ATLANTA, Ga. — Stony Brook fell in the final seconds on the road at Georgia State on Monday afternoon to open play at the GSU Thanksgiving Tournament. After a pair of missed free throws with six seconds to play, the Panthers scored the game-winning basket on a fastbreak to down the Seawolves, 62-61.
The Seawolves had two players score in double figures, led by Caitlin Frost, who notched a double-double with 13 points and 12 rebounds. Georgia native Johanna Potter tacked on 13 points from the bench and Sandra Frau Garcia stuffed the stat sheet with eight points, 10 rebounds, five assists and three steals.
Led by Frau Garcia's four offensive rebounds, Stony Brook did a great job crashing the offensive glass, pulling down 20 boards that resulted in 18 second chance points. Stony Brook also forced 21 turnovers and converted the Georgia State miscues into 26 points. The Seawolves also limited the Panthers' second-chance opportunities on the offensive end, as they grabbed only eight offensive rebounds and scored six second chance points while Stony Brook pulled down 29 defensive rebounds.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Stony Brook led early on, 4-2, following a Chloe Oliver layup, before Georgia State took control of the lead. A triple from Oliver with 4:31 to play in the opening stanza made it a one-point game, but the Panthers scored five straight points to extend the lead to six points, eventually carrying a seven-point advantage into the second quarter.
Georgia State continued to add to its lead, building a 27-16 advantage before Stony Brook went on a 7-0 run, highlighted by a three from Frost, to narrow its deficit to 27-23. Georgia State had the final say in the first half, leaving the Seawolves trailing 29-23 heading into halftime.
After intermission, Stony Brook cut its deficit to 36-31 before going on a 9-0 run to grab a 40-36 lead with 4:22 to go in the third. Janay Brantley connected on a trifecta to even the contest at 36-all. Diaka Berete followed with a three-pointer to give Stony Brook its first lead since the opening minutes of the game. The Panthers then rallied to tie it at 45-45 heading into the fourth quarter. Stony Brook took advantage of six Georgia State turnovers in the quarter, scoring seven points off of takeaways.
Georgia State then snagged a 51-46 advantage before Stony Brook responded by going on a 7-0 run, finished off by Brantley's three, to seize a 53-51 lead with 5:41 to go in the contest. The final five-plus minutes featured six lead changes, seeing momentum continuously swing back and forth. Baskets by Melissa Mwanza at the 3:46 and 2:00 marks put Stony Brook back in front on both occasions, but Georgia State did not go away.
The Panthers scored with 45 seconds to play to trim the Stony Brook lead to one point. The Seawolves had a chance to extend it back to three points with a trip to the free throw line after forcing a Georgia State miss in the final moments. Stony Brook came up empty on both tries from the stripe, seeing the Panthers grab the rebound, toss an outlet up ahead to a streaking Crystal Henderson who finished the layup at the rim with 1 second to play. Out of a timeout, Stony Brook was unable to get a shot off, falling to Georgia State.
STATS AND NOTES
- Caitlin Frost notched her second double-double of the season, tallying 13 points and securing 12 rebounds.
- Frost and Potter led the Seawolves with 13 points apiece.
- Potter's 13 points marked a season-best mark. She finished a perfect 5-for-5 from the field.
- Frau Garcia stuffed the stat sheet, finishing with eight points, 10 rebounds, five assists and three steals. Despite the gaudy numbers, Frau Garcia shot just 1-of-7 from the floor and committed eight turnovers.
- As a team, Stony Brook committed 25 turnovers.
- Stony Brook outrebounded Georgia State, 49-31. The Seawolves cleaned up on the offensive glass, collecting 20 offensive boards in the game.
- The lead changed hands 11 times during the contest. The contest was tied on eight separate occasions and for six minutes of game action.
UP NEXT
Stony Brook continues play at the GSU Thanksgiving Tournament, facing Central Arkansas on Tuesday, November 25. Tip-off is scheduled for 2:30 pm in Atlanta. The contest will not stream live, fans can follow along via live stats.
For an inside look at the Seawolves women's basketball program, be sure to follow them on Facebook, X, and Instagram.
