Box Score
Brooklyn, N.Y. - The Long Island University women's basketball team overcame a slow start to hand Stony Brook a 59-43 loss at the Wellness Center. The Blackbirds used a scoring spurt in the first half to take command of the game and held off a late charge by the Seawolves to improve to 6-4. Junior Ashley Palmer scored a game-high 17 points.
Both teams got off to frigid starts from the floor, but Long Island was able to turn in a refrigerated effort to capitalize while the Seawolves were stranded in the freezer. Stony Brook missed its first 11 shots though the Blackbirds barely fared better to start. With 10 minutes already off the clock in the game, Long Island led 12-10 but shot just 3-for-14 from the field. Over the same time span, the Seawolves were mired in a 3-for-21 slump.
The Blackbirds' offense finally thawed when a Palmer layup gave her team a 14-10 lead. The bucket kicked off a stretch where Long Island hit four of its next five baskets. After a free throw by Stony Brook's Talisha Bridges, junior She'Tiarra Pledger hit a jumper and sophomore Krystal Wells followed with one of her own. Wells added two more baskets to push the Long Island edge to 22-11.
Palmer then hit a free throw and chipped in a layup on Long Island's next possession. A pair from the charity stripe by sophomore Tamika Guz padded the Blackbirds' lead to 16 points at 27-11, capping a 15-1 run. Long Island shot 37 percent in the first half to take a 34-18 lead into the locker room at the break. The Blackbirds limited Stony Brook (3-7) to just 18 percent from the floor (6-for-33) in the first frame.
Things did not get much better for the Seawolves in the second stanza, as Long Island scored eight straight points to see its lead blossom to 24 points. By the time Bridges hit a jumper, on Stony Brook's 10th field goal attempt of the half, the Blackbirds led 42-20. The Long Island edge would grow to as many as 29 points on an old-fashioned three-point play by freshman Desiree' Simmons with 12 minutes to play.
Long Island went cold again later in the second half, allowing Stony Brook to narrow its deficit to 13 points with two minutes to play. The Blackbirds were held without a field goal for over eight minutes before a bizarre play put an end to that streak. Senior Heidi Mothershead lofted an airball with five minutes remaining on the shot clock and classmate Chelsi Johnson leapt over the endline to catch the miss and keep the ball in bounds. In one motion, Johnson grabbed the ball and dished it to Palmer, who one-timed a shot into the hoop, putting Long Island back up by a comfortable 15 points.
Palmer added seven rebounds to her 17 points as Long Island held a 51-44 advantage on the glass. Johnson closed with a game-high 10 boards. Junior Kiara Evans netted nine points and Wells and senior Justine Steveson contributed seven points each. Kirsten Jeter's nine points led Stony Brook, who shot 24 percent for the game. Long Island shot 37 percent.
The Blackbirds will be off until Thursday, Dec. 30 when they play the first of two games in Florida. Long Island will visit Jacksonville at 5:00 p.m.