NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y. -- Head coach Ashley Langford reached her 50th career win and the Seawolves recorded their ninth of the season by defeating Iona 71-49 in New Rochelle on Thursday afternoon.
With her 50th victory, Langford is now the fastest to 50 wins in program history by a head coach (70 games, 50-20 overall). She joins Caroline McCombs, Trish Roberts Declan McMullen (Division |||), and Sandy Weeden (Non-member/Division III) as the only coaches in program history to reach 50 wins.
The Seawolves (9-1) had three players score in double figures, led by
Gigi Gonzalez, who had 19 points, seven assists and two steals.
Sherese Pittman added 18 points, six rebounds, two steals and two blocks and
Victoria Keenan helped out with 14 points and three steals from the bench.
Stony Brook kept the ball moving on Thursday by dishing out 18 assists. Gonzalez's seven assists led the distribution list for the Seawolves. Kelis Corley also added with three assists of her own.
Stony Brook's defense held Iona to only 36.4% shooting from the field. On the glass Stony Brook cleared 26 defensive rebounds while allowing just seven offensive boards to the opposition.
HOW IT HAPPENED
A back-and-forth first frame finished 18-15 in the advantage of the Gaels. Iona doubled the lead in the second, building a 33-27 lead before the two sides traded 5-0 runs, leaving the Seawolves trailing 38-32 heading into halftime.
After intermission, Stony Brook cut its deficit to 44-40 before going on a 12-0 run, punctuated by a three from Keenan, to grab a 52-44 lead, a score which remained until the end of the third quarter and gave the Seawolves the lead for good. Stony Brook was aggressive near the basket, scoring 12 of its 20 points in the paint in the frame.
Stony Brook kept widening that lead in the fourth, expanding it to 61-48 before going on a 10-0 run, finished off by Gonzalez's layup, to grow the lead to 71-48 with 2:49 to go in the contest. Stony Brook fired away from deep in the quarter, knocking down three triples to account for nine of its 19 points.
GAME NOTES
- Stony Brook out-scored Iona 39-11 in the second half, its best scoring margin in a half this season.
- The Seawolves won when trailing at the half for the first time this year. Thursday's contest marks the first time Stony Brook has come back to win when trailing by six or more at halftime since erasing a 34-21 halftime deficit on Feb. 24, 2023 vs. Hampton.
- The Stony Brook defense forced 22 turnovers, a season high and the most since forcing 23 against Elon on March 9 of last season.
- Gigi Gonzalez led the Seawolves with a game-high 19 points. She now has 15 or more points in each of her last four contests. Adding her team-best seven assists, Gonzalez now has seven or more assists in two of her last three games.
- Keenan finished with 14 points, her most since she had 16 at Minnesota on Nov. 26. She was 5-of-9 from the field, including 4-of-8 from three-point.
- The 9-1 start is Stony Brook's best since the 2021-22 season.
- Stony Brook is now 11-5 all-time against Iona and are 6-0 against the Gaels, dating back to 2017-18.
QUOTES FROM THE SEAWOLVES
"Today was a good test," said head coach Ashley Langford. "Iona outplayed us in the first half. Fortunately, we responded in the second half and got back to playing Stony Brook basketball. Ultimately, I thought our second half defensive effort won us the game."
NEXT UP
Stony Brook is back on the road next week as they head to Ithaca to battle Cornell on Dec. 30. The last game of the year is set for 1 p.m. and can be streamed live on ESPN+.
For an inside look at the Seawolves women's basketball program, be sure to follow them on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
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