Preview: Hofstra women's basketball plays W&M for second time this season

The Hofstra University women’s basketball team has a four-game losing streak to snap as they travel to Williamsburg, Virginia, for a Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) matchup against the College of William & Mary Tribe on Friday, Jan. 26.

The Pride enter Friday’s game with a 7-9 overall record and a 1-4 record against CAA opponents, holding the 12th spot in CAA standings. The Tribe has a 8-9 overall record and a 4-2 record against conference opponents, good for fifth in the conference.

This is the second game of the series between the Tribe and the Pride, the first being when Hofstra hosted on Sunday, Jan. 7. The Pride outscored the Tribe 42-35 in the first three quarters and was held to four points in the fourth quarter. Tied at 46 points with under two minutes left in regulation, William & Mary’s Bella Nascimento put the Tribe up 48-46 with five seconds to spare. Brooke Anya attempted to send the game into overtime, but her shot missed just before the buzzer.

The Pride’s last appearance on the court was in a near-comeback game against Elon University on Sunday, Jan. 21. Hofstra fell short of victory when Elon’s Iycez Adams made a foul shot with one second left on the clock, handing Hofstra a 55-54 loss.

Emma Von Essen led the team in scoring with 23 points, 13 of them in the fourth quarter. Von Essen stays dominant behind the 3-point line, going 6-13 from afar. Selma Markisic followed Von Essen in scoring with 13 points. The Pride relied heavily on their offense against Elon, as Markisic, Anya and Tionna Baker each had one steal. Anya and Zyheima Swint gave the Pride their two blocks of the game.

Like the Pride, William & Mary dropped their most recent game with a lacking defense, losing 80-64 at Towson University on Sunday, Jan. 21. Nascimento and Nylah Young, the Tribe’s top two scorers, combined for 35 points against Towson. Young, who leads the Tribe with 87 rebounds, only made three defensive rebounds, while Cassidy Geddes, the team’s stealing leader with 28 steals, only picked up two.

Hofstra has lost their five most recent matchups against William & Mary. Their last victory against the Tribe was in the 2020-21 season.

Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. at the Kaplan Arena in Williamsburg, Virginia. FloHoops will air the matchup between the Pride and the Tribe, as will WRHU 88.7 FM.

Photo courtesy of Hofstra Athletics/Alexis Friedman