CAA WOMEN'S BASKETBALL RECAP - JAN. 31
Ben Kane
Close games settled in the final minutes of the contest were the theme for most as all 14 teams hit the court on Friday night.
UNCW 70, Hofstra 67 (OT)
Box Score
UNCW (11-10, 5-3) outlasted Hofstra (9-10, 4-4) 70-67 in overtime to earn its fifth conference victory of the season. Ali Zelaya recorded a double-double for the Seahawks with 22 points and 13 rebounds.
UNCW caught fire late in the fourth piecing together a 6-0 run to help send the game to overtime. With 2:57 on the clock, the Seahawks were down 61-59. Within the space of 21 seconds, Zelaya netted two free throws, and Taylor Henderson made a jumper to contribute to the stretch. Hofstra tied the game at 62 with 56 seconds left on a Lanae Corbett free throw, but a block from UNCW’s Corrie McLaughlin sent the game to overtime. Both teams traded blows in the extra frame, but it was two free throws from Tia Dobson with 20 seconds on the clock that sealed the win for the Seahwaks. Four of Hofstra’s five starters recorded double-digit points with Zyheima Swift having a team-high 14.
Drexel 53, Northeastern 47
Box Score
Up by two with 59 seconds to go, Drexel (10-8, 6-2) held onto its lead to defeat Northeastern (1-16, 0-8) 53-47.
Northeastern was on Drexel’s coattails the whole game, and it wasn’t until the final seconds of the fourth that the Dragons pulled away. After a layup from NU’s Yirsy Queliz pulled the Huskies within 49-47, Drexel called a timeout and came out firing through Deja Evans. After scoring her layup, the Dragons held strong defensively, with Cara McCormack poking the ball free. Molly Lavin hit two clutch free throws with 15 seconds to go to claim the win for Drexel. Amaris Baker led the Dragons with 16 points and eight boards, while Abigail Jegede paced all scorers with 19 points for Northeastern.
Charleston 66, Stony Brook 53
Box Score
A monster first quarter set Charleston (14-5, 5-3) up for a 66-53 victory over Stony Brook (10-10, 5-4).
The Cougars got off to a good start, taking a 20-8 advantage in the first quarter, and continued to build on the early lead as the contest went on. Three players had four or more points for Charleston in the frame, with Jazmyn Stone’s six leading the way. The Cougars excelled on the defensive end, holding Stony Brook to 15.4% from the field, and forcing six turnovers. Taryn Barbot and Jazmyn Stone scored 17 points apiece for Charleston while Breauna Ware tallied 21 for Stony Brook.
Towson 63, Delaware 48
Box Score
India Johnston took over in the fourth quarter to rally Towson (5-14, 3-5) past Delaware (4-14, 1-7) 63-48.
After overcoming a six-point halftime deficit, Towson solidified the win with a strong fourth-quarter performance stemming from Johnston. Outscoring Delaware 21-7 in the frame, Johnston was on fire, shooting 3 for 5 from behind the arc and 4 for 7 from the field to tally 15 of her 24 points. Towson limited the Blue Hens to seven points in the quarter, holding Delaware scoreless for almost five minutes in the frame. Ande’a Cherisier’s 15 were a team-high for the Blue Hens.
William & Mary 64, Elon 59
Box Score
Despite trailing by five heading into the fourth, William & Mary (9-10, 6-2) locked down Elon (11-8, 5-3) in the final stages to win 64-59.
Down 51-46 with 10 minutes on the clock, the Tribe came out with a point to prove in the fourth. Outscoring the Phoenix 13-0 through the first seven minutes, Cassidy Geddes had the hot hand, scoring eight of her 25 points during the stretch. William & Mary built a 59-51 advantage and held onto the lead to extend its win streak to five games. Raven Preston filled out the stat sheet with 12 points and 19 rebounds for Elon.
N.C. A&T 74, Hampton 51
Box Score
Maleia Bracone turned in a strong all-around performance as N.C. A&T (12-8, 8-1) defeated Hampton (5-15, 1-8) 74-51.
Bracone stuffed the stat sheet with 17 points, eight rebounds and six assists, as A&T picked up it’s eighth conference victory of the season. Bracone showed out in the first half with 13 of her 17 points falling on 5 of 6 shooting from the field, alongside seven boards and three assists. As a team, the Aggies notched a .426 shooting clip, and held Hampton to 32.1% shooting from the field, and a game low eight points in the fourth. Jasha Clinton had 23 for the Pirates.
Campbell 76, Monmouth 67
Box Score
Campbell (11-9, 4-4) distanced itself from Monmouth (10-10, 5-4) with less than five minutes in the contest to win 76-67.
Knotted at 52 with 7:30 on the clock, two straight threes from Jasmine Felton and Courtney Dahlquist fired the Camel six points past the Hawks. Although Monmouth was able to bring the contest to within three, Felton and Dahlquist knocked down two more consecutive trey balls to secure the win for Campbell. The Camels made 13 threes in the contest including going 7 for 10 in the fourth, with Dahlquist going 6 for 12 from behind the arc and finishing with a team-best 20 points. Monmouth’s Damaris Rodriguez led all scorers with 21 points.