Second Half Surge Sends No. 6 Stony Brook to CAA Quarterfinals with 54-51 Win Over No. 11 Elon
Hunter Peters
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TOWSON, Md. (March 9, 2023) – Sixth-seeded Stony Brook rallied from a 16-point, third-quarter deficit and edged No. 11 Elon, 54-51, in the second round of the CAA Women’s Basketball Championship presented by Primis on Thursday night at SECU Arena.
The Seawolves (18-12) advance to the quarterfinals where they will meet No. 3 Northeastern at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. Elon ended its season with a 9-21 record.
Senior guard Gigi Gonzalez scored a team-high 17 points and added five rebounds and four steals for SBU, while backcourt mate Annie Warren tallied 11 of her 15 points in the second half and contributed a team-high eight rebounds.
Ajia James came off the bench to hit 3-of-4 from 3-point range and score a team-best 12 points for Elon. Lenaejha Evans added 10 points and a team-best eight rebounds.
Trailing 41-25 with 3:51 left in the third quarter, and having made just one field goal over the previous 12 minutes, Stony Brook caught fire. The Seawolves closed the period with 13 unanswered points, seven by Warren, to cut the deficit to 41-38 heading into the fourth.
Stony Brook drew even at 43-43 on a three-point play by Daishai Almond with 3:57 on the clock. A driving layup by Gonzalez with 2:25 remaining gave the Seawolves a 46-45 advantage, which was their first lead since the opening minute of the second quarter. Stony Brook never trailed again as Gonzalez and Warren combined to go 6-for-8 at the free throw line in final 41 seconds. Elon missed an off-balance three-point attempt at the buzzer.
The two teams traded baskets for the majority of the first quarter, with Elon going on top 11-10 after a James three-pointer. Stony Brook was able to reel off six straight points to go up by five following a Gonzalez layup and held a 16-13 advantage at the end of the period.
The Phoenix came out hot in the second quarter, connecting on its first four shots from the floor. James drained her second trey of the night to put Elon up 23-19. The Phoenix maintained that edge, carrying a 27-23 lead into halftime.
Elon and Stony Brook exchanged big runs in the third quarter. Behind six points apiece from Evans and James, the Phoenix opened the second half with a 14-2 run. A James three-point play capped the surge and gave Elon a 41-25 lead.
Stony Brook shot just 28.8% from the floor and was 2-of-21 from 3-point range, but forced 23 Elon turnovers that led to 22 points. The Phoenix shot 44.4% for the game and hit 5-of-12 from beyond the arc.
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