Williamsburg Sun

Tribe Scribe: Stony Brook pulls away in second half to defeat W&M 89-61

Going against a championship contender in its conference opener, William & Mary more than held its own in the first half. But Stony Brook found its offensive rhythm coming out of the halftime break, pulling away to top the Tribe 89-61 Friday night on Long Island.

Leading 37-33 at the break, the Seawolves shot 62% from the floor, including 5-of-7 from the 3-point arc, in the second half. Despite the return of junior forward Kayla Beckwith and sophomore guard Ruthie Montella to the lineup, W&M (5-7, 0-1 CAA) struggled to keep pace.

"I think we kind of came out on cruise control and they came out with a vengeance," Tribe coach Erin Dickerson Davis said. "They're pre-season top three (in the CAA) and coming off an incredible season last year, and it's their first year in the league. They came out with something to prove.

"At one point of the third quarter, I want to say it was 21-9. Even though we evened it out a little bit, it just gave them momentum to keep scoring. And we couldn't outscore them."

Stony Brook (7-5, 1-0) made eight of its first nine shots in the third quarter, including all four from behind the 3-point arc. With a 21-9 spurt, the Seawolves took a 58-42 lead with 4:34 remaining in the period.

The Tribe cut the lead to 47-37 on Caitlin Wingertzahn's layup with 6:56 left and had a couple of chances to get closer. But the Seawolves kept the lead in double digits the rest of the way.

"When we played man, they got to the paint at will," Davis said. "When we played zone, they hit threes. They just had an amazing offensive game.

"They're a well-oiled machine and they have a history of being a great team. They came out and had a really good day."

Sydney Wagner led the Tribe with 12 points, going 3-of-9 from the 3-point arc. Riley Casey, Bre Bellamy, and Wingertzahn fished with eight points each. Bellamy also had seven rebounds.

Freshman Alexa Mikeska had a strong all-around game with five points, a career-high six rebounds, four assists, and three steals.

Despite the loss, the return of Beckwith and Montella was an encouraging sign. Beckwith, who hadn't played since Nov. 15 with a leg injury, finished with six points, three rebounds, and two blocked shots in 12 minutes. Montella played six minutes.

"For them to be able to contribute and impact the game, I was very happy for them," Davis said. "We're happy to have them back. It just makes us deeper and helps our sub rotation."

Ten players scored for the Tribe, and nine logged at least 12 minutes.

The Tribe will bus from Long Island to Boston, where it will ring in the New Year and play Northeastern Sunday at 2 p.m. The Huskies (5-7, 0-1) lost 54-49 at Monmouth Friday afternoon.

W&M will play its conference home opener on Jan. 8 against Charleston. 

Original source can be found here