No. 13 Hofstra Holds Off No. 5 William & Mary 57-53 Advancing to CAA Quarterfinals
Hunter Peters
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WASHINGTON, D.C. (March 14, 2024) – No. 13 Hofstra started hot and was clutch down the stretch, holding on for a 57-53 victory over No. 5 William & Mary in the second round of the CAA Women’s Basketball Championship presented by Primis on Thursday evening at the Entertainment & Sports Arena in Washington, D.C.
The Pride becomes the lowest seed in tournament history to advance to the quarterfinals, improving to 11-20 this season with the victory. Hofstra will face No. 4 North Carolina A&T tomorrow at 2:30 p.m. William & Mary drops to 15-14 after the setback.
Four players reached double figures for the Pride, with Brooke Anya and Zyheima Swint notching double-doubles in the effort. The duo each tallied 11 points, while Swint grabbed a game-high 14 rebounds, and Anya collected 11 boards. It marks the second double-double for Swint in the tournament. Sorelle Ineza and Ally Knights rounded out the Hofstra quartet in double figures, scoring 10 points each.
Nylah Young left it all on the court for the Tribe, scoring a game-high 22 points with 10 rebounds for her fifth double-double this season. Cassidy Geddes added 14 points in the effort, including nine in the second half.
Hofstra hit its final three shots from the floor and held William & Mary scoreless over the final 3:05 to prevail 57-53. Tied at 50, Alarice Gooden converted a layup to put Hofstra on top before Geddes knocked down a three on the ensuing possession to give W&M its first lead with 3:05 remaining. However, it would be the final basket for the Tribe, and Gooden responded with a jumper 30 seconds later to give Hofstra the lead for good.
Hofstra knocked down four treys and shot 57.1 percent (8-14) from the floor, gaining a 20-10 lead after the first quarter. Knights opened the frame with a three, and Gooden ended the period with another at the buzzer. The Pride used a 7-0 run in the middle to establish its double-digit lead, taking a 14-4 advantage before the media timeout.
The Pride kept the pedal to the metal early in the second, using an 8-0 run to push its lead to 28-12 and forced W&M to call its second timeout. However, the Tribe stole momentum heading into the locker room, ending the half on a 7-0 run to cut the deficit to single digits at 33-25. Young sparked the Tribe run with a three-point play and finished the half with 16 points.
The momentum carried into the second half as W&M scored 12 of the first 16 points in the third quarter to tie the game at 37-37. Anahi-Lee Cauley knotted the score at the four-minute mark after a Nascimento three. However, Hofstra weathered the storm, holding the Tribe scoreless over the final 4:00, and took a 41-37 lead into the fourth.
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