To wrap up its non-conference schedule, the Stony Brook women’s basketball team took care of business at home.
The Seawolves (5-6) welcomed the Cornell Big Red (3-9) to Stony Brook Arena on Sunday for their final game of 2024. After a low-scoring first half, Stony Brook’s offense kicked into gear late, helping the Seawolves to a 54-40 victory.
Cornell put the first points up, as forward Emily Pape used the glass to put two on the board after a fastbreak. The Seawolves quickly responded, as guard Shamarla King connected from three to take the lead with 8:07 left in the first quarter. Following nearly three minutes of scoreless play, Stony Brook finally found the bottom of the net, as guard Janay Brantley hit a layup. Guard Zaida Gonzalez piled on, stripping Pape of the ball, leading to a score of her own to make the score 7-2 in the Seawolves favor. A minute later, King added another pair on a jumper from inside the paint.
Stony Brook’s defense held strong throughout the night, holding the Big Red to just six points in each of the first two quarters, leading at halftime 19-12.
Trailing by double-digits with 4:54 left to play in the third quarter, Cornell began to chip away at the Seawolves’ lead. A basket from forward Summer Parker-Hall sparked eight unanswered for the Big Red, cutting the deficit to just 29-27. After trading baskets, Stony Brook began to pull away for good.
King and Gonzalez drained back-to-back jumpers to end the quarter ahead 35-29. The Seawolves then extended their lead to double digits when guard Breauna Ware and Gonzalez each hit a pair from the charity stripe, the latter with 7:52 left on the clock in the final quarter.
The team did not look back, as Stony Brook continued to pile it on, as it led by as many as 19 points. Cornell scored the final six to soften the blow, leading to a 54-40 final.
Head coach Joy McCorvey did not speak to the media after the game.
The Seawolves posted a .356/.231/.750 shooting line. In contrast, the Big Red failed to make a single three, leading to a .352/.000/1.00 clip. Stony Brook also excelled in the paint, outscoring Cornell 28-18.
Gonzalez led the scoring effort, sinking nine of her 21 attempted shots en route to a 20-point output. She also grabbed a team-best seven rebounds. King dropped 14 points, shooting five-for-15 from the field, including two-for-four from deep. Brantley and Ware were the Seawolves’ only other notable scorers, with each coming up with nine points apiece.
Parker-Hall was the Big Red’s top option, going six-for-12 from the field for 13 points. She also led her team’s rebounding effort with seven.
The Seawolves will get nearly two weeks to catch their breath before shipping up to Boston, Mass. to open conference play. Their first test in Coastal Athletic Association action will be against the Northeastern Huskies. The Huskies have gone 1-8 this season and will also have a lengthy hiatus after losing to Holy Cross 61-37 on Saturday. Opening tip-off is set for 3 p.m.
