SBU Sports: Seawolves narrowly edged by Dragons in Sunday afternoon thriller

The Stony Brook women’s basketball team (13-8, 7-3 CAA) was narrowly edged by Drexel (17-5, 9-2 CAA), 66-65, in a thriller at Island Federal Arena on Feb. 5. The Seawolves and Dragons battled back-and-forth down the stretch with the lead changing hands four times over the final 2:11 of the game.

Ultimately, Drexel took the final lead of the game with 27 seconds to play when graduate guard Keishana Washington connected on a jumper that put the Dragons ahead by what would be the final score, 66-65. Washington, the nation’s third leading scorer recorded 40 points en route to the win for the Dragons.

The Seawolves were paced by the trio of sophomore forward Sherese Pittman, graduate guard Daishai Almond, and junior guard Shamarla King who all scored in double figures. Pittman led Stony Brook as she recorded a near double-double with a team-high 19 points and nine rebounds.

Stony Brook used a big second quarter to take a 37-34 lead at the halftime break. The Seawolves outscored the Dragons, 22-15, in the second quarter and used a 12-2 run to close the frame. Pittman fueled Stony Brook over the first 20 minutes of the contest as she scored 15 of here 19 points and grabbed six rebounds in the first half.

The Seawolves locked in defensively in the third quarter as they limited Drexel to 10 points on 4-of-18 shooting (22.2%) and took a 49-44 lead into the fourth.

The final quarter of action featured a thrilling back-and-forth finish, with the Dragons coming away with the upper hand. With 2:11 to play senior guard Gigi Gonzalez drilled a jump shot to put the Seawolves out in front, 63-62.

After the Dragons and Seawolves traded possessions, Washington put Drexel back in the driver’s seat, 64-63, with 49 seconds to play. Pittman came through in the clutch for Stony Brook as she knocked down a pair of crucial free-throws with 31 seconds to go to put the Seawolves back up 65-64.   Washington’s final bucket with 27 seconds remaining in the game proved to be the game-winner.

Next up, the team hits the road for a mid-week matchup with Northeastern on Feb. 9 at 7 p.m. The meeting between the Seawolves and Huskies marks the first for the teams since December 6, 2008. Stony Brook is 5-5 all-time against Northeastern.