
Although it blew two significant leads throughout the game, efficient shooting in crunch time allowed the Stony Brook women’s basketball team to make it six straight home wins.
The Seawolves (10-9, 5-3 CAA) battled the Campbell Camels (10-9, 3-4 CAA) at Stony Brook Arena on Sunday afternoon. A back-and-forth affair came down to the wire, setting the stage for guard Zaida Gonzalez to propel Stony Brook to a 75-70 victory.
The first quarter was everything head coach Joy McCorvey could have asked from her team. The Seawolves shot 9-for-17 from the field while holding the Camels to 4-for-14 efficiency en route to a 20-10 lead after 10 minutes had passed.
However, Campbell began to find its groove in the second period. After Stony Brook scored the frame’s first four points, the Camels ripped off a 23-9 run heading into the locker room for the halftime break on the back of an aggressive playstyle. In total, the visitors scored 16 points in the paint in the second quarter.
With the contest tied at 33 apiece at the start of the second half, the Seawolves quickly gained the upper hand. Highlighted by a three-pointer from just beyond the logo from guard Breauna Ware — which capped off a stretch of nine unanswered points for the hosts — Stony Brook went on a 18-8 run in the frame’s first 6:18.
Nonetheless, all it took was four consecutive scoreless possessions for things to fall apart for the Seawolves. Campbell — whose shotmaking was consistently solid throughout the game — reached a new level in the waning moments of the third period.
Campbell guard Jasmine Felton was up to bat first, as she converted consecutive possessions into points with a jumphot followed by a layup. After a missed jumper by forward Lauren Filien, Campbell guard Olivia Tucker drained a three to make it a one-possession affair at 51-48.
Tucker followed her make from deep with a layup, and, after Gonzalez misfired on a jumper, Campbell forward Courtney Dahlquist drilled a catch-and-shoot three-pointer to give her team its first advantage of the contest.
From there, the sides traded baskets — although the Camels were slightly more successful — until Campbell was up 69-65 with 1:38 remaining in the final frame.
Similarly to Stony Brook’s win over Charleston two weeks prior, Gonzalez took over in clutch time. First, Ware handled the ball up the court and found the Seawolves’ top-scorer coming off an off-ball screen. Ware’s timing was on the money as she set up a three-point attempt from Gonzalez, which she nailed to cut the deficit to one.
After a missed layup by Campbell guard Gemma Núñez on the other end, Gonzalez — from nearly the same spot as her last make, but, this time, guarded by a pair of defenders — went up for another three. Undeterred by the pair of hands in her face, she swished the shot to give Stony Brook the lead back with 44 seconds left.
The Camels’ response was not to the standard it needed to be, as, while a series of passes to set up an open shot for guard Gianni Boone worked, she could not convert.
Now needing to foul, Campbell sent Gonzalez and forward Shamarla King to the line on separate occasions, with both hitting all four attempts to seal the deal.
McCorvey did not speak to the media after the game.
Stony Brook’s late-game shooting aided its efficient .475/.333/.722 shooting line. Conversely, Campbell registered a .462/.320/.250 triple slash.
The Seawolves turned the ball over 12 times to the Camels’ nine, but outrebounded their opponents 40-31.
Gonzalez finished with 22 points on 8-of-17 shooting from the field, including 4-for-7 from beyond the arch. Her presence was also felt on the glass, as Gonzalez pulled down seven rebounds — third on the team behind Filien and Ware, who finished with 10 and eight, respectively.
King, Ware, guard Janay Brantley and forward Dallysshya Moreno were all in the double-digits in scoring. The quarter combined for 45 points.
Campbell saw the bulk of its scoring come from Boone and Dahlquist, who delivered 21 points each. Boone was the more efficient scorer, going 10-for-15 from the field as opposed to Dahlquist’s 8-for-14 mark.
The Seawolves will be back on the road on Friday, as they take on the Charleston Cougars in South Carolina. The Cougars are 13-5 on the season and 4-3 in Coastal Athletic Association play following a 58-45 victory over Delaware. Opening tip-off is set for 7 p.m.