CAA Women's Basketball Recap - Jan. 5
Ben Kane
Down-to-the-wire games and season-highs highlighted a great afternoon of conference play.
Towson 70, UNCW 69
Box Score
India Johnston’s floater with 1.8 seconds to play lifted Towson (3-10, 1-1) past UNCW (7-7, 1-1) 70-69. The Tigers trailed by nine with under five minutes to play before closing the game on a 16-6 run.
Jordan Wakefield scored a season-high 18 points for Towson on 6-of-8 shooting. A three-pointer from Wakefield gave the Tigers an early lead, however the Seahawks took control and led by as many as 13 points in the second quarter. UNCW maintained the lead throughout the second half and was up 63-54 after a Kate Hollifield three with 5:13 to go. That’s when Towson started it’s run, setting the stage for Johnston’s game winner. Hollifield was the Seahawks’ leading scorer with 17 points, hitting 4-of-5 from three.
Elon 70, William & Mary 66 (ot)
Box Score
Behind double-doubles from Raven Preston and Iycez Adams, Elon (7-6, 1-1) overcame a 12-point fourth-quarter deficit and edged William & Mary (4-9, 1-1), 70-66 in overtime.
Preston (16 points, 15 rebounds) and Adams (12 points, 13 rebounds) put on a show, combining for 28 points and 28 of Elon’s 48 rebounds. With the game knotted at 57, an extra frame was needed to separate these two sides, after Elon clawed back from a 48-36 hole with 9:47 left in regulation. Laila Anderson (12 points) got the Phoenix going with an early three-pointer in extra time, before five unanswered points from Preston extended Elon’s lead to six. Anderson came up clutch, going 4-4 from the free throw line in the final 19 seconds to give the Phoenix the victory. Bella Nascimento (24 points) and Kayla Rolph (15 points) put on a strong showing for the Tribe.
Monmouth 75, Stony Brook 61
Box Score
Another double-double from Taisha Exanor and 28 points from the bench gave Monmouth (6-7, 1-1) a 75-61 victory over Stony Brook (6-7, 1-1).
Exanor notched her fourth double-double of the season with 14 points and a season-high 16 rebounds en route to Monmouth’s victory. The Hawks raced out to a fast start, going on a 14-5 run off the back of four points each from Damaris Rodgriuez (16 points) and Exanor, and never relinquished its lead. Divine Dibula provided a spark off the bench for Monmouth scoring 14 points off 7-11 shooting and grabbing 11 boards. Three Seawolves had 15 or more points: Breauna Ware (19 points), Janay Brantley (19 points), and Shamarla King (15 points.)
Drexel 70, Northeastern 55
Box Score
Amaris Baker’s sixth 20-point performance of the season led Drexel (6-6, 2-0) to a 70-55 win over Northeastern (1-10, 0-2).
The Dragons sprinted out to a 23-13 lead in the opening quarter and never looked back. Drexel recorded 12 steals and tallied 27 points off Northeastern turnovers. Baker once again headlined the Dragons offense scoring a season-high 24 points on 9-of-20 shooting from the field alongside five rebounds and six assists. Chloe Hodges added 11 points and four steals. Three players reached double digits for Northeastern, with Abigail Jegede (16 points), Yirsy Queliz (12 points), and Natalie Larranaga (11 points) combining for 39 of the Huskies’ 55 points.
Charleston 78, Campbell 63
Box Score
A 22-10 run in the fourth quarter sealed the deal as Charleston (11-2, 2-0) bested Campbell (7-7, 0-2) 78-63.
The game remained tight throughout the first three quarters, with Charleston taking a narrow 56-53 advantage into the final period. The Cougars pushed their lead to nine midway through the period and then didn’t allow the Camels to score over the final 3:19, closing the game on an 8-0 run. McKinley Brooks-Sumpter (16 points) had the hot hand in the quarter, scoring 10 points in the final period, including knocking down two free throws with 30 seconds remaining in the contest. The Cougars shot a game-high 63.6% from the field in the fourth quarter. Lara Rohkohl added 15 points for Charleston. Hadleigh Dill had a team-high 15 points for the Camels.
N.C. A&T 75, Hampton 48
Box Score
North Carolina A&T (6-7, 2-0 CAA) outscored Hampton (4-9, 0-2 CAA) by 21 in the second half and pulled away for a 75-48 victory. Four of the Aggies’ five starters scored in double figures, led by Jordyn Dorsey with 18 points and seven rebounds.
A&T couldn’t have asked for a better start, going on a 17-3 run in the first five minutes. Within the first two minutes, Aija James (12 points, 8 rebounds) had already knocked down two three-pointers, to set the pace for an Aggies side that went 8-19 from deep on the day. Hampton battled back in the second quarter and pulled within 36-30 at halftime following a Malaka Cobb trey. Dorsey tallied 11 of her 18 points in the second half as A&T extended its lead. Jasha Clinton led Hampton in scoring for the second-straight conference matchup with 18 points.
Hofstra 63, Delaware 57
Box Score
An efficient performance from the charity stripe pushed Hofstra (7-6, 2-0) past Delaware (3-9, 0-2) 63-57.
For the first time since 2015, Hofstra is 2-0 in conference play, thanks largely to 17-of-22 shooting from the free throw line with Chloe Sterling going a perfect 10-10. Down 32-24 heading into the second half, it took Hofstra less than four minutes to erase the deficit before Sterling (18 points) hit the go-ahead free throws with 4:54 remaining in the third. Delaware would take a 50-49 lead with five minutes remaining in the contest, but three more visits to the charity stripe on 6-6 shooting from Sterling would seal the deal for the Pride. Ande’a Cherisier had a team-high 19 points for the Blue Hens.