STONY BROOK, N.Y. -- The Stony Brook women's basketball team kept Drexel to just 23.7% from the field and held the Dragons scoreless in the first quarter on the way to a 62-41 victory at Island Federal Arena Sunday.
The Seawolves (16-2, 6-1 CAA) had two players score in double figures, led by Gigi Gonzalez, who had 20 points and five assists. Khari Clark added a double-double with 14 points and career-high 15 rebounds and Sherese Pittman added eight points and seven rebounds.
The squad utilized excellent ball movement in Sunday's game, piling up 15 assists on 24 made field goals. Gonzalez's five assists led the distribution list for the Seawolves. Defensively, Stony Brook forced 16 Drexel turnovers and turned those takeaways into 15 points on the other end of the floor. Clark's six steals led the way for Stony Brook.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Seawolves started out the game with 14-0 run that spanned the entire first quarter, culminating in a three from Victoria Keenan at the 1:06 mark. Stony Brook knocked down a pair of three-pointers for six of its 14 points in the quarter. It was the first time in program history that the Seawolves held a team to zero points in a regulation quarter.
The squad build on that first-quarter lead and held a 21-1 advantage 13 minutes into the game. The Seawolves proceeded to tack on one point to that lead and enjoyed a 32-11 advantage heading into halftime. Stony Brook dominated in the paint, scoring 12 of its 18 points close to the basket. Gonzalez led the Seawolves with seven points in the frame.
Stony Brook continued to preserve its halftime lead before going on a 9-0 run, punctuated by a three from Keenan, to expand its lead further to 51-21 with 1:34 to go in the third, and held a comfortable 51-25 advantage through 30 minutes. Stony Brook again scored 12 points in the paint in the quarter, and Gonzalez and Clark combined for 11 of SBU's 19 points in the third.
The Seawolves cruised the rest of the way for the 62-41 win, with the lead never falling below 17 in the fourth. Stony Brook again scored the majority of its points in the paint in the final quarter.
STATS AND NOTES
- The first quarter was SBU's first scoreless defensive period (regulation + OT) since not allowing a point in OT at New Hampshire Jan. 11, 2020. Stony Brook won that game 53-44. Stony Brook's previous defensive low in a regulation quarter was two points done twice: Jan. 29, 2020 vs. UMass-Lowell (first quarter) and Jan. 4, 2017 at New Hampshire (first quarter).
- The scoreless quarter is Stony Brook's first scoreless defensive quarter in program history. The NCAA switched to the four-quarter format for women's basketball prior to the 2015-16 season.
- The Seawolves held the Dragons to only 23.7 percent shooting from the field, a season-low for its opponents.
- Stony Brook shot 50% (24-for-48) from the field. It was the fourth time this season the squad shot over 50% from the field.
- The squad recorded 15 total assists in the game and have tallied double-digit assists in every game this season.
- The Seawolves held Drexel to 15 percent from beyond the arc on 13 attempts.
- Stony Brook had a 44-32 edge on the boards in the win.
- The Stony Brook defense forced 16 turnovers. The 11 steals was the second-highest of the season (12 vs Iona on Dec. 21).
- It was the fourth time this season that Gonzalez has tallied at least 20 points, including the third time in her last five games.
- Khari Clark notched a double-double for the Seawolves with 14 points and 15 rebounds. Sunday was a career-high in rebounds for Clark and her sixth double-double of the season.
- The Seawolves earned their first-ever win against Drexel, sitting at 1-2 all-time against the Dragons.
QUOTES FROM THE SEAWOLVES
UP NEXT
The Seawolves will return to the court next week when they head to Hempstead to face Hofstra for the battle of Long Island on Feb. 2 at 7:00 pm. The Seawolves are 7-6 all-time against the Pride, as they've won their last six meetings against Hofstra.
