Preview: Hofstra women's basketball begins final homestead in rematch with Hampton
With just two home games remaining this season, the Hofstra University women’s basketball team is set on bouncing back following their road loss to Campbell University on Sunday, Feb. 25, by hosting the Hampton University Lady Pirates on Friday, March 1.
Hofstra enters the matchup with a 9-16 record on the season and 3-11 in Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) record, placing them in 12th in CAA standings. Hampton is coming in with a 2-12 record in CAA play and 2-22 overall this season, putting them last in the conference.
The Pride are coming off a tough 65-51 defeat at the hands of Campbell University, which saw center Zyheima Swint provide a season-high 15 points and eight rebounds on 7-of-11 shooting from the field. Emma Von Essen and Micaela Carter each contributed a pair of 3-pointers, while the latter added a team-high three steals in the contest.
Looking for revenge after dropping the first meeting with Hampton 67-62 in Virginia back on Jan. 28, the Pride will hope to ride the scoring of Von Essen and her team-leading 18 points, including four 3-pointers, the last time the two sides played.
Von Essen is first for the Pride in scoring this season, averaging 13.0 points per game. The sophomore is one of the CAA’s top sharpshooters, knocking down a conference leading 74 3-pointers on 38% accuracy, good enough for second in the CAA.
Hampton is coming off a seven-game losing streak after going down 68-55 to the College of William & Mary on Monday, Feb. 25. Amyah Reaves led her side with 16 points and grabbed four steals in the loss. Casey Miller added 12 points, making five shots on nine attempts.
In their last duel, the Lady Pirates had three players scoring in double figures against Hofstra; Camryn Hill, Cheyenne Talbot and Reaves combined for 42 points in the win.
Hofstra’s Brooke Anya should watch out for Hill, Hampton’s leading scorer. Hill is the CAA’s sixth-top scorer, averaging 14.5 points per game. She leads her squad with 20 blocks on the season and ranks top five on her team in total assists and steals.
Anya, who only logged 12 minutes due to foul trouble the last time the teams met, should get the assignment of guarding the senior forward. Anya leads the Pride with a team-high 31 steals this season and ranks second with 24 rejections.
Swint and Anya both rank top 10 in the CAA when it comes to crashing the glass, averaging 8.0 and 7.3 rebounds, respectively. The Pride will have to rely on their rebounding advantage over the Lady Pirates, as Hampton ranks next-to-last in total rebounds and owns the worst rebounding margin in the conference this year. Opponents out-rebound Hampton by 9.3 boards per game.
Tip-off for this match is scheduled for 7 p.m. from the David S. Mack Sports and Exhibition Complex in Hempstead, New York.
Photo courtesy of Hofstra Athletics/Evan Bernstein
