SBU Sports: Defense pushes women’s basketball past Longwood
The Stony Brook women’s basketball team kept Longwood to just 15.4 percent from deep in a 2-for-13 shooting performance on the way to an 85-49 victory against the Lancers at home on Dec. 11.
The Seawolves (8-1) had three players score in double figures, led by Khari Clark, who had 16 points and three steals. Zaida Gonzalez tacked on 16 points and two blocks and Gigi Gonzalez chipped in as well with 16 points, six assists and three steals. Stony Brook grabbed 45 rebounds in Monday’s game compared to Longwood’s 38, led by 10 boards from Shamarla King.
Stony Brook’s defense held Longwood to only 15.4 percent shooting from beyond the arc and 26.2 percent from the field.
Stony Brook started out the scoring by going on a 9-0 run, culminating in a bucket from Clark, to take an early lead with 7:27 left in the first quarter. The Seawolves then added three points to that lead by the end of the period and entered the quarter break with an 18-6 advantage. Stony Brook did most of its first quarter damage in the paint, scoring 12 of its 18 points close to the basket.
The Seawolves built that first quarter lead to 30-14 before going on a 6-0 run starting at the 2:45 mark in the second period, highlighted by a three from Victoria Keenan, to increase its lead to 36-14. The squad proceeded to tack on three points to that lead and enjoyed a 43-18 advantage heading into halftime. Stony Brook dominated in the paint, scoring 14 of its 25 points close to the basket.
Following intermission, Stony Brook continued to expand its advantage, pushing it to 50-23 before going on a 14-0 run, punctuated by a basket from King, to expand its lead further to 64-23 with 4:14 to go in the third. Before the conclusion of the third period, the Lancers had cut into that lead, but the Seawolves still entered the fourth quarter with a 68-28 edge. Stony Brook played dominated near the basket, scoring 18 of its 25 points in the paint.
The Seawolves then held on for the victory in the fourth quarter, 85-49.
The team will return to the court next week when they head to New Rochelle to battle Iona at 1 p.m. on Dec. 21. The game will be live on ESPN+.
“I was really pleased with the win today. [The team} was able to stay locked in and focused and disciplined. … I’m excited for them to get some rest in these 10 days and study for finals,” said Coach Ashley Langford after the game.
