SBU Sports: Women’s basketball victorious over Cornell 54-40

SBU Sports: Women’s basketball victorious over Cornell 54-40

Photo courtesy of Stony Brook Athletics

The Stony Brook women’s basketball team secured a 54-40 victory over Cornell to close out non-conference play on Dec. 22 on the Island.

Stony Brook was paced by Zaida Gonzalez who led the Seawolves with 20 points, seven rebounds and three steals. Shamarla King tacked on 14 points, six rebounds and two steals, while Breauna Ware chipped in with nine points from the bench.

Stony Brook grabbed 39 rebounds compared to Cornell’s 34, led by Gonzalez’s seven boards. The Seawolves’ defense held the Big Red to only zero percent shooting from beyond the arc and 35.2 percent from the field.

After falling behind 2-0, Stony Brook went on a hot 9-0 run with 8:07 left in the first quarter, culminating in a bucket from King, to take a 9-2 lead. The Seawolves then lost some of that lead but still entered the quarter break with an 11-6 advantage. Stony Brook did most of its first quarter damage in the paint, scoring eight of its 11 points close to the basket. Gonzalez, King, and Janay Brantley accounted for the offensive spark.

The Seawolves used the second period to increase their lead and entered halftime with a 19-12 edge. It was a low scoring half as the Seawolves held their opponent to less than 10 points each quarter through one half… the first time since last season on Feb. 18 against Elon.

After intermission, Stony Brook held on to its advantage and owned a 35-29 lead, showcasing a team effort coming from Gonzalez, King, Brantley, Ware, and Devyn Scott tallying 16 points.

Stony Brook kept widening its lead, expanding it to 44-35 before going on a 10-0 run, finished off by a Gonzalez jumper, to grow the lead to 54-35 with 2:13 to go in the contest. The Big Red narrowed the margin somewhat before the game was over, but the Seawolves still cruised the rest of the way for the 54-40 win.

After the holiday break and new year, the team will return to the court for the start of CAA conference play on Jan. 3 at Northeastern. Tip-off is set for 3 p.m. Coverage will be be available on FloCollege.