Stony Brook Women’s Basketball routed UMBC 69-44 on Wednesday night in the final game at UMBC’s Retriever Activities Center. UMBC’s 44 points was the lowest point total Stony Brook has held its opponent to all season.
The Seawolves’ overall performance was one of their best all season. The team held the Retrievers to 25 percent shooting in the first half and 29 percent shooting from the field in the match, which is the second-lowest shooting percentage by a Seawolves opponent.
“I thought we came out strong tonight and were locked into our game plan,” head coach Caroline McCombs said in a press release. “Our defense was able to create offense for us, which gave us momentum throughout the game.”
The Seawolves all-around play was effective early, finishing the first quarter up 15-4, including an 9-0 run through the final 4:27 of the quarter. The Seawolves’ defense forced a total of 20 turnovers for the sixth time this season.
Stony Brook led 30-17 going into halftime, with everything falling into place for the team. Junior guard Shania Johnson tallied 11 points, including four three pointers, two steals and an assist. The Seawolves forced 10 turnovers in the first half and stole four possessions from the Retrievers.
Johnson continued right where she left off against Albany, when she registered a career-high 29 points. She finished Wednesday’s game with 27 points, four assists and three rebounds, including shooting 55% from beyond the arc.
Johnson’s strong offensive push has been animate all season, as she leads the America East in three-point field goals and three-point percentage. She is also fifth in the league in scoring, averaging 16 points per game.
The Seawolves kept their momentum in the second half, going on a 10-2 run midway through the third quarter. The team finished the quarter outscoring the Retrievers 25-15.
UMBC, despite being down by 23 points entering the quarter, showed signs of life. The team rallied for an 11-0 run, yet, the deficit proved too much. The Seawolves kept up their consistent play and finished the match with a 25-point victory.
Junior forward Cheyenne Clark displayed a strong showing, scoring nine points and nine rebounds, three of which were offensive boards. Clark is ranked second in the America East with 9.3 rebounds per game.
Junior guard Jerell Matthews finished the game with 14 points, four assists and five rebounds. Matthews put up double digit numbers for the seventh time in the past eight games.
The Seawolves’ improvement from the free-throw line was visible in the matchup, as the team shot a season best 78 percent from the foul line, nailing 18 of its 23 free throws. The team’s overall free-throw percentage rose two points to 67 percent after the game.
Stony Brook’s record improved to 12-10 following the win with a 4-5 record against America East competition. The team has seven games left in the regular season, all being conference matchups. The Seawolves will look to win their second consecutive game against a conference foe as the team travels to Connecticut to face the Hartford Hawks on Saturday, Feb. 3 at 2 p.m.
