Hempstead, NY- Sophomore guard Nicole Capurso scored a game-high 19 points and freshman forward Shante Evans picked up her 10th double-double, leading Hofstra to a 74-66 win over first-place Virginia Commonwealth in a key Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) meeting Thursday afternoon at the Mack Sports Complex.
Four Pride players scored in double figures. Evans (West Chester, PA) totaled 11 points and 10 rebounds. Senior guard Sam Brigham (Simsbury, CT) added 17 points in going 12-12 from the free throw line while fellow senior Jess Fuller (Queens, NY) scored 10 points on 4-6 shooting-all in the second half-to lift the Pride to its third straight win in improving to 14-10 and 7-5 in conference play.
Hofstra held the CAA's second-best scoring offense to 38.9 percent field goal shooting. The perimeter defense forced VCU into 2-of-12 shooting from three-point range as the Rams dropped to 16-8 and 9-3. Reigning conference player of the week Kita Waller scored 16 points for VCU while D'Andra Moss scored 12 of her 18 in the second half.
Capurso came off the bench to shoot 6-of-13, including an impressive 5-of-9 from beyond the arc. Hofstra's bench outscored VCU, 34-8, as the Pride improved to 9-3 at home.
Both of Capurso's second half three-pointers came from the left corner. Her second long-shot capped a 7-2 run in putting Hofstra ahead, 51-37, midway through. Hofstra finished 6-for-11 from long range for the game.
The Rams made a comeback attempt, employing a full-court press to move within four points on Moss' top of the key three pointer with 5:30 left. But Hofstra stemmed the pressure and regained a three-possession edge of a trio of layups. Fuller was the driving force in that sequence, making lay-ins on consecutive possessions in putting the Pride up, 65-56 with 3:20 left.
The Pride's defense held the potent Rams offense to just 28.6 percent field goal shooting in the opening half. Hofstra went into halftime on a 7-2 run capped by Capurso's left corner three-pointer to lift the Pride to a 33-24 halftime edge.
Capurso scored 12 points in the half as Hofstra's bench out-scored its VCU counterparts, 18-0. The Pride's inside game also helped build the early lead, building a 14-4 edge in second-chance points.
Fuller, who injured her ankle in Hofstra's win over UNC Wilmington in its previous contest, provided an emotion lift when she checked into the game for the first time with 2:10 left. Fuller soon recorded her first block on Stephanie Solomon's driving attempt and provided 13 quality minutes in the second half, making up for the temporary loss of Evans when the freshman picked up her fourth foul with 12:20 remaining.
Three of Hofstra's next four games will come on the road, starting Sunday with a matinee against Northeastern. Game time is set for 2 p.m.
