PHILADELPHIA, Pa. – The Stony Brook women's basketball team (9-6, 3-1 CAA) battled until the final whistle on Sunday afternoon, but ultimately fell to the Drexel Dragons (12-3, 4-0 CAA), 81-64, inside the Daskalakis Athletic Center. The result marked the end of the Seawolves' five-game winning streak and their three-game winning streak to begin their inaugural CAA slate.
Graduate guard
Anastasia Warren and senior guard
Gigi Gonzalez led the team with 18 and 13 points, respectively. Stony Brook was not able to fend off a Drexel attack that shot 32-of-58 from the field (55.2%), en route to the win.
Drexel jumped out to an early 18-9 lead midway through the first quarter as the team from Philadelphia made their first eight shots from the field. Stony Brook would tighten up on the defensive end and surrendered just two points in the final 4:27 of the first quarter. Offensively, Gonzalez cashed in on her two free-throws and Warren made two deep three-pointers in the closing minutes of the frame to tie the game at 20-20 heading into the second quarter.
In the second quarter, the Dragons rallied and found their stroke, as Drexel outscored Stony Brook 27-8 after shooting 10-of-16 (62.5%) from the field to take a 47-28 lead heading into halftime.
Despite trailing in the second half, the Seawolves were relentless on the defensive end and found their touch on the offensive side in the fourth quarter. Stony Brook outscored Drexel 26-15 in the final frame, the 26 points were tied for the second-most that the Seawolves have scored in any quarter this season.
The Seawolves knocked down eight-straight shots to cut the deficit to 16 points with 6:07 left to play to begin the final frame. Leading the charge for the Seawolves was Warren collecting eight points, including back-to-back three-pointers, and junior
Kelis Corley forcing two steals that led to two buckets for the squad in the fourth.
Following a layup by sophomore forward
Sherese Pittman, Stony Brook was able to cut Drexel's lead to 74-60 with 3:04 to play, but were unable to catch the Dragons, as the host came out on top, 81-64.
STATS AND NOTES
- Warren collected a team-high 18 points, including four made three-pointers, and grabbed two steals. Warren is third in the CAA with 16.7 points per game and has the most made three-point field-goals in the conference (43).
- Gonzalez tallied 13 points, a team-high seven assists, and four rebounds this afternoon. The seven assists by Gonzalez ties a season-high for the senior as she has reached that mark four times (Drexel, UNCW, Maryland Eastern Shore, and St. Francis Brooklyn). The Floridan is now fifth in the CAA with 4.0 assists per game.
- Pittman tallied 11 points, six rebounds, and one assist this afternoon.
- Junior guard Shamarla King was a perfect 4-of-4 from the field, tallying nine points, four rebounds, and an assist.
- The 26 points scored in the fourth quarter were tied for the second-most points that they scored in any quarter this season.
- This was the first matchup between these two programs.
QUOTES FROM THE SEAWOLVES
"I'm proud of our resilience after a tough second quarter. I thought we battled in the second half but ultimately Drexel was the better team today. We have to learn from today's game and keep growing," said head coach Ashley Langford.
UP NEXT
The Seawolves will return to the court on Friday, January 13, inside Island Federal Arena to take on Monmouth at 6:31 p.m. It marks the first time that the teams will go head-to-head since December 21, 2013, when Stony Brook earned a 69-52 victory. The Seawolves hold a 3-2 record overall against the Hawks. The game will broadcast live on SNY and call 631-632-WOLF or
click here to purchase tickets!
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