and 2-1 in the Coastal Athletic Association following Friday's defeat to the Cougars, and Charleston is now 12-2 overall and 3-0 against conference opponents.
Ramatoulaye Keita had a terrific performance for the Pride, recording 11 points and 15 rebounds for her first double-double in a Hofstra uniform. Keita also added three assists, two steals, and a block, while
Emma Von Essen scored 11 points, and
Zyheima Swint collected nine rebounds to go with her eight points.
After Charleston scored on the first possession 14 seconds into the opening quarter, Hofstra pulled in front with baskets from Von Essen and
Janaia Fargo. The teams traded points for most of the quarter, with Charleston evening the score every time Hofstra pulled ahead by two. After a tying layup at 3:44 by Charleston's Lara Rohkohl, the Pride ended the quarter with a go-ahead two by Swint at 2:32 and a three from
Chloe Sterling at the 1:37 mark to lead, 13-8.
The second quarter proved to be the difference in Friday's game, with Charleston pouring in 20 points to Hofstra's six. After Von Essen connected on the first of her three three-pointers at 9:38 and Swint hit one of two free throws a minute later, the Cougars rattled off 12 unanswered points over the course of nearly six minutes until Swint went two-for-two from the free throw stripe at 2:29. Charleston's Sophia Tougas drained a three on the next Charleston possession, allowing the Cougars to end the quarter with another eight unanswered points while holding Hofstra without a field goal since Von Essen's three 12 seconds into the quarter. The 20-6 frame gave Charleston a 28-19 lead heading into halftime.
Keita connected on Hofstra's first field goal in over a quarter at the 8:16 mark of the third quarter, cutting Charleston's lead to seven, but Charleston scored six out of the next seven points to go up, 34-22, with 6:29 still to play in the quarter. Fargo brought the difference back under single-digits with a three at 5:35, but Charleston put the margin to 13 with points on consecutive possessions. A three from Von Essen and a made free throw by Swint put the Pride behind by nine, before Tougas gave the Cougars a 12-point lead to end the third quarter on a three.
Hofstra would only come as close as nine points to tying the game against Charleston, as the Cougars shot 50% from the floor on four of eight field goals in the fourth quarter in Friday's battle between two 2-0 teams in the CAA.
McKinley Brooks-Sumpter led all players with 18 points, and Rohkohl and Taryn Barbot tied for the team lead in rebounding with 12 each.
Hofstra faces another stiff early-season test in conference play on Sunday, January 12, when the Pride hosts Drexel. Tip-off from the Mack Sports Complex is scheduled for 2 p.m. on Sunday. For ticket information visit HofstraTickets.com, call (516) HOF-TIXX, or visit the Hofstra Athletics Ticket Office in the lobby of the Mack Sports Complex during normal business hours.
NOTES:
-Hofstra drops to 9-11 all-time against Charleston. This is the fourth consecutive win for Charleston over the Pride.
-This was just the second double-double of Keita's career.
-Keita has averaged 9.0 points and 12.7 rebounds per game in her first three CAA contests.
-Hofstra held a narrow 50-48 edge in rebounding. This is Hofstra's second game with 50 rebounds this season.
-With a trio of three-pointers against Charleston, Von Essen has 172 threes for her Hofstra career. She is five away from tying and six from passing Ana Hernandez Gil (17, 2016-20) for the fifth-most threes in a career at Hofstra.
