The Stony Brook women’s basketball team traveled to Sacred Heart and broke some hearts as it fended off a furious second-quarter rally from the Pioneers and came away with a 73-58 win at the Pitt Center on Tuesday night.
Senior G Shania Johnson (Frederick, MD) churned out her fourth double-double of the season with 16 points and 12 assists. Senior G Jerell Matthews (Chicago, IL) and sophomore F India Pagan (New London, CT) each notched double figures in points as well with tallies of 15 and 12, respectively.
McCOMBS’ REACTION
“I thought tonight was a well fought road win for us. We stuck together during Sacred Heart’s run in the second quarter and came out with more intensity and focus in the second half. I’m proud of our group because it was again a total team effort.”
HIGHLIGHTS
- Stony Brook had no problem in the first quarter, grabbing the lead for good less than two minutes into the contest following a Jerell Matthews three. After the first 10 minutes, the team was shooting 53.8 percent from the floor and 60 percent from beyond the arc.
- Sacred Heart wouldn’t go without a fight, cutting its deficit to just five points, 35-30, at halftime after a second quarter comeback. The Pioneers shot 50 percent and made 11-of-12 free throws to get as close as five points on three different occasions. At the break, sophomore G/F Hailey Zeise (Pittsburgh, PA) led the team with eight points and two buckets from beyond the arc.
- The closest Sacred Heart got was in the beginning of the second half when a good layup by the Pioneers made it 35-32, but Stony Brook responded with an eight-point run to keep its opponent at bay. The defense also turned it up in the third quarter, forcing Sacred Heart to make just three of its field goal attempts.
- Stony Brook grabbed its largest lead in the fourth quarter, taking a 23-point advantage following a layup by sophomore F McKenzie Bushee (Pittsburgh, PA) with 3:05 left in the contest.
- Sacred Heart made its first and only three-point basket on the night with 31 seconds left on the clock.
NOTES
- Stony Brook’s seven-game win streak is the longest since the 2015-16 season when the Seawolves went undefeated for nine straight matches.
- Shania Johnson recorded her fourth double-double of the season and is one of 44 players in the nation to do so.
- The team nearly made Sacred Heart go 0-for-12 on 3-pointers. The last time Stony Brook prevented a shot going in from beyond the arc was February 6, 2017 at UMass Lowell where the River Hawks went 0-of-10.
- Johnson has scored double figures in all eight games thus far while Matthews as scored 10-plus in seven contests.
- Hailey Zeise notched a career-high eight points and swished in two 3-point baskets.
- India Pagan tied her career high in rebounds (9) and notched a season-high two blocks.
- McKenzie Bushee logged a season high in points (8) and rebounds (5).
- Redshirt sophomore F Oksana Gouchie-Provencher (Montreal, Canada) tied her career’s best in assists (2).
- The squad kept Sacred Heart well under its season average in points (62.7), rebounds (31.2), field goal percentage (38.8) and 3-point percentage (34.5).
- Stony Brook is now 6-11 all-time against the Pioneers and 3-4 in the program’s Division I era.
UP NEXT
Stony Brook returns home this weekend, hosting Fairleigh Dickinson at the Island Federal Arena at 2 pm.
View original article on Stony Brook Seawolves.
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