WILMINGTON, N.C. – UNCW women's basketball earned a hard-fought 70-67 overtime win vs. Hofstra behind 38 combined points by Ali Zelaya and Tia Dobson and a strong defensive effort on the final possession at Trask Coliseum on Friday night.
The Seahawks picked up their third win in four games and sit at 11-10 with a 5-3 Coastal Athletic Association mark. The Pride dipped to 9-10 and 4-4 in the circuit.
Zelaya scored in double figures for the sixth straight game and notched her third consecutive double-double with a career-high 22 points to go with 13 rebounds. Dobson delivered career-highs with 16 points and eight assists, the most helpers by a Seahawk in three seasons. Dobson also added four steals and reached at least four steals in a game for the third time this season.
Joining the duo in double figures was Evan Miller with 12. Miller has reached double-digits in four of her last five games. Miller needs 101 points for 1,000 in her career.
Hofstra had four reach 10 or more points headlined by Zyheima Swint (14) and Ramatoulaye Keita (12). Emma Von Essen and Chloe Sterling each provided 11 markers.
The Seahawks rallied from a 22-15 first-quarter deficit to outscore the Pride 47-40, including holding Hofstra to seven points in the fourth quarter. UNCW also trailed by as many as eight in the third quarter (49-41). Hofstra held a 61-56 lead with 5:16 left, but the Seahawks held the Pride scoreless for over four minutes to rally back and force overtime.
UNCW went up 70-67 with an 8-5 extra period and stood tall on final possession by the Pride, who set a screen to break Von Essen free for a potential game-tying three-point attempt that Zelaya headed off to force the Pride into a desperation heave at the buzzer that was off the mark to seal the win.
UNCW remains at home for a Sunday contest in the Play4Kay game vs. Stony Brook at 1 p.m. Play4Kay games were designed to unite coaches, players, officials, and fans in the fight against all cancers affecting women. A survivor's walk will occur on the court in Trask Coliseum approximately 15 minutes before tip-off. UNCW women's basketball will honor Debbie Kelso (1973-76) as the alumni survivor of the game.
GAME NOTES: UNCW Athletics hosted a National Girls and Women in Sports Day Clinic before the game for more than 85 girls … Zelaya's 22 points were the highest by a UNCW player this year … The Seahawks are 4-0 in overtime this season and 5-0 in the Nicole Woods era … Friday was UNCW's first win over Hofstra since the 2019-20 campaign … The Seahawks are 11-10 all-time vs. the Pride on their home floor … Four of the last five meetings have been decided by three points or less … This was the highest-attended CAA home game for the Seahawks in five seasons with 938 in attendance...Both teams did not make a three-pointer in the second half of regulation ... UNCW outscored Hofstra 40-30 in points in the paint and 13-2 in fast break points... The Seahawks capitalized on 18 points off turnovers while holding Hofstra to four.
