The Stony Brook women’s basketball team continued its struggles on the road, dropping its 10th game away from Stony Brook Arena.
On Sunday, the Seawolves (11-13, 6-7 CAA) made the trip to Maryland, taking on the Towson Tigers (8-16, 6-7 CAA). Despite brief spurts of dominance, Stony Brook saw a disastrous first quarter be the undoing, as it fell 59-52.
The Seawolves struggled right from the open whistle thanks to Towson forward Deja Bristol, whose physicality caused problems for the Stony Brook defense. With the Seawolves running a man-to-man defensive scheme, Bristol consistently found and exploited mismatches near the basket and was responsible for nine of the Tigers’ first 11 points.
On the offensive end, matters were no better as Stony Brook struggled to create opportunities against Towson’s impenetrable defense. A slew of pick-and-rolls failed to move the ball consistently, as the Seawolves frequently settled for long two-pointers and contested shots. Consequently, Stony Brook shot a dismal 4-for-15 from the field in the first quarter, with guard Zaida Gonzalez clipping only one of her seven attempts. As the buzzer sounded, the Seawolves trailed 17-9.
In the second quarter, guard Breauna Ware woke up, tallying six points. Her added scoring and a more efficient version of Gonzalez spearheaded an 11-2 Stony Brook run. With 4:13 remaining in the first half, Gonzalez knocked down a crafty jumper that cut the deficit to 22-20.
Exiting the locker room trailing by four, Gonzalez once again got the Seawolves closer, drilling a three-pointer to cut the deficit to a skinny point. However, Towson began to pull away shortly thereafter, going on a 7-0 scoring run led by three points by Bristol.
The Tigers’ persistent offense kept Stony Brook on its heels into the fourth quarter. Despite a bonus opportunity due to Towson’s five fouls, the Seawolves were unable to capitalize on the chance to claw back even more. Ultimately, the Tigers looked to their star to put the game away. With 1:15 on the clock, Bristol used the glass and sank a layup to extend Towson’s lead to 59-47 and effectively ice the game.
Head coach Joy McCorvey did not speak to the media after the game.
Stony Brook posted a .347/.222/.875 shooting splits while committing 13 turnovers. Conversely, Towson registered a shooting line of .423/.462/.818 while coughing up the ball 13 times.
Ware and Gonzalez were the only two Seawolves to score double-digit points. Ware dropped 19 points on 4-for-7 shooting, while Gonzalez added 17 on 6-for-20 from the field. Additionally, Ware went 10-for-10 from the charity stripe.
The Tigers featured a balanced attack, with three players in double figures for scoring. Bristol led the charge with 16 points, while forward Anasia Staton and guard India Johnston chipped in 15 and 12, respectively.
Stony Brook will stay on the road for its next matchup as it travels to Buies Creek, N.C., for a matchup against the Campbell Camels. The Camels have gone 15-9 overall and are 8-4 in Coastal Athletic Association play after a 48-45 win over Elon. Opening tip-off is set for 1 p.m.
