HEMSTEAD, N.Y. – Led by three players scoring in double figures, the Elon University women’s basketball team earned its first win in Colonial Athletic Association play with a 77-64 victory at Hofstra on Sunday afternoon, Jan. 6, inside the David S. Mack Sports and Exhibition Complex.
Elon (6-7, 1-1 CAA) was able to rebound from its defeat at Northeastern in its league-opener on Friday with its sixth straight win over the Pride (6-8, 0-2 CAA). The Phoenix would use a big fourth quarter to pull away from Hofstra, outscoring the Pride 21-12 in the period.
Emily Maupin led Elon with 18 points including 14 in the first half. Saadia Munford added 15 for the Phoenix while Jaylin Powell added 11 off the bench while going 4-of-6 from the field and a perfect 3-of-3 from the three-point line. Overall, Elon shot 51 percent (26-of-51) from the floor and 40 percent (6-of-15) from three.
Hofstra also had three players in double figures led by Boogie Brozonski’s 15 points. Ana Hernandez Gil added 14 while E’Lexus Davis contributed with 13. The Pride shot .393 percent (22-of-56) from the floor including going 7-of-21 from beyond the arc.
The Rundown
The Phoenix opened the game with the first two baskets courtesy of Maupin on back-to-back jumpers. Hofstra answered with a layup and a three-pointer to take the lead, 5-4, but the Phoenix went on an 8-3 run to take a 12-8 advantage by the media timeout. The Pride responded with a 5-0 run to take the lead at 13-12 before Maupin put the Phoenix back on top, 14-13, with a layup just before the end of the quarter.
Maupin added another layup to open the second, but Hofstra tied the game at 16-all on a three-pointer by Hernandez Gil. The Pride eventually took the lead at 21-18 on another three-pointer and would hold it for the next five minutes, but never pushing it larger than their three-point margin. Elon tied the game at 30-30 after three straight free throws from Munford before taking the lead on jumper by Maupin. Hofstra would twice tie the contest before the end of the half and took a one-point lead, 34-33, with 1:25 left in the period, but Elon closed the half on a 5-0 run on a basket by Maupin and a three from Powell to take a four-point lead, 38-34, into the break.
Elon opened the second half on a 7-2 run behind a couple of jump shots by Kayla Liles. Her second basket forced the Pride to call a timeout with 7:41 left in the third down 45-36. The Phoenix scored six more unanswered points to extend its run to 13-2 and take a 51-36 lead after a pair of free throws by Munford. The Pride answered with a 13-2 run of its own and only trailed by one, 53-52, after a free throw by Brozonski at the 2:03 mark. Powell quieted the momentum with her third three of the contest to put the Phoenix up 56-52 at the 1:45 mark. The period would end with that score going into the fourth.
The Phoenix started the fourth quarter on an 8-2 run boosted by a pair of three-pointers from Micaela Ryan. Ryan’s second triple at the 6:16 mark gave Elon a 10-point advantage, 64-54, but a jumper by Brozonski cut the lead back to single digits. Maupin extended the Phoenix’s lead back to 10, 68-58, with a Munford free throw pushing it to 11. Brozonski added a three-pointer with 2:54 left in the game to bring Hofstra within eight, 69-61, but that was as close as the Pride would get as the Phoenix sealed the game at the free throw line to come away with the 77-64 victory.
Up Next
The Phoenix hosts its CAA home-opener on Friday, Jan. 11, welcoming College of Charleston to Schar Center. Tip-off for that contest is scheduled for 7 p.m.