CAA Women's Basketball Recap - Feb. 23
Ben Kane
Headlined by down to the wire contests, Sunday's conference day slate had it all with six programs adding another tally to the win column.
Charleston 79, William & Mary 76
Box Score
Charleston (18-6, 9-4) held on late in the fourth quarter to defeat William & Mary (10-15, 7-7) 79-76.
The Cougars took a two-point lead into the fourth, and quickly extended it with points from Taylor Barbot (2), Sophia Tougas (2), and Lara Rohkohl (3) to contribute to a 7-4 start. The Tribe pulled the game within one thanks to field goals from Monet Dance and Cassidy Geddes, before Charleston once again went on a run to close out the game off the back of four more points from Barbot. The sophomore had six of her 14 fall in the fourth and finished the game out with three rebounds and three assists. Her sister Taryn Barbot finished the game with a team-high 25 points and eight rebounds while Kayla Rolph’s 21 points paced William & Mary.
Campbell 76, Stony Brook 51
Box Score
Paced by a 23-point first quarter, Campbell (16-10, 9-5) moved past Stony Brook (11-14, 6-8) 76-51.
The Camels sprinted out to an 11-2 lead before the media timeout as Gianni Boone (4), Gemma Nunez (3), and Jasmine Felton (4) added to the tally. Campbell held Stony Brook scoreless for over three minutes after the restart, restricting the Seawolves to 4 for 11 shooting from a field throughout the frame. Campbell put on a scoring clinic in the opening quarter hitting 11-of-13 (84.6) shots from the floor, with both Boone (3 for 3) and Ciara Alexander (4 for 4) going perfect from the field in the first quarter. The three leading scorers from the 23-point first quarter finished the game in double digits, with Alexander’s 18 points leading the team, while Breauna Ware had a career-high 30 points for Stony Brook.
Drexel 63, Elon 56
Box Score
Chloe Hodges did it all to earn Drexel (15-9, 11-3) a 63-56 win over Elon (13-12, 7-7).
Hodges was a force against the Phoenix nearly posting a triple-double with 20 points, 12 rebounds, and eight assists. Three points from Raven Preston allowed Elon to take a 5-3 lead before Hodges was able to shift the momentum. With 4:40 on the clock, the graduate student forward grabbed an offensive board from Amaris Baker’s missed 3-pointer and put the ball in the basket while being fouled. The and-one gave the Dragons momentum for the next 20 minutes before Elon took the lead back. Yet again it was Hodges who restored the advantage for Drexel with a free throw in the third quarter, and the Dragons never looked back. Preston’s 19 points were the high for Elon.
N.C. A&T 71, Delaware 55
Box Score
North Carolina A&T (16-9, 12-2) got 14 or more points from four of its five starters to defeat Delaware (10-15, 7-8) 71-55.
Aija James (16), Jordyn Dorsey (14), Maleia Bracone (15), and Chaniya Clark (17) combined for 62 of A&T’s 71 tallies as the Aggies recorded their 12th conference win of the season. A&T had a great day shooting, making 50.0% from the field and 47.1% from behind the arc as both percentages surpassed its season averages. The Aggies were solid defensively holding one of the top 3-point shooting teams to a .250 clip from deep. A&T’s best run came in the final 6:17 minutes of action as the Aggies went on a 12-2 run to close out the win. Clark’s 17 points were a game-high, while Rebecca Demeke had 11 for the Blue Hens.
UNCW 72, Towson 63
Box Score
Separated by two with 5:25 to go, UNCW (13-14, 7-7) was able to close out a 72-63 win over Towson (9-17, 7-8).
Khady Leye scored six straight points midway through the fourth to keep the game close for Towson. It wasn’t until there were two minutes on the clock that UNCW pulled ahead off the back of five straight from Ali Zelaya. First came a layup, then she grabbed a board and knocked down a three within the span of 40 seconds to restore a seven-point lead for the Seahawks and close out the game. Zelaya finished the day with a team-high 23 points while India Johnston posted 16 for Towson.
Hofstra 57, Monmouth 54
Box Score
Emma Von Essen’s 3-pointer with two seconds on the clock earned Hofstra (10-15, 5-9) a 57-54 win over Monmouth (13-12, 8-6).
Hofstra held an eight-point advantage at the fourth quarter media timeout before Monmouth got it going offensively. After Zyheima Swint and Divine Dibula traded buckets, the Hawks went on a 9-3 run with four from Damaris Rodriguez. After scoring a driving layup to bring the game to within two, Taisha Exanor found the bottom of the basket again with five seconds on the clock to knot the game at 54. However, in stepped Emma Von Essen who knocked down a step-back 3-pointer to win the game for the Pride and end Hofstra’s 2:14 scoring draught. Zyheima Swint ended the day with a double-double for Hofstra on 16 points and 11 rebounds while Dibula and Exanor had 15 each for Monmouth.