No.12 Hofstra Edges No. 13 UNCW 61-58 in First Round of CAA Women’s Basketball Championship
Hunter Peters
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TOWSON, Md. (March 8, 2023) – No. 12 Hofstra defeated No. 13 UNCW 61-58 in the first round of the CAA Women’s Basketball Championship presented by Primis.
It marks the second straight year Hofstra has defeated UNCW in the first round of the conference tournament, with both games being decided by three points or less. The Pride improves to 11-19, and advances to face No. 5 North Carolina A&T in the second round at 2:30 p.m. tomorrow. The Seahawks conclude the season 5-25 after the setback.
Trailing 52-49 with three and a half minutes remaining, Emma Von Essen went on a personal 8-0 run, hitting back-to-back threes and converting a layup off a UNCW turnover to put Hofstra in front for the final time. Hofstra was 1-for-12 from three in the contest before the back-to-back threes from Von Essen.
The Seahawks scored the first three points in the final frame to take their first lead at 48-46 with 7:27 remaining. The 8-0 run gave Hofstra a five-point cushion with 1:28 left in the game, but UNCW cut the deficit to one following a three-point play from Evan Miller with nine seconds remaining. Sorelle Ineza hit a pair of freebies to push the lead back to three and UNCW was unable to convert on the other end.
The grind-it-out second half started in the third as the defense intensified for the lowest-scoring quarter of the game. Hofstra opened the frame with a 5-0 spurt, taking a 38-33 lead at the 7:47 mark. UNCW hung around and scored the final five points in the quarter as Miller knocked down UNCW’s first three-pointer of the game to make it 46-45 heading into the fourth.
It was a tale of two quarters in the first half. In the opening stanza, Hofstra outscored UNCW 22-11. The Pride went on a 12-1 run to open a double-digit lead toward the end of the frame. The run lasted four minutes, starting with Ineza hitting a step-back jumper and ending with Von Essen giving the Pride a 22-7 advantage at the 2:19 mark.
UNCW held Hofstra scoreless for the final 6:24 in the first half, using a 14-0 run to erase a double-digit deficit and head into the locker room tied at 33. UNCW forced two turnovers in the final minute of the second quarter and five total in the frame. Asia Henderson tallied the first, and Jayde Gamble converted the fastbreak opportunity before Gamble stole it right back, laying it in with 33 seconds remaining to even the score. The Seahawks shot 69.2 percent (9-13) in the period.
Brandy Thomas paced Hofstra with 18 points and added six rebounds, while Zheima Swint recorded her third straight double-double with 10 points and 12 boards. Von Essen finished the game with 12 points for the Pride.
Carrie Gross had a team-high 18 points to lead UNCW, and Miller scored a career-high 15 points in the effort.
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