Nov. 15, 2009

Box Score

Stony Brook, N.Y. - Stony Brook University's women's basketball team fell to St. John's, 89-52, Sunday afternoon in Pritchard Gymnasium. Despite playing a strong second half, the Seawolves could not dig themselves out of an early hole. Junior Kirsten Jeter (Elmont, N.Y.) led the charge for SBU, scoring all 15 of her points in the second half while adding six rebounds. Da'Shena Stevens led the Red Storm with 22 points. With the loss, Stony Brook drops to 0-2 on the season while St. John's opens with a 1-0 record.

"It was a tale of two halves," said head coach Michele Cherry. "We came out shell-shocked in the first half and it showed. But I'm proud of the way we played in the second half. We showed poise and patience offensively and we didn't back down. We'll build off that as we work towards our next game."

Stony Brook managed just four field goals in the first 20 minutes of play, leading to a field goal percentage of just 14.3. The Seawolves lone offensive highlight of the half came with just under eight minutes to play when junior point guard Misha Horsey (Wyncote, Pa.) drove hard to the bucket on back-to-back possessions for a pair of layups.

Following intermission, the Seawolves turned things around on the offense end, connecting on 13 of their 27 shots. While St. John's did start the half outscoring Stony Brook 11-6, the Seawolves rattled off eight unanswered points, starting with a jumper by senior Joia Daniels (Silver Spring, Md.) with 15:10 remaining, to chip into the lead.

Despite scoring a season-high for points in a half with 38, Stony Brook was unable to overcome the first half deficit, in large part to the shooting touch of St. John's. The Red Storm shot 52.4% from the field for the game and had three players in double-digits.

Stony Brook received solid performances off its bench from senior Crystal Rushin (Valley Stream, N.Y.) and freshman Taylor Burner (Port Jefferson, N.Y.). Rushing tallied seven points and six rebounds while Burner pulled down five boards and added four points. Jeter, who was named the America East Player of the Game, chipped in two assists and a pair of steals.

Stony Brook's next game will be on Saturday when it travels to Moon Township, Pa. for a matchup with Robert Morris. Tip is set for 7:00 p.m.