The Stony Brook women’s basketball team was outscored in every quarter in its fifth straight loss.
For their last non-conference, road game of the season, the Seawolves (3-6) traveled north to take on the Buffalo Bulls (9-0) on Saturday. Stony Brook’s slow starts to the first and third periods hindered it in a 72-55 defeat.
With 5:31 left in the opening frame, guard Breauna Ware connected on a three-pointer for the Seawolves’ first points of the contest. Prior to Ware’s make, Stony Brook had missed its first six attempts from the field, helping Buffalo jump out to an early 10-0 lead.
However, Ware sparked some life into the team, as the Seawolves scored 10 points on four-of-eight shooting after she broke the ice to cut the hosts’ advantage to 17-13 after 10 minutes.
Stony Brook’s shotmaking continued to improve at the start of the second quarter. In its first two possessions of the period, forward Shamarla King made a jump shot, followed by a three. King’s brief onslaught was sandwiched by a layup by Buffalo forward Alexis Davis, making it 19-18 in favor of the Bulls.
With the Seawolves’ shooting excelling, they were plagued by turnovers instead. After King’s conversion from beyond the arch, Stony Brook committed three consecutive giveaways. Therefore, it could not capitalize on its defensive stand that kept the Bulls off the board for over two minutes.
However, after Buffalo guard Kirsten Lewis-Williams made the Seawolves pay for their third straight turnover with a layup, guard Zaida Gonzalez knocked down a three-pointer to tie the affair at 21 apiece.
The teams traded blows as the first half winded down, but the Bulls gained the upper hand through superior paint play. Still, they capped off the second frame from the perimeter, with guard Terah Harness draining a shot from beyond the arch with three seconds left for a 32-26 lead at the halftime break.
Stony Brook’s second half start was reminiscent of its play from the opening tip-off. It simply struggled to put the ball through the net, and, with some turnovers mixed in, the team accounted for just two of the first 14 points of the third quarter.
With 4:45 remaining in the period, forward Lauren Filien made one of two shots at the free throw line, but commenced a run of eight unanswered points for the Seawolves which cut their deficit to 44-36. Undeterred, Buffalo promptly answered with a 6-0 run to go up 14 with one frame left.
Stony Brook began the fourth quarter on the right note offensively, as it converted two of its first three attempts from the field. However, with the Bulls doing the same, and then remaining with their foot on the gas while the Seawolves faded, their undefeated year continued.
Head coach Joy McCorvey did not speak to the media after the game.
Stony Brook posted a .357/.280/.571 shooting line with 19 turnovers. Conversely, Buffalo registered a .400/.267/.800 slashline along with 13 turnovers.
King led the Seawolves in scoring with 14 points on five-of-eight shooting, along with securing 11 rebounds for her first double-double of the season.
Davis and guard Chellia Watson topped the Bulls with 14 points each.
Before starting Coastal Athletic Association play, Stony Brook will head home for a two-game stint at Stony Brook Arena beginning on Wednesday. Then, the Seawolves will welcome the Division II Georgian Court Lions, who are 1-8 thus far in the 2024-25 campaign. The Lions will play Millersville on Sunday before taking on Stony Brook. Opening tip-off for Wednesday’s contest is scheduled for 6:31 p.m.
