Hempstead, NY – The Hofstra women's basketball team and Delaware battled for the entire 40 minutes of regulation plus two overtime periods, but it was the Blue Hens who came out on top in a 73-65 double OT thriller from the David S. Mack Sports and Exhibition Complex.
 
Hofstra drops to 9-13 overall and 4-7 in the Coastal Athletic Association following Sunday's defeat, and Delaware moves to 7-14 overall and 4-7 in league play.
 
Ramatoulaye Keita registered her second double-double of the season with 14 points and 12 rebounds against the Blue Hens, while Emma Von Essen and Zyheima Swint each tallied 12 points. Keita also tied with Swint for the most assists on the Pride with three apiece.
 
Delaware led by as many as five points halfway through the first quarter before Hofstra made it a three-point game on a pair of Von Essen free throws, but Tara Cousins put the difference bac at five with a jumper off one of Hofstra's 25 turnovers to make it 12-7 to the visitors with 1:19 remaining. Von Essen connected on a three on Hofstra's next possession to cut it to a two-point game, and a Delaware free throw put the score at 13-10 to the guests.
 
The Blue Hen advantage grew to as large as seven points after two minutes of the second quarter before Hofstra whittled away at the Delaware lead with four unanswered points to make it a three-point game at the 6:21 media timeout. Two-point baskets by Keita on back-to-back Hofstra possessions put the Pride in the lead with 5:27 left before halftime, and the Pride lead went to four after a Swint free throw and a contested jumper by Sabrina Larsson at 3:29. Four free throws by Delaware tied the game at 24-24 before Hofstra's retook the lead on a pair of Swint free throws with 38 seconds left, but Delaware's Jiya Perry hit a half-court three at the buzzer to put the Blue Hens ahead, 27-26, at halftime.
 
Hofstra fell behind by nine twice in the third quarter as the Blue Hens went on a lengthy 11-3 run. Trailing with 3:32 left in the quarter, a layup by Keita sparked an 8-2 Hofstra run with two points by Keita, four points by Swint, and a pair of points by Janaia Fargo. Micaela Carter connected on a buzzer-beater three from the top of the arc to put the score at a 43-43 tie heading into the fourth quarter.
 
Delaware came out of the quarter break firing, scoring eight of the first 12 points of the fourth quarter to lead by four with 4:46 to go in regulation. Fargo sunk a jumper to counter a layup by Delaware's Rebecca Demeke to keep the difference at four points with 3:06 left on the clock. A three-point play by Chloe Wilson gave Delaware a seven-point lead with 2:47 to go, but the team kept its head up and embarked on a comeback to send the game into overtime. A two from Keita at 2:25 sparked the run, and a Keita free throw plus a Fargo layup put the Pride down by just two with time winding down. Carter forced a Delaware turnover with 15 seconds left, and a contested, close-range jumper by Keita rattled home with 0.4 seconds left on the clock to tie the game at 56-56 and send the game into OT.
 
After a 5-5 first overtime period sent the game to a second bonus frame, Delaware pulled in front by four in the first two minutes. Hofstra cut the deficit to two on a second chance layup by Swint, but Wilson scored four points on two trips to the free throw stripe, putting Delaware ahead by six with 1:16 remaining. Corbett connected on a turnaround jumper with 53 seconds left to make it a four-point difference, but Cousins scored the final four points of the game to seal the win for the Blue Hens.
 
Cousins finished the game with 21 points to lead all players, and Wilson pulled down a team-leading 10 rebounds for Delaware.
 
Hofstra is back at the Mack on Friday, February 14, in a 6 p.m. contest versus Towson. 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 is now 13-72 all-time against Delaware. Today was the final regular season contest between Hofstra and Delaware as CAA rivals.
-This was Hofstra's first double overtime game since November 30, 2017, against Sacred Heart.
-With eight rebounds against Delaware, Swint becomes the eighth player in Hofstra women's basketball history with 800 career rebounds.
-With two threes, Von Essen now has 190 for her career. She is 10 shy of becoming the fourth player in program history to shoot 200 three-pointers in her career.
-Hofstra is 1-2 in overtime games this season.