After the Northeastern women’s basketball team ended their 2019 calendar year with a tough loss to Boston University, they opened up their CAA play of the season with a win against the Hofstra Pride Sunday, 74-51. 

This was the first game of conference play for either team. Last season, Hofstra (3-9) went 2-0 against the Huskies (5-7).

The Huskies started down 4-0, but sophomore guard Katie May went the distance to open the gates for a 11-0 run for NU. The Husky offense proved tough as Hofstra resorted to fouling to stop them. The Pride racked up five fouls in the first quarter (NU had zero). With all those fouls, NU went 6-8 on free throws. The explosive start to this game left the Huskies on top, 20-13.

After the Huskies shot a strong 68 percent in the opening quarter, they continued to increase their lead with a 7-2 run to start the second frame.

Sophomore forward Alexis Hill fought for an offensive rebound, playing hot potato against a Hofstra defender, but eventually secured the rock and made a layup to end the half, with a commanding 20 point lead for the Huskies, 44-24. 

The NU defense aggressively came out of the locker room pressing Hofstra, causing turnovers (9) and traveling violations that were converted into points. The NU offense was aggressive as well, moving the ball quickly, changing the pace and direction of the game which visibly shook Hofstra’s on-court mindset. The Huskies continued to hold a strong lead at the end of the third, 60-36.

With the Huskies feeling confident with the lead, they continued to experiment with passes and shots. This was one of their best shooting games of the season, hitting 56 percent from the field and 82 percent from the charity stripe on their way to a 74-51 victory. 

 The Huskies are now 1-0 in CAA play and continue their conference play at Drexel (8-6, 1-1 CAA) on Friday at 7 p.m.