UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Just five days after head coach Caroline McCombs shared a career win with her team, Stony Brook yet again had another big reason to celebrate. This time, it was because the Seawolves knocked off a Power Five team for the first time in program history.
 
After the final buzzer rang, Stony Brook had secured the program-defining victory with an 81-70 decision on Sunday afternoon at the Bryce Jordan Center. The team dominated the first half, leading 43-21 at the break, but had to fend off a resilient Penn State team in final 20 minutes to earn the win.
 
Senior G Shania Johnson (Frederick, Md.) once again had a tremendous outing on the floor, racking up 25 points and nine assists. Joining Johnson in double-figure scoring was senior G Jerell Matthews (Chicago, Ill.) with 18 points, sophomore F India Pagan (New London, Conn.) with 14 and freshman G Anastasia Warren (Atlanta, Ga.) with 13.
 
McCOMBS REACTION
"We're just really proud of all of our players coming in with the right mindset and staying focused. We had four players in double figures and one player who doesn't always show up on the stat sheet is Hailey Zeise. She came up with three charges and was just unbelievable for us defensively. We were prepared, and then an opportunity presented itself and we were able to play tough on the road."

HIGHLIGHTS

• Stony Brook once again came out of the gate running, take a 5-0 lead following a layup by Jerell Matthews and a 3-pointer by redshirt sophomore F Oksana Gouchie-Provencher (Markham, Ontario). Following back-and-forth action for the remainder of the first, the Seawolves found themselves up by eight.
• After the strong opening statement, the team poured on the points in the second quarter, outscoring Penn State 26-12 to take a 22-point lead heading into the locker room.
• Shania Johnson hit back-to-back threes heading into a media timeout to give the squad a 28-11 lead with 6:24 left until the half. Jerell Matthews also had a swift steal and layup with 1:15 until halftime to push Stony Brook's lead to 24 – its largest of the game.
• However, Penn State came out into the second half with a newfound resurgence, putting up 25 total points in the third quarter after notching totals of just 9 and 12 in the first two frames. The opposition also rang off a 9-0 run to end the period, cutting its deficit to 12.
• The fourth quarter was an absolute battle between the two teams with the Lady Lions coming within six, but Stony Brook was clutch on the free throw line down the stretch, going 14-of-19 from the charity stripe to keep the game out of reach from Penn State.

NOTES

• This is the first time in program history that Stony Brook has defeated a Power Five opponent.
• The all-time series between the two teams is now split at 1-1 after Penn State won the inaugural meeting back on Nov. 19, 2008.
• The Seawolves shot 50 percent in both the second and third quarters, including 60 percent from beyond the arc in the second period.
• Stony Brook never once trailed and lead for 38:23.
• India Pagan had a career-high 14 points and reeled off three buckets in a row in the third period as Penn State was staging its comeback.  
• Shania Johnson recorded a season-high 25 points with all 15 points in the first half coming from behind the arc.
• Jerell Matthews had four steals and tied her career high in rebounds with eight boards.
• Sophomore G/F Hailey Zeise (Pittsburgh, Pa.) earned a career high in steals (3) and took three charges on the day to highlight the team's defensive efforts.
• Stony Brook has now won four games in a row and looks to top its five-game win streak from last season.

UP NEXT
Stony Brook returns home to take on New Paltz at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 28 at 7 p.m.