Second Half Surge Lifts No. 4 North Carolina A&T to CAA Semifinal with 55-40 Victory Over No. 13 Hofstra
Hunter Peters
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WASHINGTON, D.C. (March 15, 2024) – No. 4 North Carolina A&T outscored No. 13 Hofstra 37-16 in the second half to surge into the CAA Semifinals with a 55-40 victory over the Pride in the second round of the CAA Women’s Basketball Championship presented by Primis on Friday afternoon at the Entertainment & Sports Arena in Washington, D.C.
The Aggies (20-10) advance to the conference tournament semifinals for the first time after winning their first CAA Championship game in program history. A&T will face No. 1 Stony Brook at 2 p.m. tomorrow. Hofstra concludes the year 11-21 after becoming the lowest seed in championship history to reach the quarterfinals.
Chaniya Clark had a monster double-double to pace the Aggies, recording 11 points and a career-high 19 rebounds.
Jordyn Dorsey joined her in double figures, leading A&T with 15 points while adding five rebounds and three assists.
For the Pride,
Zheima Swint tallied a team-high 10 points with eight rebounds, and
Brooke Anya grabbed a team-best 11 boards.
A&T flipped the script in the second half, limiting Hofstra to 2-for-13 shooting in the third, including no field goals over the final 3:47. The defensive effort allowed the Aggies to take a 33-30 lead into the fourth.
D’Mya Tucker hit A&T’s first three in the game, followed by a Clark three-point play to tie the game at 26 just after the under-five media timeout. Five straight points gave the Aggies their first lead since the first quarter at 31-29 before taking the advantage to the fourth.
The momentum carried into the fourth as A&T outpaced Hofstra 22-10 over the final 10 minutes. The Aggies went 6-for-11 in the quarter, including 3-for-4 from deep, after just 12 field goals total in the first 30 minutes. After trading baskets to open the frame, A&T splashed home trifectas on back-to-back-to-back possessions to take a 44-34 lead. The Aggies led by double digits the rest of the way, knocking down their final seven attempts at the free throw line.
Hofstra ended the first quarter on a 7-0 run, and Anya gave the Pride a 13-12 advantage, beating the buzzer on a second-chance layup after A&T led for 9:11 in the opening stanza. The Aggies scored on their first possession and established a 10-4 lead after seven straight points from Dorsey before the late pride run.
The Pride’s defensive intensity ramped up in the second, holding A&T to 15.4 percent shooting and just two field goals. Hofstra pushed its lead to 24-18 at the break after 11 points in the frame, capped by a
Tionna Baker jumper with 48 seconds remaining.
North Carolina A&T – ranked fourth in the NCAA in field goal percentage defense – limited Hofstra to 25.4 percent (16-63) shooting in the contest and 20.6 percent (6-29) after halftime.
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