Hempstead, NY – Sparked by 32 bench points and five members of the Hofstra women's basketball team finishing in double-digits, the Pride pulled off a gutsy 73-70 overtime win over bitter rivals Stony Brook from the David S. Mack Sports and Exhibition Complex on its annual Play4Kay game.
 
Thursday's win over the Seawolves gives Hofstra its fourth consecutive win and pushes the Pride to 13-15 overall and 8-9 in the Coastal Athletic Association. On the other end, the loss puts Stony Brook at 11-17 overall and 6-11 in league play. The win gives Hofstra its first four-game winning streak in CAA play since winning four straight from January 10 through January 22 during the 2015-16 campaign.
 
Alarice Gooden led the way for Hofstra with 13 points – all in the fourth quarter – in the win over Stony Brook. Also finishing in double-figures in the game was LaNae' Corbett and Emma Von Essen with 12 points each, Ramatoulaye Keita with 11, and Zyheima Swint with 10. Swint led with eight of the Pride's 40 rebounds, and Von Essen dished out a career-high six assists.
 
Hofstra scored the first six points of the game before Stony Brook got on the board at 5:32 of the opening quarter with a pair of free throws by Breauna Ware. A three by Sabrina Larsson at 4:11 gave the Pride a seven-point lead, but a 4-0 spurt brought the Seawolves to within three of the hosts with 2:32 left in the quarter. Keita scored all four of Hofstra's final points down the stretch to carry a five-point lead into the second quarter.
 
The Pride's lead went back to seven after a hook shot from Swint, but a 6-0 Stony Brook run brought the guests to within one of the Pride with 6:32 on the clock in the second quarter. Hofstra led by three with 4:38 to play before halftime before Zaida Gonzalez tied the game at 20-20 on a layup and free throw. Janaia Fargo connected on a jumper before the shot clock buzzer at 3:40, but a three-point play from Ware gave the Seawolves its first lead of the game with at the 3:14 mark. After Gonzalez scored a running layup at 2:04, four consecutive points by Micaela Carter over a stretch of 1:13 gave the Pride the lead back before a free throw from Ware tied it at 26-26. Swint cashed in on a last-second layup as time expired to send the Pride into the locker room with a two-point lead.
 
The third quarter was all Stony Brook, as the Seawolves outscored Hofstra 25-15 to take an eight-point lead going into the fourth quarter. Stony Brook led by as many as 12 points in the frame as the Seawolves connected on 64.3% of its shots from the floor. Trailing by eight at the 9:04 mark, Corbett took over with six consecutive points to bring the Pride back within two. Baskets by Stony Brook's Shamarla King and Lauren Filien put the Seawolves ahead by six, but it was Gooden who broke out with five points of her own to make it a three-point game with 5:22 remaining in regulation. Three free throws from Keita and Gooden tied the game at 59-59 with 3:01 left, and a step-back jumper by Gooden gave Hofstra its first lead since 8:37 of the third quarter. Ware tied the game at 61-61 with just under two minutes to go in regulation, but Gooden forced a Stony Brook turnover on their next possession, and she stepped up for a corner two to put the Pride ahead by two with 45 seconds to play. She would give Hofstra a three-point lead on a pair of free throws at the 27 second mark, but Stony Brook closed out the quarter with three free throws, including a pair from Gonzalez with four seconds left, to send the game to overtime for the fourth time this season for Hofstra.
 
Stony Brook took a two-point lead on free throws by King and Filien, but Von Essen tied the game at 63-63 with two successful free throws of her own, and Corbett gave the Pride the overtime lead with a long jumper at the 2:16 mark. Ware evened the game with two free throws, and a Filien free throw put the score at 70-69 in favor of the Seawolves with 1:28 left, but Swint cashed in on a jumper from the charity stripe at 1:11 to put the Pride ahead. After a free throw from Larsson put the margin at two points, Corbett poked the ball away on an inbounds pass with 16.4 seconds left on the clock and into the hands of Kassidy Thompson, who hit one of two free throws to put the hosts on top by three with time winding down. The Seawolves missed a tying opportunity with 13 seconds left, and Hofstra would seal the win with a key defensive stop.
 
Ware led all players with 30 points, while King racked up 17 points and 10 rebounds for a double-double.
 
Hofstra closes out its regular season on Saturday with a 2 p.m. contest against Northeastern. The game will air on MSG Network SN and FloCollege. Tickets are available for purchase at HofstraTickets.com, by calling (516) HOF-TIXX, or by visiting the Hofstra Athletic Ticket Office in the lobby of the Mack Sports Complex during normal business hours. Prior to Saturday's game, the Hofstra women's basketball program will honor departing seniors Janaia Fargo, Ramatoulaye Keita, and Zyheima Swint.
 
NOTES:
-Hofstra's win snaps a nine-game losing streak against Stony Brook, and it marks Hofstra's first win over the Seawolves since November 14, 2016.
-Hofstra is now 6-2 this season when Swint scores at least 10 points.
-With two threes against Stony Brook, Von Essen is now at 198 threes for her career. She needs only two more to become the fourth player in Hofstra women's basketball history with 200 threes in a career.
-The Hofstra bench outscored the Stony Brook bench 32-0.