Queens, NY –
Emma Von Essen eclipsed 1,000 points for her illustrious Hofstra women's basketball career in a furious fourth quarter rally, but the Hofstra women's basketball team fell just short of pulling off the comeback as the Pride fell 63-60 to St. John's from inside Carnesecca Arena on the St. John's campus in Queens.
Hofstra slips to 2-7 overall with the three-point loss, and the Red Storm improve to 10-2.
Sandra Magolico led the Pride with 17 points to go with her six rebounds and career-high four assists against St. John's, while
Ema Karim chipped in a strong 10 points.
Micaela Carter led all players with seven rebounds in today's game, and Magolico,
Alarice Gooden, and
Chloe Sterling tied for the team-lead with four assists each.
Von Essen got Hofstra started with a three, but St. John's scored seven unanswered to lead by four before Magolico ended the Pride's scoring drought with a layup following a Red Storm giveaway. After a Magolico basket with 1:48 left on the clock, St. John's scored the final five points of the first quarter to lead by nine. St. John's continued its scoring into the second quarter with three free throws to grow its lead to 13 points before
Deivejon Harris converted a layup at the 4:58 mark. Sterling brought the Pride to within nine with a pull-up jumper on the next Hofstra possession, but St. John's rattled off 10 unanswered points to put the lead at 19 with 2:14 to go before the break. Hofstra scored the final four points of the frame, including a steal-and-score by Magolico with two seconds left, to trail 34-18 at halftime.
The Red Storm opened the third quarter with a layup and free throw to lead by 18 before Hofstra started to whittle away at the St. John's lead with a Sterling three and a Magolico free throw. Following a pair of Red Storm free throws, Hofstra scored the next six points off of a Magolico layup, a Karim jumper, and a second-chance basket by
Ayen Angoi to trail by 10 just before the media timeout at 5:07. The deficit grew to 17 with an 8-1 run, but three free throws by Harris and a pair from the stripe by Magolico brought the Pride within 12. Following four points on consecutive St. John's possessions, Karim ended the quarter with a three to put the score at 51-38 heading into the fourth and final quarter.
Hofstra opened the fourth with a 13-2 run lasting from 9:35 on a Gooden layup to 5:11 on a basket from Harris, cutting the lead down to one. During this run, Von Essen crossed the 1,000-point mark on a fastbreak three at the 6:41 mark after the media timeout.
A big three from Daniela Abies ended the Hofstra run for the moment at 3:59, but Hofstra responded with a tough layup by Sterling and a pair of game-tying free throws by Gooden with 2:48 to play. Another big three from St John's gave the hosts the lead with 2:10 to play in regulation before Sterling brought the Pride to within one with 54 seconds left with two free throws. Janeya Grant buried a corner three with 24 seconds left to push the difference to four, but Karim responded with a three of her own on the next Hofstra possession to make it a 61-60 score with 17 seconds left. After Kylie Lavelle sank one of two free throw attempts on the next possession, Sterling saw her driving layup clank off the iron and into the waiting hands of a St. John's player with five seconds left. Moore hit one of two free throws with just under two seconds left, giving Hofstra a chance to tie the score, but Magolico's desperation heave moments before the buzzer blared fell short.
Lavelle led the Red Storm with 17 points, followed by Grant's 12 points, and Sa'Mya Wyatt pulled down a team-leading six rebounds.
Hofstra will stay in the state of New York for its next non-conference contest; a 12 p.m. contest on December 21 against UAlbany from the state capital.
NOTES:
-Hofstra outrebounded St. John's, 38-29.
-Von Essen becomes the 27th player in Hofstra women's basketball history to score 1,000 career points.
-St. John's committed 11 turnovers against Hofstra's nine.
-The all-time series is now 17-2 in favor of St. John's.
