Preview: Hofstra women's basketball moves on to second round in CAAs
The Hofstra University women’s basketball team will be suiting up against the College of William & Mary in the second round of the 2024 Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) Women’s Basketball Championship on Thursday, March 14. The Pride enters the action as the No. 13 seed while William & Mary sit as the No. 5 seed.
This will be the second game in a row for Hofstra, coming off a dominant 71-55 win against Hampton University in the first round of the CAA tournament.
Hofstra battled William & Mary twice during the regular season, dropping both matchups. The first contest between the two teams came on Jan. 7, where the Pride just narrowly lost 48-46. The game was an offensive nightmare for both teams – the Pride shot a staggering 17-70 from the field and William & Mary Tribe did not much better with 31.9% on the game.
The second matchup between these conference rivals was less competitive, as Hofstra lost the game 61-50 on Jan. 26. A key factor in this game was the points that came from the charity stripe. Hofstra was only able to capitalize on half of their free throw attempts, while William & Mary shot 77.8% from the line.
A big point of emphasis for the Pride will be their ability to keep up with the William & Mary Tribe’s offensive production. The only player for Hofstra to average double-figure points is sophomore guard Emma Von Essen, with 12.1 points per game. On the other side of the court, William & Mary have two players who are averaging double-digit points, senior forward Nylah Young and junior guard Bella Nascimento.
In Hofstra’s last game, the offense was a huge factor in the win, with three players reaching double-digit points. The Pride was able to find a huge spark off the bench from sophomore guard Alarice Gooden, who led all scorers with 19 points.
The contest will be held at the Entertainment and Sports Arena in Washington, D.C., with tip-off set for Thursday, March 14, at 2:30 p.m.
Photo courtesy of Hofstra Athletics/Alexis Friedman
