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Hofstra University Athletics

THE PRIDE OF LONG ISLAND
THE PRIDE OF LONG ISLAND
Emma Von Essen CAA
Rafael Suanes/CAA
Emma Von Essen
72
Winner Hofstra Hof 9-21,6-12 CAA
71
Towson Towson 17-14,10-8 CAA
Winner
Hofstra Hof
9-21,6-12 CAA
72
Final
71
Towson Towson
17-14,10-8 CAA
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 F
Hofstra Hof 17 12 20 23 72
Towson Towson 12 22 13 24 71

Game Recap: Women's Basketball | | Len Skoros

Von Essen's Late Three Sends Hofstra To CAA Quarterfinals

Washington, DC - Emma Von Essen's three-pointer with two seconds remaining in the fourth quarter gave 10th-seeded Hofstra a 72-71 win over seventh-seeded Towson in the second round of the 2026 Credit Union 1 CAA Women's Basketball Championship at CareFirst Arena Thursday night. The Pride scored the final five points in the last 48 seconds to advance to the quarterfinals, where they will take on second-seeded Campbell Friday at 6 p.m.

Hofstra moved to 9-21 on the season with the victory, while the Tigers season ended with a 17-14 mark. 

In what was a tightly-contested back-and-forth game, it was fitting that it came down to the final seconds. The contest featured six lead changes and 12 tie scores. Hofstra's largest lead was seven, 25-18, early in the second quarter. Towson's largest lead was five, 34-29, at the half. 

The fourth quarter alone featured seven tie scores, the last at 65-all with 2:44 to go. The Tigers would lead by four, 71-67, with 1:09 to play after a three-point play from India Johnston. Chloe Sterling converted a pair of free throws with 48 seconds to go to make it a three-point game. Towson would miss a shot with 19 seconds left and the Pride called timeout after getting the defensive rebound. The final play saw Von Essen take a pass from Sterling behind the arc on the left side. The Pride senior took a dribble to the left and buried the three-pointer for the lead. 

The Tigers called a timeout to set up a final play with two seconds left. With a foul to give, Hofstra took advantage to run a second off the clock. Towson got off a final shot that was off target as time expired.

Sterling led four Hofstra players in double figures with 17 points and also added seven assists. Von Essen had 14 points, Micaela Carter had 13, and Alarice Gooden added 12. Sandra Magolico tied for game-high honors with nine rebounds. 

Johnston led all scorers with 21 points. Semaya Turner had 18 points and nine rebounds for the Tigers, while Hannah Dereje chipped in with 14 points and nine rebounds. 

Notes:
-Hofstra is 39-44 all-time against Towson.
-The Pride advances to the CAA Quarterfinals for the fifth time in six seasons. 
-Von Essen's 14 points matched her season-high.
-Sterling recorded her 13th double-figure scoring game and the seven assists were one shy of her season-best. 
-The Pride shot a season-high 57-percent (8-14) from three-point range.
-The last time Hofstra won on a last-second shot was on a buzzer-beater three-pointer by Brandy Thomas on February 9, 2023, against Towson.
-Hofstra held the lead for 22:45. 
 
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