Monmouth spoils Pride senior day with last-second victory

By Aaron Diaz STAFF WRITER

“I thought our girls battled, I’m disappointed in how the game ended,” said Hofstra head coach Danielle Santos Atkinson. “I don’t want the loss to take away from what they were able to do tonight with bouncing back from one of our worst games all year to come back and battle and push through.” it. Whether they were here for three years or just one year, they have had huge impacts and have helped this program move forward. I love that they are great players, but they are also good people, and they’ve helped as we continue to try and build a championship program.”

The senior day celebration was dimmed for the Hofstra University women’s basketball team due to a pair of last-second free throws that led to a win for the Monmouth University Hawks, 69-67, on Sunday, Feb. 26.

With the Pride’s last game at the David S. Mack Sports & Exhibition Complex, Hofstra celebrated senior day for the seniors on the team: Brandy Thomas, Jada Peacock and Rosi Nicholson.

“They all have had a major impact on our program,” Atkinson said. “We are continuing to build, and in that build, they’ve been a part of

Despite their last couple of outings, Hofstra maintained a good pace with the Hawks throughout. Both Thomas and freshman Emma Von Essen contributed a well-balanced performance for the Pride with 19 and 13 points respectively, while also adding three rebounds and one assist each. Swint led the team in the paint with 12 points on 5-7 shooting from the field and seven rebounds.

“When Brandy [Thomas] is out there and she’s playing with energy and playing as hard as she can, she can be productive as she was tonight,” Atkinson said. “She continued to battle and fight, so I thought it was great how she played, and we want to continue to get the production from her.”

On the other side of the court, the Hawks played a well-rounded game with three players just below double-digits. However, Elizabeth Marsicano’s 18-point performance threw a wrench in the Pride’s plan, going 4-7 from the 3-point line. Right behind her was Ariana Vanderhoop, who displayed a 12-point game with three rebounds and four steals on the night.

With both offenses playing a tight game, both teams’ mistakes were few and far between in the first half. Tied at 31 going into halftime, more of the same ensued as the scoreboard read 52-52 heading into the fourth quarter. But the fourth quarter turnover woes of the Pride struck again.

“When you’ve been in games that we’ve been in when things get tight and that starts to happen, then our confidence waivers a little, but with tonight we fought back,” Atkinson said. “We had those turnovers, but we didn’t fold and stayed together, but that stretch right there did put us in a tough spot.”

With a 67-65 lead for the Hawks, Sorelle Ineza made her way through the paint for a good 2-point jumper to tie the game 67-67 with less than a minute remaining. Multiple missed opportunities for both teams with turnovers on the Pride and missed shots could not put the game away. With five seconds left, the Hawks tried to lay the ball in, but Nicholson fouled them with half of a second left. A pair of Vanderhoop free throws gave the team the narrow 69-67 victory.

“They battled and there were long stretches where there was no stoppage of play, and I think we got a little fatigued,” Atkinson said. “Monmouth was able to score on transition, and we made some silly mistakes, including those turnovers, but we were able to bounce back and battle.”

With their final two games on the road, the Hofstra women’s basketball team seeks a strong finish to their season with their first stop against the Hampton University Pirates on Thursday, March 2, at 7 p.m.

By Dylan Brett STAFF WRITER