Daytona Beach, Fla.- Hofstra opened up a six-point
second-half lead but Texas' Nneka Enemkpali scored 13 of her game-high 26
points after halftime as the Pride fell, 72-52, to the Longhorns in the Pride's
finale of the WBI Tip-Off Classic on Saturday afternoon at Ocean Center.
Senior forwards Shante Evans and Candace Bond scored in
double figures for Hofstra, which earned a split in the tournament after
defeating Stetson in the season opener.
Texas improved to 2-0.
Evans (West Chester, PA) scored 15 points and grabbed six
rebounds while Bond (Fort Washington, MD) added 10 points, three rebounds and
two steals. But Texas, who were picked fifth in the Big 12 conference entering
the campaign, built a 62-31 rebounding advantage and posted a plus-10
differential in points in the paint to pull away in the second half.
Enemkpali, Chassidy Fussell and Cokie Reed all scored in double figures
for Texas. Enemkpali hauled in 10 rebounds for the double-double while Fussell
scored 18 points and was one rebound shy of a double-double. Reed finished with
10 points.
Fussell,, who was the second-leading
scorer in the Big 12 last season, scored 12 points after halftime. The Pride,
who held a four-point halftime lead, went ahead as much as 36-30 on senior
Deven Green's (Germantown, MD) layup on the first possession coming out of the
break.
But Texas went on a 18-2 run in nearly a
five-minute stretch to go ahead, 50-40, with 14:25 left in the second half to
take momentum. Enemkpali scored three consecutive field goals during that
stretch and added another layup following Fussell's three-pointer to build the
10-point lead.
Hofstra was able to show a glimpse into the
team's future, playing all five freshmen on the court at the same time. Asia Jackson, Alexis Carter, Ruth Sherrill, Dee Thomas-Palmer and Sydni Epps all saw
game action.
Jackson, who started her second straight
game, added eight points and three assists in playing 31 minutes. Jackson
(Peekskill, N.Y.) shot 3-for-8 from the field. Sherrill (Alexandria, Va.) worked
the low blocks by adding three rebounds off the bench.
Hofstra used long-range shooting to build a 34-30 halftime advantage.
The Pride connected on four shots from beyond the arc, including a pair from
Jackson. Led by Bond's two steals and Green's five rebounds in the half,
Hofstra's defense held Texas to just 11-of-34 shooting from the field,
including 0-for-5 from three-point range.
Hofstra will next be in action against No. 14 St. John's on
Saturday, Nov. 17 with a road contest against the Big East-member Red Storm.
St. John's lost to Texas on Friday in their WBI opener.