STONY BROOK, N.Y. – The Stony Brook women's basketball team is currently on its best start since the 1988-89 season after topping Fairleigh Dickinson, 63-49, at the Island Federal Arena on Saturday afternoon to improve to 8-1 on the year. Thirty years ago, the 88-89 squad also started off 8-1 through its first nine games.
 
Senior guards Shania Johnson (Frederick, Md.) and Jerell Matthews (Chicago, Ill.) were once again the 1-2 punch for the Seawolves, with each recording 12 points. Johnson also had 10 assists to mark her fifth double-double of the season and Matthews was also big on the boards, hauling in seven rebounds. 

Sophomore F India Pagan (New London, Conn.) also had a big outing, notching 11 points and seven rebounds through just 16 minutes of action. 
 
McCOMBS REACTION
"It was a good team win. Obviously I think we want to be able to play four quarters and really that's something that we talk about, that we're focusing on is playing all four quarters. I think we've struggled when we get big leads to finish a game and so we're working on that now. That's a good challenge to have because that means we're up but it also means closing out a game and playing four quarters."
 
HIGHLIGHTS

• Once again, Stony brook came out fast out of the gate, outscoring Fairleigh Dickinson by a margin of 16-7 after the first quarter.
• With just 2:08 left in the first, the Seawolves jumped out to a 13-2 lead following a three from Shania Johnson before the Knights knocked down a jumper and a three to end its scoring drought. Jerell Matthews had the last say before the first break, nailing a shot from beyond the arc with about one minute left.
• The team had its best outing from the floor in the second period, going 10-of-17 and knocking down its two tries from the free throw line to outscore its opponent 23-8 and to take a 39-15 lead heading into the locker room. 
• Back-to-back layups by Matthews led to a 10-0 run for the home team 1:16 into the second and forced Fairleigh Dickinson to take a timeout as they trailed, 23-7. That didn't shake Stony Brook as they extended its lead to 20 points with six minutes on the clock before the half after a pull-up jumper by Johnson.
• Through the first 20 minutes, both Johnson and Matthews had 10 points each and Johnson also had five assists. 
• The Seawolves found its biggest lead in the third as sophomore F Hailey Zeise (Pittsburgh, Pa.) nailed a three with just over five minutes left in the period to help the team to a 29-point advantage. Later in the third, the team also cashed in on two-consecutive turnovers from Fairleigh Dickinson as sophomore G/F Jonae Cox (Portsmouth, Va.) and Johnson each put in layups. 
• Fairleigh Dickinson wouldn't go down without a fight, outscoring Stony Brook 19-6 in the final quarter and limiting the Seawolves to just 25 percent shooting. 

NOTES

• Shania Johnson and Jerell Matthews have been consistent scorers for Stony Brook, with Johnson getting into double figures all eight games while Matthews has scored 10-plus in seven. 
• With her 12 points and 10 assists, Johnson earned her fifth double-double of the year. 
• Hailey Zeise earned a career-high nine points off of three two-point field goals and one shot from long range. 
• Redshirt sophomore F Oksana Gouchie-Provencher (Montreal, Canada) also logged a career high in assists (3).
• Sophomore F McKenzie Bushee (Pittsburgh, Pa.) shot a perfect 3-3 from the floor to notch six points on the day.
• The Seawolves kept the Knights under their season average in points (54.7) and rebounds (31.8).
• The squad is now 5-2 in the all-time series with Fairleigh Dickinson and has won the last three meetings. 
• Stony Brook has successfully defended its home court this season, going 5-0 at the Island Federal Arena. 

UP NEXT
Stony Brook hits the road, traveling to Iona for a 7 p.m. game on Tuesday, Dec. 11.