The Stony Brook women’s basketball team ended their regular season schedule with a big statement win on Saturday afternoon. The Seawolves defeated Albany on the road 66-56, and ended the Great Danes’ conference record 38-game winning streak against America East opponents.
Albany came into the game 15-0 in conference play this season. They had not lost to an America East opponent since Jan. 28, 2012, when they fell to Hartford 62-55.
With the win Stony Brook finished the season with a 13-3 record in conference play, and will be matched up with No. 7 UMBC in the first round of the America East Tournament.
Junior guard Jessica Ogunnorin led the way for Stony Brook with a career-high 18 points, while also pulling down nine rebounds. Senior guard Chikilra Goodman finished with a double-double, giving her team 13 points and 14 rebounds.
The victory helped lock up the number two seed in the America East tournament for the Seawolves. It is their highest seeding in the conference tournament for the program since the 2006-2007 season.
Stony Brook was able to jump out to an early 18-14 lead in the game thanks to the scoring boost they received from freshman Kori Bayne-Walker. The first year guard scored seven points in the first 10:47 of the game.
The Seawolves would take a 30-21 lead into halftime. They held Albany to just 33 percent shooting from the field in the first half.
With 12:39 left to go in the second half, Stony Brook seemed to be in control, leading 42-29. But, a 9-0 run by the Great Danes would trim SBU’s lead to four points with just over ten minutes to play.
Goodman would respond for the Seawolves with a key three pointer that would put an end to Albany’s run. The shot would begin an 18-7 run for Stony Brook, which would result in SBU taking a 60-45 lead with just 4:18 remaining.
The Great Danes would make a late push, getting within six points with under a minute left in the game. But, key late free throws made by sophomores Miranda Jenkins and Brittany Snow helped secure the victory for Seawolves.
Stony Brook was able to successfully slow down the highest scoring offense in the conference on Saturday. They limited Albany to just 35.4 percent shooting from the field, and also held them to just 4-of-23 from beyond the arc in the game.
They also did a terrific job of limiting the America East’s leader in points scored, Shereesha Richards. The sophomore forward was limited to just nine points, well below her season average of 20.2 points per game.
SBU was also able to get to the line much more frequently then their opponent on Saturday, attempting 35 free throws on the day, compared to just 10 by the Great Danes. 25 of those attempts came in the second half.
Stony Brook ended Albany’s quest for a second consecutive perfect America East regular season record. They also broke an eight game losing streak against the first place club.
The Seawolves finished the season with an overall record of 22-7, after finishing just 14-16 the previous year. Stony Brook will enter the America East tournament as a hot team, as they won their final seven games to end the regular season.
There quest for an America East championship will begin on Friday at noon. They will be heavily favored to win against a UMBC squad that finished with a 4-24 overall record, and a 3-13 record in conference play.
The Seawolves won both of their matchups against the Retrievers this season. They defeated UMBC 66-62 at home back on Jan. 20, and beat them again 72-51 on Feb. 19.
If they win against the Retrievers they will move on to a semi-finals matchup on Sunday. The America East tournament will take place at the SEFCU Arena at the University of Albany.
