STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — Post-Pitt letdown? No way.
Kaela Hilaire erupted for a season-high 23 points and the Stony Brook women's basketball team followed up its statement win at Pittsburgh with a 66-45 victory against host Wagner on Sunday afternoon at the Spiro Sports Center.
After taking a 29-23 lead into halftime, the Seawolves opened the third quarter on an 8-0 run and maintained a double-digit advantage the rest of the way.
Stony Brook improved to 9-1, matching last year's edition for the program's best 10-game start in the Division I era.
The victory came on the heels of an impressive 59-56 win at Atlantic Coast Conference member Pitt a week earlier. That victory marked the program's second-ever win against a Power Five opponent.
"Pitt, being an ACC team, obviously we had to play at a high level," Hilaire said. "It's just about us being consistent now at the end of the nonconference season. Going into conference play we want to be as consistent as we can be."
Hilaire, a graduate student who arrived from Seton Hall, led the way against Wagner with 23 points, four rebounds, seven assists and four steals. The outburst nearly eclipsed her career high — a 24-point performance against Central Connecticut while playing for the Pirates as an undergraduate on Nov. 26, 2016.
Her previous high this season had come with a 21-point performance in the season opener at St. Francis Brooklyn on Nov. 5.
Hilaire indicated she was unaware of her point total during Sunday's game.
"I had no idea," she said. "It's easier to keep track in our own gym. I pay tribute to my team always. They found me a lot today behind the line."
Also against Wagner (4-4),
Oksana Gouchie-Provencher recorded a block to move into the top-10 in program history with 57.
India Pagan contributed 13 points and
Jonae Cox had 10 in the victory.
"We had a letdown in the second quarter, but came out strong in the third and fourth quarters," Stony Brook coach
Caroline McCombs said. "Going on the road you always have to weather the storm and fight through adversity, which I think we did today."
The Seawolves next head to Puerto Rico for games against Morgan State and Western Michigan next weekend.
"I look forward to watching Morgan State tonight," McCombs said. "I don't know a lot about those opponents, so we'll be doing a lot of preparation here in the next couple of days."
CELEBRATE THE HOLIDAYS WITH A HOOPS DOUBLEHEADER ON DEC. 29 AS THE STONY BROOK MEN HOST NORFOLK STATE AT NOON AND THE WOMEN HOST BUCKNELL AT 2 P.M. CLICK HERE FOR TICKETS.
