Recap | Box Scores
Hempstead, NY -- Junior center Jess Fuller (Queens, NY) logged her third straight double-double and senior guard Natty Fripp (Oakland, CA) scored 12 of her season-high 15 points in the second half as the Pride defeated William and Mary, 55-45, in a Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) contest Sunday afternoon at the Mack Sports Complex.
The Pride defense held an opponent below 50 points for the third time this season. Hofstra forced the Tribe to shoot 24.2 percent from the field, marking the fifth time it held an opponent below the 30-percent mark. Fuller scored 11 points and grabbed 12 rebounds for her eight double-double of the season and senior Niki Williams (Pittsburgh, PA) added 10 points and seven assists from the point guard spot to help Hofstra improve to 11-5 and 3-2 against the conference. The win was Hofstra's 10th in its last 12 games.
Junior forward Tiffany Benson added 16 points and 17 rebounds for the Tribe, which fell to 10-6 and 3-2 in the CAA. Freshman guard Janine Aldridge was the only other William and Mary player to score in double figures, adding 11 points.
Junior guard Sam Brigham (Simsbury, CT) provided the complementary offense, scoring 12 points and picking up six rebounds to help Hofstra win its second straight game. But Fripp thwarted the Tribe's comeback hopes, scoring nine points and assisting on Brigham's clutch basket in a 5:26 span to give a Hofstra a 48-43 lead with 1:44 remaining.
Led by Benson, the Tribe grabbed 21 offensive rebounds, building a 46-39 advantage on the glass. Dani Kell hit an open three-ball from the top of the key, putting Tribe up 35-34 with 8:11 left. But that would be the last time Hofstra would trail as it held a conference opponent to its lowest shooting percentage since it held the Tribe to a 23.9 percent in a victory March 3, 2005 in Fairfax, Virginia.
Fripp started her run with a block and scored on Williams' down-court home run pass. Fripp tracked down the high-arching feed, catching it off a bounce and finishing with the lay-in. Moments later, she drilled a clutch left-wing three-pointer, expanding Hofstra's one-point lead to 41-37 at the 14:10 mark. The Pride responded with forcing two missed shots on the Tribe's next possession. Fripp capitalized off the stop, finding Brigham for an easy basket in the paint with 5:11 left.
William and Mary cut the deficit to 45-43 but could not find an answer down low. Fuller drew the foul on Benson and hit one of two free throws, keeping it a one-possession game. Courtney Portell saw her potential game-tying three-point attempt hit the back rim and bounce out. Fripp provided the insurance basket, hitting a far left side jumper to give Hofstra a 48-43 edge with 1:44 left.
Aldridge scored all 11 of her points in the first half. The Pride forced her to miss all four of her second-half field goals and held the Tribe's shooting percentage to as low as 20.5 percent at the 12:19 mark of the second half.
Tight defense and inconsistent shooting led to a low-scoring first half in which both schools shot less than 30 percent from the field. Aldridge and Fuller were the only players to find a rhythm early. Fuller scored eight points and grabbed six rebounds before the break as she tried to pick up freshman forward Joelle Connelly's (Arcade, NY) usual production after she picked up three fouls in six minutes of action before halftime.
Aldridge ran the point for the Tribe and scored nearly half of her team's points in the opening 20 minutes, pouring in 11 on 4-6 shooting, including three three-pointers. William and Mary also racked up a 26-19 rebounding edge, actually getting more offensive boards (14) than defensive (12) to build a 24-22 halftime lead.
Hofstra will hit the road Thursday when it travels to Richmond to take on Virginia Commonwealth. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m.
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(Photograph by Brian Ballweg for Hofstra Athletics)
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