The game that did not happen, finally happened.
The Stony Brook Seawolves and the Maine Black Bears faced off in Orono, ME Friday afternoon, nearly one year after they originally planned to.
The 2019-20 conference finals also featured both teams, albeit at Stony Brook with the seeding reversed, but was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Seawolves were awarded the 2019-20 America East Championship, its first in program history, by having the top-seed.
“Last year, we had such a magical season and didn’t get to cap it off,” head coach Caroline McCombs said in a press release. “To remember that for the past year, and this year having the opportunity to play in the championship game again, we’ve been hungry for this for a long time.”
Both teams fought to and succeeded at making it back to the conference finals for a second straight season. This game determined who would earn the America East Championship along with an automatic bid in the NCAA Tournament, and who would go home empty handed.
In a game featuring ten lead changes, Stony Brook held on to the 64-60 victory and earned its first automatic entry into the NCAA Tournament in program history.
Maine led 56-55 with 2:33 remaining in the game, but could not stop the junior guard duo of Asiah Dingle and Anastasia Warren. Dingle responded to the prior Black Bears bucket with a layup and defensive rebound, finding Warren open for a 3-pointer on the ensuing possession.
The Black Bears had one final chance to regain the lead with 26 seconds left, trailing 62-60. Senior guard Dor Saar attempted a three to take the lead, but was blocked by senior forward India Pagan. The ball found America East Player of the Year Blanca Millan, who tried a layup. But, senior forward Jonae Cox applied pressure and forced a miss that was rebounded by Warren.
Warren was fouled and knocked down both of her free throw chances, clinching the victory for the Seawolves. The guard led the game with a career-high 31 points, grabbed nine rebounds and was named its most outstanding athlete. Her point total was the highest a Seawolf scored since Mykeema Ford earned 32 against Boston in 2007.
Dingle complimented Warren on the scoring column with 20 points. The pair scored 17 of the Seawolves final 19 points of the game, clinching the victory. Both guards were named to the All-Championship team alongside graduate forward Hailey Zeise.
Stony Brook trailed by as much as 11 late in the second quarter, but received an offensive kickstart from Warren. She had six of the last nine points scored in the first half and cut the Seawolves deficit to 36-33.
Millan scored on a jump shot 15 seconds into the third quarter, but it would be the Maine team’s lone bucket for nearly eight minutes. Stony Brook shut down the conference’s best offense and held Maine to a game-low 23 percent shooting percentage in the quarter. Meanwhile, the Seawolves capped off its 19-2 run by regaining the lead and taking a 45-43 lead into the fourth.
Both teams split the regular season meetings over the last two seasons. Maine took the 54-49 victory in the last regular season contest between the two on Sunday, Feb. 14 in Island Federal Arena. The Black Bears were en route to winning the contest after junior guard Maeve Carroll sank a 3-point, giving her team the 31-20 lead three minutes into the second quarter. The shot from beyond the arc was just one of four Maine made throughout the game.
Stony Brook held its opponent to 42 percent shooting from the floor and 20 percent shooting from three. The Seawolves also made four 3-pointers, but shot 48 percent from the floor and earned 40 points in the paint.
The Seawolves became back-to-back conference champions for the first time in program history, following the Black Bears three-peat from 2017-19.
Stony Brook will find out its opponent during the NCAA Tournament selection show on Monday, March 15 at 7 p.m.
It feels great,” Warren said, summing up the feeling in the Stony Brook locker room. “I don’t know how to feel. I’m so excited. I’m just hyped. I can’t wait to go.”
