Danes WBB Falls in Close Battle at Hofstra 60-56
HEMPSTEAD, N.Y. – Going down to the wire, UAlbany fell to Hofstra 60-56 after a late charge by the Pride in Long Island on Wednesday afternoon.
For Hofstra, Anma Onyeuku had 15 points and eight rebounds, while Kelly Loftus had 14 points.
The loss for UAlbany snaps an 11-game winning streak against New York-based opponents, dating back to last season.
UAlbany stayed ahead despite some early foul trouble as Hofstra looked to chip away at its deficit. Onyeuku led a late Hofstra run as down 27-18, the Pride went on a 10-1 run to finish the half, making the score 28-28 at the break.
Hofstra countered again, with a couple of Elo Edeferioka baskets and two more threes on a 10-1 run, forcing UAlbany to call timeout down 41-35 with 12:29 left.
Coughlin hit a three out of the timeout, with shots by Richards and Craig helping bridge the gap. At 46-43, another Coughlin three followed by a Richards free throw and two baskets pushed UAlbany back ahead 51-46.
The two teams make stops back-and-forth as they tried to break the respective zone defense. Tied with 1:27 left, Loftus hit a baseline jumper to give Hofstra a 55-53 lead.
Craig got fouled with 22 seconds left and hit the front end, but Loftus hit a pair the other way to push Hofstra up 57-54.
Rosario tried for a quick layup, but was called for a charge in the paint. Luciano added a free throw for a two-possession game. A couple of late Royals free throws got UAlbany within one possession 58-56 with three seconds left. The press defense forced Hofstra final timeout, but Loftus got the inbounds and was fouled, hitting both free throws to put the game away for Hofstra 60-56.
The Great Danes finish non-conference play on Saturday, January 4th, taking on Northeastern in Boston at 2 p.m.
