STRONG DEFENSIVE PERFORMANCE EARNS STONY BROOK 51-45 WIN OVER MONMOUTH

STRONG DEFENSIVE PERFORMANCE EARNS STONY BROOK 51-45 WIN OVER MONMOUTH

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Ben Kane

HIGHLIGHTS | PHOTO GALLERY | PRESS CONFERENCE – MONMOUTH | PRESS CONFERENCE – STONY BROOK
 
WASHINGTON, D.C. (March 13, 2026) – Fourth-seeded Stony Brook used a strong defensive performance to battle past No. 5 Monmouth, 51-45, in the quarterfinals of the Credit Union 1 CAA Women’s Basketball Championship on Friday afternoon at CareFirst Arena.
 
The Seawolves (18-14) advanced to the semifinals for the second time in the past three seasons, where they will face No. 1 Charleston at 2 p.m. on Saturday. Monmouth fell to 20-11 after the setback.
 
Janay Brantley scored a team-high 14 points for Stony Brook and added six rebounds and five steals. Caitlin Frost contributed 11 points and a team-best eight rebounds. 
For Monmouth, GiGi Gamble tallied 15 points, Divine Dibula filled the stat sheet with 13 points, eight rebounds and five blocks and Alexis Andrews scored 11.
 
In a hard-fought contest that featured nine ties and seven lead changes, Brantley drained a three-pointer that gave Stony Brook its largest lead of the game, 46-40, with 5:29 remaining. Monmouth responded with a trey and a layup from Gamble to pull within one with 3:33 to go, but the Seawolves’ defense didn’t allow another point the rest of the way. Brantley connected on 5-of-6 free throws down the stretch to seal the victory.
 
Monmouth rode the scoring of Dibula to a 16-11 advantage at the end of the first quarter. The All-CAA forward tallied 10 points in the frame, capped by a layup in the final minute.
 
Stony Brook tied the contest at 20-20 on a Sandra Frau-Garcia jumper, but Andrews drilled a three-pointer from the top of the key to put the Hawks back on top with 1:39 on the clock. Brantley’s jumper in the final seconds brought the Seawolves within 23-22 at halftime. 
 
Neither team could make a move in a third quarter in which there were five ties and the largest margin was three points. Gamble hit a couple of buckets in the final two minutes to put the Hawks ahead by three before a Frost layup closed the SBU deficit to 38-37 entering the fourth quarter.
 
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