Redshirt-junior Makale Foreman fights through contact for a layup on Saturday, Jan. 11. Foreman led Stony Brook with 23 points in the win over New Hampshire. PHOTO CREDIT: CHRISTINE HEEREN/Axcess Sports
by Kenneth Fermin
Stony Brook 53 (16-1; 4-0), New Hampshire 44 (4-12; 1-3) (OT)
Women’s Basketball Head Coach Caroline McCombs knew there was a risk starting sophomore guard Anastasia Warren over more experienced guards on the roster. But, McCombs saw the rising potential in Warren and instilled a system for her team that allows any one of the starting five to takeover a game. Warren proved why she was the team’s starting guard, shooting lights-out behind the arc and near-automatic on the floor.
Warren made it rain by shooting four 3-pointers in the game, while the rest of the team could not afford one. The guard lifted up Stony Brook’s offense in the second half after scoring 8 of the team’s 15 first-half points, finishing the game shooting 71 percent. Warren led the Seawolves by scoring a career-high 24 points and earned her third double-digit performance in six games.
“Annie was fantastic today,” McCombs said in a press release. “She was really the difference. She made big plays down the stretch when we needed them. Her growth and development in our program has been awesome.”
Stony Brook trailed after halftime for the fourth consecutive contest. Although Warren’s mid range jump shot gave the Seawolves the 17-15 lead two minutes into the second half, New Hampshire stayed on the gas pedal and took a 28-27 lead into the fourth quarter. New Hampshire freshman guard Hèlèna Dellarulle tied the game at 44 after Warren gave Stony Brook a two-point lead, eventually forcing overtime.
While New Hampshire matched Stony Brook’s tempo through four quarters, it ran out of fuel in the extra period. The Seawolves clamped down on the Wildcats shooting while turning to junior forward India Pagan for her trademark inside-scoring. Stony Brook held its opponent scoreless in overtime and pulled away with the nine-point victory.
Women’s Basketball has now earned a remarkable program-best 16-1 record through three-fifths of its season. Stony Brook’s 13 game winning streak is the third-longest active winning streak in the NCAA this season, behind No.8-ranked UCLA (15-0) and No.16-ranked Gonzaga (16-1). Coach McCombs noted how important having a persistent defensive presence will be as conference teams look to snap the Seawolves’ hot streak.
“Coaches are going to prepare their teams as best as possible throughout league play, so we have to be ready,” McCombs said. “Some days you’re not going to have great shooting nights, so we will rely on our defense.”
Stony Brook will look to keep up the success and gain some retribution against the winless Hartford Hawks. The Hawks eliminated the Seawolves in the 2019 America East Semifinals, but currently hold the second-longest losing streak in the NCAA with 16 straight losses. Tip-off is set for 6:30 in Island Federal Arena and the game will be broadcast on ESPN+ and WUSB 90.1.
Stony Brook 73 (12-6; 3-0) , New Hampshire 48 (8-8; 1-2)
New Hampshire may have been ranked as one of the top 50 NCAA Men’s Basketball teams at shooting 3-pointers entering Saturday, but Stony Brook showcased it the better team from behind the arc. Redshirt-junior Andrew Garcia’s opening 3-pointer at the top of the key set the wheels in motion for the Seawolves, who never looked back. Stony Brook kicked off the game on a nine-point run and led 11-3 when the first media timeout was called five minutes into the contest.
The Wildcats were still in striking distance despite trailing 31-23 at halftime, scoring four of their seven first-half field goals from behind the arc. But, junior guard Elijah Olaniyi gifted the Seawolves with a dominant second half performance on his 21st birthday. Olaniyi was nearly automatic in the second and started the half with Stony Brook’s first eight points, a steal, and a rebound.
“I told the guys, ‘I’m going to bring it this half,'” Olaniyi said in a postgame press conference. “It starts with me. I felt that trickled down to everybody.”
Stony Brook’s backourt lit up the court during the game, with redshirt-junior Makale Foreman dominating the first half and Olaniyi in the second. The duo played a game of scoring one upmanship in the last half, at New Hampshire’s expense, with Foreman’s 3-pointer putting Stony Brook up 60-36 midway through the second.
Foreman led the contest with 23 points and knocked down four shots from behind the arc. Olaniyi earned a double-double with 22 points and 11 rebounds.
The Seawolves removed any fears of suffering a ‘post-Vermont hangover,’ but Head Coach Geno Ford noted his anxiousness over potentially suffering it entering the game.
“I was as concerned as you could be,” Ford. “It’s human nature. I think everybody, when you get told, ‘Good job. Good job. Good job,’ there’s a level of that that’s great because it builds confidence. And then there’s a fine line where you can get too much of it and it becomes a little poisonous to the process.”
Men’s Basketball will travel to West Hartford, CT to battle the Hartford Hawks in a battle for the conference’s top spot. The Hawks are 2-0 in America East action. Tip off is scheduled for 7 p.m. and will broadcast on ESPN3.
