Not much went right for the Stony Brook women’s basketball team as it was blown out by a New York foe.
The Seawolves (2-2) took on the St. John’s Red Storm on Saturday in Queens, N.Y. The team struggled to both defend and shoot the three-point shot, resulting in a 78-56 defeat. The Red Storm remains unbeaten, improving to 4-0 on the season.
Stony Brook kept the game close through the first quarter, jumping out to an early lead when forward Sherese Pittman scored the team’s first six points. The Seawolves’ defense came out strong, and it took the Red Storm over four-and-a-half minutes to convert their first field goal. St. John’s began to pull away in the second quarter, outscoring Stony Brook 18-13 to take a nine-point advantage into halftime.
The Red Storm ran away with the game in the second half as they have all season long. They outscored Stony Brook 43-26 in the final two frames, dominating them on both ends of the court. Following halftime, the Seawolves only shot 29.4% from the field compared to St. John’s 57.1%.
Guards Gigi Gonzalez and Annie Warren — the team’s two leading scorers — combined to make a single shot in the second half. The duo shot a combined 4-for-32 from the field in the loss. The star guards came into the game responsible for 55.1% of the team’s points on the season.
Forward Nairimar Vargas-Reyes posted her second double-double of the season. She led Stony Brook with 11 rebounds while also tallying 12 points on 3-for-6 shooting. She made two of her four three-point attempts and converted on all four of her free throws.
Pittman matched her frontcourt counterpart in points. The sophomore shot 5-for-10 from the field and also made both of her free throws.
For St. John’s, it was a balanced attack. Four players reached double-figures in scoring. Guard Jayla Everett led the team with 16 points. The senior transfer has scored 10-or-more points in each of her first four games with St. John’s.
Stony Brook’s struggles shooting three-pointers continued Saturday. They now shoot only 24.1% from three on the season. Their opponents sit at 31.6%.
Guard Daishai Almond did not suit for the game. The graduate guard watched from the bench in a walking boot on her right leg after suffering an injury in the team’s previous contest.
Stony Brook will travel to San Juan, Puerto Rico to begin a two-game set as part of the Puerto Rico Clasico. Up first, the team will take on the High Point Panthers on Wednesday. Opening tipoff is set for 2:30 p.m. The Panthers are 1-4 on the season after falling to Wofford 88-79.