STONY BROOK, N.Y. — Message sent.

In a battle for first place in the America East, the Stony Brook women's basketball team left little doubt which squad is the class of the conference.

In the process, only one team now remains unbeaten in league play.

Stony Brook defeated UMass Lowell, 60-41, on Wednesday night at Island Federal Arena to hand the River Hawks their first America East defeat.

It marks the quickest to 20 wins and the best start in conference play in program history for the Seawolves.

Stony Brook (20-1, 8-0 AE) took command from the get-go. The Seawolves opened a  double-digit lead — 10-0 — on India Pagan's bucket in the paint, prompting a timeout from UMass Lowell with 4 minutes, 36 seconds remaining in the first quarter.

In all, Stony Brook proceeded to rattle off the game's opening 14 points and never trailed.

The River Hawks (11-10, 7-1) did not score until 8:55 had elapsed in the game and mustered only two points in the opening period — their fewest in any quarter this season.

"I didn't realize it was 14-0," point guard KK Hilaire said. "For the most part, we flowed well in transition. That's where we were getting most of our baskets early. We just run the floor."

When UMass Lowell did claw within four points in the third quarter, Hilaire drained a three-pointer, then produced a steal and converted a jumper to reopen a 33-24 lead.

Hilaire later stripped River Hawks freshman point guard Jaliena Sanchez and fed Anastasia Warren for a layup and three-point play that opened a 40-27 advantage.

Pagan finished with a game-high 16 points, followed by Hilaire with 13 and Cheyenne Clark with 11.

"I thought it was a great win for our team," coach Caroline McCombs said. "Obviously, UMass Lowell has done a great job. It was definitely a battle. I can see why they are at the top of the conference with their physicality and defense. I was proud of our team having a great start and then persevering through a lot of different defenses that we saw today." 

The Seawolves earned their 17th straight victory — the second-longest active streak in the nation.

Stony Brook's winning streak is one shy of Gonzaga for the nation's longest.

It's been a banner stretch for the Seawolves, who are receiving votes in the AP and USA TODAY coaches polls for the first time in program history.

The Seawolves next play at UMBC on Saturday.