A career night from guard Janay Brantley lifted the Stony Brook women’s basketball team to its second win of the season.
On Friday night, the Seawolves (2-1) took on the Yale Bulldogs (1-3) in New Haven, Conn. On the heels of a 17-point effort — including 10 in the second quarter — from Brantley, Stony Brook snatched a 62-48 victory.
The Seawolves’ offense got off to a rocky start on Friday, as they managed only five points in the first five minutes of the first quarter. Conversely, Yale came out the gate hot, as it jumped out to a 14-7 lead on the back off forward Grace Thybulle and guard Mackenzie Egger, who combined for 12 points in the first period.
A four-minute-long scoring drought from Stony Brook was snapped after a steal and layup from Breauna Ware, which was followed by forward Shamarla King doing the same to cut the Seawolves’ deficit to 14-11 at the end of the frame.
Both sides’ offenses were clicking in the second quarter. On Stony Brook’s end, it received contributions from several players — most prominently guards Zaida Gonzalez and Chloe Oliver.
With the score at 18 points apiece, Thybulle converted on a jumper to give the Bulldogs the advantage again. However, that would be the last time Yale led. On the Seawolves’ ensuing possession, Oliver drove down the lane and kicked the ball out to Brantley, who drained a three-pointer to give Stony Brook an edge it would not relinquish.
Brantley’s make sparked a 12-0 run for the Seawolves. Although she accounted for seven of those points, Brantley’s hot hand was contagious and allowed Ware, Oliver and Gonzalez to pitch in.
With 1:04 left until halftime, Thybulle scored a tip-in, but her team went into the break down 33-22.
Stony Brook kept its foot on the gas in the third period. A tough fadeaway jumper from King got things started for the Seawolves, while, on the other end, the Bulldogs’ offense lost their footing. In the first 4:33 of the frame, a close-range jumper from Thybulle served as their only points.
With the third quarter winding down, the contest slowed down. Stony Brook took full advantage of the slower pace and, after a layup from Ware, it secured its biggest lead of the game at 16 points.
However, Yale continued to fight and the teams exchanged baskets following Ware’s two. After Egger made a jumper with 40 seconds left in the period, the Bulldogs’ deficit was cut to 14.
Although Yale scored the first points of the fourth frame, a 7-3 stretch for the Seawolves from there put the game to bed.
“Proud of our fight and grit on the road against a very good Yale team,” head coach Joy McCorvey said in a postgame interview with Stony Brook Athletics. “Road wins are never easy, and I’m happy we were able to keep our composure down the stretch and finish out the game. This was a great step in continuing to build on our identity which centers around toughness.”
Brantley led the team offensively with 17 points on six-of-16 shooting from the field and two-of-four shooting beyond the arc. She also grabbed seven boards.
Gonzalez was the team’s second-leading scorer with 15 points, shooting six-for-23 from the field and zero-for-three from three-point range. Ware scored 14 points on a six-of-nine shooting.
Stony Brook posted a .375/.182/.632 shooting line compared to the Bulldogs’ .323/.063/.583 slashline.
The Seawolves will return home next to host the Marist Red Foxes at Stony Brook Arena on Monday night. The Red Foxes are 2-1 overall following a 73-41 win against Lafayette College. Opening tip-off is set for 7 p.m.
