Princeton, N.J. - Senior Candace Bond notched nine points,
six rebounds and five steals while fellow senior Shante Evans scored 13 points,
but Princeton's strong opening half allowed the Tigers to pull away as Hofstra
lost, 84-54, in a non-conference matchup on Wednesday night at Jadwin Gymnasium.
Evans continued her streak of scoring in double figures
every game this season. The West Chester, Pa. native tallied five rebounds and
three assists.
Niveen Rasheed scored a game-high 23 points with nine rebounds and Kristen Helmstetter
added a career-high 21 points on 4-of-5 three-point shooting for the Tigers. Lauren
Polansky grabbed a career-high 11 rebounds.
Hofstra dropped to 1-6 while Princeton improved to 6-2. Bond
set a new season best in steals, after twice posting four steals. Sophomore Andreana Thomas reached double figures
for the third time, ending her evening with 10 points and three assists while
again pacing Hofstra in minutes played with 33.
Princeton built a 26-point halftime lead, crafting a 45-19
edge at the break on the strength of a 25-2 run. The Tigers shot 53.1 percent
in the first half, helping Princeton establish an early cushion after Hofstra
got as close as two .
Princeton started the contest on a 8-2 run. But Hofstra responded with its own 5-0 run
capped by junior Annie Payton's three-pointer to make it 15-13 midway through
the opening half.
The Tigers then scored the next 19 points to open a 21-point
lead (34-13) with 2:50 left in the opening half. Overall, Princeton's 25-2 run
put the home team ahead, 40-15. Helmstetter scored 11 of her points in the
first half while Rasheed notched 10.
Evans, who set Hofstra's all-time rebounding record last
week against Marist, continued her ascent up the program's record book. Evans
jump shot from just outside the paint with 5:45 remaining in the second half moved
the six-foot forward past Jen Brickey for the second-most points in team history.
Brickey notched 1,726 points in a career that spanned 1999-03. Dia LaBella holds
the record with 1,840 career points. Evans, who entered averaging 17 points per
game, is on pace to break the record.
With Payton's opening half three-pointer, Hofstra has now
gone 96 consecutive games with at least one three-pointer. Payton made two of
Hofstra's six three-pointers to account for all of her points.
The Pride fell to 3-4
in the all-time series against Princeton. The home team has won every game in
the all-time meeting except for last season when the Tigers won at the Mack
Sports Complex.
Freshman Ruth Sherrill's three points were the first in her
collegiate career. Fellow freshman Sydni Epps added five points.
The game featured another talented opponent on Hofstra's
schedule. Thus far, every team Hofstra has played qualified for the postseason
last year. Princeton, which was the preseason favorite in the Ivy League, has
already been the fourth NCAA Tournament team Hofstra has opposed in the
non-conference portion of the schedule in the current campaign with Texas, St.
John's and Marist also on that list.
Hofstra will play its third road game in four contests when
the Pride travels to Alabama to take on Auburn on Sunday at 3 p.m. Eastern
time.
