Despite a valiant 19-point effort from junior Kirsten Jeter, the #4 Stony Brook Seawolves women’s basketball team fell to the #1 Hartford Hawks, 65-43, in the semifinals of the America East postseason tournament at Hartford’s Chase Arena on Sunday.
It was the third consecutive season that the Hawks have knocked the Seawolves out of the tournament and Stony Brook’s 11th straight loss to Hartford, a streak that dates back to 2006.
Despite the 22-point final margin, the gap was smaller for most of the game until Jeter fouled out with 3:10 to go in the second half.
Stony Brook Head Coach Michele Cherry said the difference boiled down to the little things.
“We missed a lot of easy shots, and that was the difference,” Cherry said.
“I’m proud of my team. They battled.”
Junior Misha Horsey finished with 11 points.
The Seawolves kept the game very close in the early going, with Jeter scoring first to give Stony Brook the lead.
Hartford’s Diana Delva, who last Thursday was named the America East Player of the Year, was forced to the bench just three minutes into the game after picking up her second foul. She finished with nine points.
Boosted by the absence of Hartford’s star, Stony Brook was able to hang with the tournament hosts and kept their hopes alive.
Jeter scored 11 points in the first half, and Horsey added seven.
Hartford’s Erica Beverly became the first player in Hartford history to get 1,000 rebounds with 6:09 to go in the first half.
She also has more than 1,000 points in her Hawks career. She had eight points and 10 rebounds against Stony Brook on Sunday.
The halftime gap was eight, and Stony Brook looked like it had the strength to pull off the upset.
But Hartford proved to be a team with great depth, and looked to be overpowering the Seawolves inside as Beverly collected rebound after rebound.
Hartford’s guards were indomitable too, shooting the lights out as Stony Brook struggled to maintain pace. Hartford’s Mary Silvia was 4-for-5 from three-point range. The Hawks’ bench outscored Stony Brook’s, 44-0.
The gap was steady at 10 when Jeter fouled out with 3:10 to go.
Stony Brook did not score for the rest of the game, and Hartford went on to their 20th straight victory.
Horsey said the Seawolves would be working hard to improve in the offseason.
“Every aspect of our game has to get better,” she said.
Jeter agreed, saying that the team wouldn’t forget this game as they worked out before next season.
“We’ll remember the bitter taste we have in our mouths right now, and we’ll continue to grow,” she said.
Coach Cherry said she’s proud of the pair of juniors, who will be returning next season.
“Those two are warriors,” she said. “I love these guys. They’re great kids and hard workers.”
The Seawolves’ season is over, but Hartford goes on to play Vermont in the championship game on Saturday night at 8 p.m. Vermont’s women’s team had held a top-25 ranking earlier in the season, but lost out on it as Hartford ascended the ranks.
The winner of the championship game gets an automatic bid to the NCAA national championship tournament, but there is a chance that both teams could earn a spot in the tournament.
Both Stony Brook and Hartford’s coaches said they believe both teams should make the final bracket.
