UB women’s basketball (5-2, 0-0 MAC) fell to Stony Brook (6-1, 0-0 CAA) 82-53 Saturday at Island Federal Arena.
The first period was a back-and-forth battle, with both teams demonstrating offensive and defensive firepower. The Seawolves’ Khari Clark, a graduate center, and Gigi Gonzalez, a graduate guard, led the charge during the first ten minutes of play, combining for 10 of the first 16 points on the scoreboard for the Seawolves. Clark's agility and scoring ability were evident, as she precisely penetrated Buffalo's defense, while G. Gonzalez displayed a sharpshooting touch from beyond the arc.
Buffalo's response was led by the duo of sophomore forward Hattie Ogden and freshman guard Kirsten Lewis-Williams. Ogden's three-point shooting kept her team in the game, while Lewis-Williams controlled the paint with strong post moves and effective rebounding. The first period ended with a score of 17-16 in favor of the UB Bulls.
The tide would change in favor of Stony Brook, as the Seawolves controlled possession for a majority of the second period. They outplayed the Bulls by capitalizing on turnovers and fastbreak opportunities. The Seawolves were able to push past the Bulls with around five minutes left in the half, and they were unstoppable from there on out.
Ogden was still a standout player for the Bulls, with four points in the period, as well as a few nice defensive plays, but her efforts weren’t enough to stop the Seawolves, and the half ended at 24-30 in favor of Stony Brook.
The second half was more of the same. The Bulls were at the mercy of Stony Brook, failing to come within 15 points of the Seawolves for the rest of the game.
The fourth period went in a similar direction as the third, with Stony Brook dropping 26 points on the Bulls. UB continued to fight until the very end of play, with senior guard Rana Elhusseini scoring the last two points of the game, and redshirt senior guard Chellia Watson amassing 17 points scattered throughout the game. But Stony Brook's disciplined defense and strategic shot selection allowed them to control the pace and secure the win.
The Bulls will look to shake off this loss and continue on their hot start when they play against Drexel University (2-3-0, 0-0-0 CAA) away in Philadelphia on Dec. 9 at 2 p.m. The game can be streamed on FloHoops.
The sports desk can be reached at sports@ubspectrum.com
