With just eight active players, the Stony Brook women’s basketball team’s shorthanded rotation showed in its second-straight single-digit loss.
On the backend of a two-game homestand, the Seawolves (3-4) faced the Fordham Rams (4-3) at Stony Brook Arena on Sunday afternoon. While a competitive back-and-forth affair, Stony Brook simply did not have enough gas to keep up, losing 64-55.
It took time for both sides to find their stroke in the first quarter. However, the Seawolves were the ones to jump ahead first.
Guard Zaida Gonzalez capped off a solid start for Stony Brook by weaving through multiple defenders en route to the cop, where she laid the ball in to give the Seawolves a 10-6 advantage. Nevertheless, the Rams stayed in the thick of things throughout the opening period, and a buzzer-beating layup by Fordham forward Irene Murua made it 14-12 in favor of the Seawolves after one.
In the second frame, the Rams came out firing — spearheaded by guard Taylor Donaldson, who found the bottom of the net on consecutive drives. Still, Stony Brook responded with an 11-5 run powered by guard Chloe Oliver, who was responsible for six of the Seawolves’ points in that stretch.
The momentum then swung the Rams’ way for the rest of the quarter. After Donaldson picked Gonzalez’s pocket and took it coast-to-coast for a layup, the score was tied at 25 apiece. Murua piled on with a finish of her own before Oliver delivered two free throws to tie the score going into the half.
The teams continued to trade baskets coming out of the locker room for the third period. After forward Elizabeth Field sunk a short jumper, Stony Brook etched a small four-point advantage. However, it could not run away from the Rams, who came back and beyond to take a 42-38 edge at the frame’s conclusion. Murua haunted the Seawolves with nine straight points to end the quarter for her side.
Fordham took the lead and ran with it, extending it to double-digits in the fourth period after Harris made a deep three. Conversely, a herculean scoring effort from Gonzalez was not enough to bring Stony Brook back, as six points was the closest it was able to make the contest before the Rams iced it at the charity stripe.
“Tough one for us today,” head coach Joy McCorvey said in a postgame interview with Stony Brook Athletics. “I wasn’t particularly happy with our defense late in the third and fourth and our effort to finish plays and secure stops. I thought we fought hard but ran out of gas down the stretch. We will continue to work through our turnovers, learn and grow through how to get over the hump in close games. We will take the week to work on us and hopefully get a few more players back healthy.”
The Seawolves registered a .442/.200/.571 shooting line compared to Fordham’s .444/.250/.765 triple slash.
Seemingly a reoccurring and concerning trend for Stony Brook, the Rams capitalized off 17 turnovers from the Seawolves, scoring 24 points off giveaways alone.
Gonzalez scored 21 points to lead the way for Stony Brook on 10-of-24 shooting from the field. Guard Breauna Ware added 12 while Oliver registered 10 points.
On the other side, Murua poured in 23 points on seven-of-10 shooting — going a perfect nine-of-nine from the line — alongside eight rebounds.
Next up, the Seawolves will face the Holy Cross Crusaders on Sunday in Worcester, Mass. The Crusaders are 4-3 on the year and will face No. 2 Connecticut on Tuesday before hosting Stony Brook. Opening tip-off for Sunday’s contest is set for 2 p.m.
