Second half magic and a handful of old fashioned three-point plays helped carry the Pride to a 64-61 victory over the Tribe of William and Mary on Super Bowl Sunday.
The Pride moved to 9-12 overall and 2-8 in conference, while snapping a six-game losing streak.
“That was a turning point and they backed it up today. I’m just very proud,” said head coach Krista Kilburn-Steveskey.
Sunday’s come-from-behind win was just the second in-conference victory for the Hofstra women’s basketball team this season, and it was not easy.
The Pride’s lackadaisical pass selection and high foul frequency gave William and Mary a lead coming out of every quarter.
Just seconds into the fourth, the Tribe extended its lead to 14 points, the largest point differential of the contest.
That is when Hofstra’s Krystal Luciano turned on the afterburners.
Luciano scored 12 points in the second half with eight assists peppered in to her final stat line.
Several of those assists were converted by Ashunae Durant, who tallied her 13th double-double of her junior campaign with 23 points and 11 boards.
Just as impressive as the double-double was Durant’s proven grit and stamina. The 5-foot-10-inch forward played all 40 minutes on Sunday afternoon.
“I just try to do whatever I need to do for the win and for my team,” Durant said.
This included three clutch three-point plays in the second half that dramatically decreased William and Mary’s 13-point lead.
It was the largest fourth-quarter margin that the Pride had overcome all season.
Aleana Leon dropped 10 points and three assists on the day, contributing to 14 total fast break points for the Pride.
William and Mary’s Alexandra Masaquel led the team with 12 points. Not far behind was Marlena Tremba with 11 buckets.