WASHINGTON, D.C. (March 13, 2024) … Hofstra (10-20) ended the season for Hampton (3-26) with a dominating second half comeback to post a 71-55 win over the Lady Pirates in the opening round of the CAA Championships in Washington, D.C.
After scoring just 21 points in the game's first two quarters and trailing the Lady Pirates by two at halftime, Hofstra exploded for 25 third quarter points. The Pride shot a sizzling 64.3 percent from the field while forcing eight Hampton turnovers, turning them into seven points. The Pride led by as many as 15 in the third quarter and held a 46-35 advantage after three quarters.
The Pride lead grew to 19, 55-36, after a 9-3 start at the beginning of the fourth quarter. Hofstra continued its hot shooting, making 8-of-24 (57.1 percent) from the field. Hampton cut into the lead but was unable to close within striking distance.
Cheyenne Talbot tallied 18 points to lead the Lady Pirates.
Camryn Hill added 10.
Both teams struggled to gain an edge in the first quarter. The Lady Pirates led 9-6 after the first period propelled by 5-of-6 shooting from the free throw line. As been the case all season, the opportunistic Hampton defense forced seven Hofstra turnovers and limited the Pride to 18.8 percent shooting. The Pride outrebounded the Lady Pirates 16-8 and limited Hampton to 16.7 percent shooting in the opening quarter.
A basket by Anya Brooke put Hofstra briefly in the lead, 15-14. But she was called for a technical foul and Hill converted both free throws to put Hampton back on top. Hofstra regained the lead 20-17 with 1:42 to go before halftime but a basket by
Amyah Reaves and back-to-back field goals by Talbot put Hampton ahead, 23-20. A Hofstra free throw in the closing seconds to close to 23-21.
Hill and Talbot each tallied eight points in the opening half with Reaves adding six. Alarice Gooden led the Pride with five points. After struggling in the first quarter, Hampton shot 50 percent from the field and forced another five Hofstra turnovers, give the Pride 12 in the game's first 20 minutes.
In pregame ceremonies, Hill was honored for being voted third-team All-CAA by the league's coaches. Hill leads the Lady Pirates in virtually every offensive category and with a 14.5 points per game average. She is fourth in the conference in free throw percentage (.850).
