ITHACA, N.Y. -- Five Seawolves put up double-digit points as Stony Brook knocked off the Cornell Big Red 81-56 on the road Saturday to earn their 10th victory of the season in their final non-conference battle of the year.
The Seawolves (10-1) had five players score in double figures, led by Khari Clark, who had 21 points and two steals. Zaida Gonzalez added 15 points and Gigi Gonzalez helped out with 15 points, nine assists and two steals.
Led by Shamarla King's seven offensive rebounds, Stony Brook was crashing the offensive glass all afternoon by pulling down 15 boards that resulted in 22 second chance points. Stony Brook also forced 19 Cornell turnovers and turned those takeaways into 15 points on the other end of the floor. Clark's two steals led the way for Stony Brook.
HOW IT HAPPENED
After jumping out to a 5-3 advantage, Stony Brook went on a 6-0 run with 6:51 left in the first quarter, culminating in a bucket from King, to increase its lead to 11-3. The Seawolves then lost some of that lead, but still entered the quarter break with a 17-10 advantage. Stony Brook got a great contribution from its bench in the period, as non-starters accounted for eight of its 17 total points.
Stony Brook kept its first quarter lead intact before going on a 7-0 run starting at the 4:13 mark in the second period, highlighted by a bucket from Kelis Corley, to increase its lead to 31-19. The Big Red cut into that lead, but the Seawolves still enjoyed a 36-25 advantage heading into halftime. Stony Brook dominated in the paint, scoring 12 of its 19 points close to the basket.
Following intermission, Stony Brook continued to expand its advantage, pushing it to 51-35 before going on a 10-0 run, punctuated by a basket from Clark, to expand its lead further to 61-35 with 1:49 to go in the third. Before the Stony Brook scored six fast break points in the quarter.
Leading 65-42 heading into the fourth quarter, Stony Brook kept its lead intact before going on a 7-0 run, finished off by Gigi Gonzalez's jumper, to grow the lead to 76-48 with 5:02 to go in the contest. The squad would ultimately cruised the rest of the way for the 81-56 win. Stony Brook took advantage of six Cornell turnovers in the quarter, scoring five points off of those takeaways.
STATS AND NOTES
- The Seawolves never trailed after taking a 17-10 first quarter lead.
- Stony Brook recorded 17 total assists in the game.
- Stony Brook had a 41-27 edge on the boards in the win.
- The Stony Brook defense forced 19 turnovers.
- Stony Brook cleaned up on the offensive glass, collecting 15 offensive boards in the game.
- Five Stony Brook players scored 10 or more points (Clark, G. Gonzalez, Z. Gonzalez, Pittman, and King).
- Shamarla King notched a double-double for the Seawolves with 11 points and 10 rebounds. It was her first double-double of the season and third of her career.
- Khari Clark led the Seawolves with 21 points. It was the second time this season that Clark tallied 20 or more points (23 against Yale on Dec. 6).
- Stony Brook got a game-high 10 rebounds from Shamarla King.
- G. Gonzalez tallied a game-high 9 assists, the most since she had 10 against Delaware State on Nov. 22.
- Stony Brook is now 5-2 all-time against Cornell.
- The 10-1 start for Stony Brook is their best since they started 10-1 in 2019-20 season. Also, this is the best start in the Ashley Langford era (9-2 start in 2021-22).
- With the 81 points today, Stony Brook now has 80 or more points in seven games this season which marks a new Division I program best.
QUOTES FROM THE SEAWOLVES
"I'm very pleased with our performance today," said head coach Ashley Langford. "We dominated the glass which was a big focus for us coming into the game. I also thought we shared the ball well and had balanced scoring. I'm glad we were able to close out the non-conference schedule with a win."
Up Next
The Seawolves will return to the court for their first CAA game of the season as they take on Campbell University for the first time in program history on Jan. 5 at The Island. Tip-off is set for 6:31 pm and can be streamed live on FloHoops or SNY.
