Junior guard Christa Scognamiglio hit a clutch layup and free throw in the final 30 seconds of Stony Brook Women’s Basketball season opener at home against the Iona Gaels to propel the Seawolves to a 58-53 win.
“We actually haven’t practiced it this year, yet,” Scognamiglio said of the winning play. “We ran it last year and I’ve been dying—I’ve been asking coach, ‘put it in, put it in, put it in,’ and she hadn’t put it in yet and the last time-out she drew it up for us and said, ‘we’re running it, Scog. We’re running it for you.’”
The Seawolves had lost all of their momentum in the fourth quarter prior to a Snow and-one and Scognamiglio’s bucket. Their defense fell apart as the Gaels surged on to take a 53-49 lead on a 13-2 run after a strong third quarter. Offensively, Stony Brook was ice cold and went 1-9 from the field in the first seven minutes of the fourth quarter.
However, Stony Brook turned the game in its favor in the third quarter. The Seawolves looked to Scognamiglio to take over. She came up big when she was needed the most, chipping in ten points in the third quarter to give Stony Brook a seven-point lead. Scognamiglio’s clutch layup off a backdoor cut finished the job, but the shooter struggled early on, indicative of the Seawolves’ start as a whole.
“[Scognamiglio] is somebody that gets down when she’s not doing well,” Stony Brook head coach Caroline McCombs said. “What she does is she does other things. She looks to rebound, defend and do the little things when her shot’s not falling. So, she was able to do those things and then I was able to keep her on the court because she does those things until that shot finally fell.”
It was a shaky beginning for the Seawolves as they turned the ball over three times on their first three possessions. After spending nearly three minutes with a lid on the basket, freshman forward Ogechi Anyagaligbo scored her first points as a Seawolf, sparking a dominant showing in the paint for Stony Brook.
Iona’s senior forward Joy Adams challenged the Seawolves. Adams–the MAAC Preseason Player of the Year–was held to two points in the first half but came to life in the third quarter, scoring nine in the period. Adams finished with 13 points in the contest.
For Stony Brook, Anyagaligbo–along with senior forward Brittany Snow–put on a show with their post moves, finishing with nine and 12 points respectively. Junior point guard Kori Bayne-Walker scored 14 points and dished four assists in the win. Leading all scorers was Iona junior guard Marina Lizarazu with 24 points.
Up next for the Women’s Basketball team is a road game against Long Island rival Hofstra on Tuesday, Nov. 17.
For more coverage of Stony Brook Basketball, follow @StatesmanSport on Twitter.
