The Hofstra women’s basketball team lost a close game to Northeastern Thursday night at the Mack Sports Complex, 59-57.

Anma Onyeuku. Photo by: Stacy Podelski/1495 Sports

The Pride led most of the way before a late rally by Northeastern gave them the victory. Shante Evans had 19 points and 16 rebounds while Anma Onyeuku had 18 points and nine rebounds to pace the Pride.

“I was happy with my offensive performance,” said Onyeuku after the game. “But at the end of the day, a win would have been nice.”

Hofstra’s offensive attack was uneven during the game. Evans and Onyeuku were a combined 17-for-26 from the floor, but the rest of the team shot just 9-for-29.

“We were not attacking and doing the things we worked on and talked about today,” admitted Hofstra Coach Krista Kilburn-Steveskey. “In the first half, we were getting the ball down to Shante and they just sunk down on her in the second half so we brought her up. There were so many things that were open, but we just decided to quit shooting and quit attacking.”

Hofstra dominated Northeastern under the basket. The Pride scored 42 points inside the paint to just 20 for Northeastern. They also outrebounded the Huskies 48-30 for the game.

But outside shooting was Hofstra’s undoing. The Pride went 0-for-10 from three-point range while Northeastern made 7-of-26 from behind the arc. The Pride’s failure to hit from the outside allowed Northeastern to adjust their defense.

“The more we’re not taking any (outside shots) and the more we’re not hitting any, the more they’re going to sag inside,” Coach Kilburn-Steveskey explained. “We can’t continue to play this way.”

Free throws were also a problem as Hofstra was just 5-for-11 while Northeastern was 8-for-9 on the night from the charity stripe. The Pride also committed 29 turnovers which also contributed to the offense’s inconsistency.

The game was tied 57-57 after Candice Bond hit jumpshot with 31 seconds remaining and Northeastern had the ball. Evans blocked the first shot attempt by the Huskies’ Jewel Tunstull, but Tunstull got the rebound and scored with one second left to put the visitors ahead for good. The Pride had several chances to get the loose ball but were unable to gain possession.

“We had several chances to come down with these very crucial rebounds down there. How badly do we really want something?” Coach Kilburn-Steveskey said.

A desperation in bounds pass with one second left was deflected and time expired before Hofstra could get a shot off.

It was the third game in five days for the Pride which may have been a factor later in the game.

Evans also got into foul trouble early in the second half and had to spend more time than usual on the bench. She finished the game with just 26 minutes played.

The Pride returns to action Sunday when they travel to Georgia State.

Pride Notes:

The loss ended a seven-game home winning streak for Hofstra. The team’s last home loss was to Harvard back on December 1.

Fans of the Pride are also encouraged to check out the following:

1495 Sports Photo Gallery:

http://1495sports.com/2013/02/08/1495-sports-photo-gallery-hofstra-wbb-vs-northeastern/

1495 Sports TV:

http://1495sports.com/2013/02/08/1495-sports-tv-hofstra-wbb-vs-northeastern/