Stony Brook, N.Y. - Junior Kirsten Jeter (Elmont, N.Y.) scored 21 points and pulled down 10 rebounds as Stony Brook University's women's basketball team defeated New Hampshire, 69-57, in America East Conference action on Wednesday night in Pritchard Gymnasium. The victory snaps a six-game slide for the Seawolves and moves them to 3-11 (1-1 America East) on the season while New Hampshire drops to 5-9 (0-2).
"We put together a total team effort tonight and it showed," said head Michele Cherry. "From start to finish we played hard, especially on the defensive end. Tamiel Murray was a huge spark for us and Dani Klupenger did a great job coming off the bench."
After a sluggish start, Stony Brook opened a three-point advantage on a transition three from freshman Dani Klupenger (Aurora, Ore.). On the following UNH possession, Klupenger forced a turnover which ended in a layup by sophomore Tamiel Murray (Teaneck, N.J.), extending the Seawolves lead to five with 14:50 remaining.
UNH would trim its deficit to two on a tough fall away jumper by Amy Simpson with 10:47 left, but SBU would answer with eight-straight points, including another three from Klupenger to build a double-digit cushion. The Wildcats would bounce right back, however, scoring 10 unanswered points to knot the score at 21-21 with just under six minutes remaining.
After combining to score 42 points in the first 14 minutes of the game, the two teams lit up the scoreboard over the next three minutes, scoring a total of 17 points with the Seawolves accounting for nine of them. Jeter would score five of her 15 first-half points during the stretch. SBU would finish the half off with a 7-0 run, including a three-pointer at the buzzer by junior Misha Horsey (Wyncote, Pa.) to take a 37-29 lead into halftime.
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Stony Brook weathered an early 6-0 run by the Wildcats at the start of the second half and responded by scoring 13 of the next 20 points. Horsey and freshman Sam Landers (Springfield, Va.) each hit a jumper and three during the Seawolves' run. Horsey scored a season-high 16 points on the night.
A jumper from Jeter with 11:20 left would build the Seawolves lead to 11, but it would also be SBU's last point for almost four-and-a-half minutes. While the Seawolves were struggling on offense, their defense picked up the slack, forcing three UNH turnovers while allowing the Wildcats to score just two points.
After committing an average of six more turnovers per game than its opponents in its last three contests, the Seawolves turned the ball over a season-low nine times, ten fewer times than UNH. SBU also connected a season-high six three pointers, shooting 40% from beyond the arc.
Jeter and UNH's Candace Williams, who had a team-high 17 points and seven rebounds, were named the America East Players of the Game. Murray had a game-high five steals, leading the Seawolves to 13 total thefts on the night.
Stony Brook's next game will be this Saturday in Vestal, N.Y. The Seawolves take on Binghamton at 2:00 p.m.
