UAlbany WBB’s 38-Game Conference Winning Streak Ends After 66-56 Defeat to Stony Brook
ALBANY, N.Y. – The UAlbany women’s basketball team’s historic 38-game America East winning streak came to a close on Saturday in a 66-56 home defeat to Stony Brook.
“It is a tough loss; it is a wake up call for everyone,” says UAlbany head coach Katie Abrahamson-Henderson. “We are going to be tougher and meaner for the upcoming tournament.”
The last time UAlbany had fallen in a conference game was on January 28th, 2012.
“It was going to end sometime, but what matters is that we are the 1-seed in the tournament,” said Abrahamson-Henderson.
UAlbany (25-4, 15-1 AE), as the 1-seed in the 2014 America East Tournament, will take on 8-seed Binghamton on Friday at 6 p.m. Stony Brook (22-7, 13-3 AE) secured the two-seed with the win.
Megan Craig led UAlbany with 14 points, four blocks and seven rebounds, while Sarah Royals had 13 points off the bench.
“We knew it was going to be a tough game,” said Craig. “This is a great learning experience for us.”
For the Seawolves, Chikilra Goodwon led the team with 13 points, 14 rebounds and three steals. Jessica Ogunnorin had a game-high 18 points.
Margarita Rosario hit her shots from long range early as a 5-0 run from her gave the home team a 6-2 lead. A couple more layups in the paint made the UAlbany advantage to 10-6.
At 12-9 UAlbany, Stony Brook struck hard in the paint with four different players scoring in an 11-2 run in a span of two minutes to build a 20-14 lead with 8:47 in the first.
A Shereesha Richards layup ended the Stony Brook run as the two sides went back and forth on scoring. UAlbany pulled to within four twice after a Royals jumper and later a Jessica Fequiere three. The Seawolves saw Goodman and Sabre Proctor hit layups in the final minutes of the half to send Stony Brook into the locker room up 30-21.
The teams continued to tussle as neither side could establish a run. Layups by Craig countered points by Goodman and Ogunnorin. Stony Brook built its lead to 42-29 with 12:39 in the second.
The Great Danes pressured well in the backcourt, forcing turnovers in the backcourt with the crowd of 1,089 cheering them on. Craig and Royals hit layups in a 9-0 run to pull UAlbany with four 42-38 with 10:35 remaining.
The visitors stopped the run with a Goodman three, and after Craig hit a layup the other way, a couple of small Stony Brook runs helped the Seawolves build the lead to 60-45.
UAlbany tried a last gasp effort, pulling to within six following an Erin Coughlin three to make it 62-56 with 43 seconds left. Coughlin then forced a turnover in the backcourt, but UAlbany missed a three-pointer, and Stony Brook hit free throws down the stretch to hold and win 66-56.
UAlbany will get ready for the tournament on Friday, taking on Binghamton at 6 p.m. at the SEFCU Arena.
