Mykeema Ford’s game-winning three point field goal with barely :02 seconds left in regulation gave the Stony Brook University (SBU) women’s basketball team a dramatic 72-71 conference victory on Saturday, which increased the team’s winning streak to five straight games. This win improved the Seawolves’ overall record to 9-9 for the season and 5-1 in conference play.
This is the first time the Seawolves have been at .500 since back on Dec. 2. With the loss, Vermont falls to 13-6 overall and 3-3 within the conference. Maura McHugh, the head coach of Stony Brook, commented after the game that ‘Mykeema was terrific for us once again. We didn’t play quality basketball in the first half, but we overcame our foul trouble in the second half and’ snuck out of here with a win.’
The first half of the contest was full of turnovers, missed shots, and missed opportunities by both squads. The momentum went from one side to the next as the minutes of the half wore down. With a little over a minute left in the game, the Seawolves grabbed their first lead at 30-28, following Leah Getz’ put-back. Amy Rosenkrantz of the Catamounts nailed a three pointer to give her side a 31-30 lead going into intermission.
The Seawolves started the second half on fire. They came out of the gates with a new aggression that was virtually nonexistent in the first half. This aggressive play translated into a 13-0 run to start the half, which was sparked by Getz’ seven points. After this fast start, SBU became plagued with foul trouble. Many of their primary players, including Getz and Ford, spent good portions of the second half on the bench.
With 10:18 remaining in the game, the Catamounts found themselves in the bonus and were able to retake the lead at 60-59 with 5:13 left in the contest. Over the next two minutes, the Seawolves couldn’t find the bottom of the net. They fell behind 67-59 with a little over three minutes remaining on the clock.
However, the tide quickly turned as Stony Brook went on a 10-2 run to knot the game at 69 points a piece. Courtnay Pilypaitis sank two clutch foul shots for Vermont with only 20 seconds showing on the scoreboard. After a Seawolves’ timeout, Ford received a pass at the top of the key and drilled the field goal that would ultimately give Seawolves the win. Ford was named America East Player of the Game as she had a game-high 21 points, all in the second half, and seven assists. Getz added 18 points to the Seawolves’ total for the game.
