Women's basketball rolls past Iona in season opener

The Hofstra women’s basketball team kicked off their 2018-2019 season by blowing out Iona College 74-49 Tuesday evening, Nov. 6, at the David S. Mack Sports and Exhibition Complex.

Hofstra led by as much as 32 points, running the floor offensively and pressing the Gaels on the defensive end, never trailing in the game. 

“It’s always fun to get that first one under your belt and come out on the winning end of it ... [I’m] proud of the leadership on the offensive and defensive side of the ball” said head coach Krista Kilburn-Steveskey.  

The Pride got out to a fast start, behind the effort of senior guard Sica Cuzic, who scored four of the team’s first seven points.

 “It was nice having [Cuzic] back in the lineup, especially she started off giving us some breathing room in the beginning ... taking the pressure off,” Kilburn-Steveskey said.  

Cuzic ended up with 10 points, going 3-3 from the floor – her best performance in a Hofstra uniform.

On the other side of the ball, the Pride’s defense stepped up, specifically in the second and third quarters where they kept the Gaels to just nine points in each stanza. For a majority of the game, Hofstra was pressing Iona, causing 17 turnovers. Overall, Hofstra held Iona to 36 percent from the floor and 11 percent from downtown.  

Another key contributor on the offensive side was senior guard Boogie Brozoski, who continued the push throughout the entire 40 minutes, she finished with a game-high 18 points while adding eight assists. 

“Honestly, I’m just trying to find my teammates before I even find myself ... My head is up, I am always looking for my teammates. My success is just as good as their success,” Brozoski said. “I just wanted to win, I didn’t care who scored or who got the assist. If we got it done, I was cheering; if it was me, it was great as well.”

It was a balanced attack for the Pride as five players ended up in double figures. Junior center Marianne Kalin chipped in with 14 points of her own while grabbing five boards.

“They were shorter – there was a lot of room – we shared the ball nicely,” Kalin said.

It was also a night of firsts. Jaylen Hines, Shawn Mills and Jakayla Brown each recorded their first collegiate points. Hines missed last year due to an injury, while freshmen Mills and Brown made their collegiate debuts.

“[It was nice to] get them to get over their jitters ... I think that is the most impressive thing to me, rewarding people for how hard they are working in practice,” Kilburn-Steveskey said.

As a team, Hofstra shot 57 percent from the floor while scoring 17 points off of turnovers. Hofstra also dominated in the paint, scoring more than half of their points down low. The bench chipped in 19 points, contributing to the onslaught.

The Pride is back in action Friday evening, Nov. 9, when they welcome in Columbia University. Tip-off is set for 5 p.m.

Photo Courtesy of Hofstra Athletics