SBU Sports: Defensive effort leads women’s basketball over Drexel 62-41
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 on Jan. 28.
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.
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.
The team 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 pm. The Seawolves are 7-6 all-time against the Pride, as they’ve won their last six meetings against Hofstra.
