Box Score STONY BROOK, N.Y. – Stony Brook defeated Saint Peter's 56-40 in a non-conference women's basketball season opener on Saturday night.
In her first collegiate game, Sajanna Bethea (Levittown, Pa./Pennsbury) paced the Peacocks (0-1) with 13 points and eight rebounds. Bethea was 5-for-9 shooting in the contest.
Samantha Meier (Manalapan, N.J./Manalapan) recorded eight points and three blocks in her first game in a Saint Peter's uniform while Bridget Whitfield (San Diego, Calif./La Costa Canyon) and Rebecca Sparks tallied six points each.
Sabre Proctor paced the Seawolves (1-0) with 15 points while Kori Bayne-Walker finished with 11 points and Chris Scognamiglio added seven points in the winning effort.
Stony Brook took the lead in the opening period and outlasted a late Saint Peter's comeback to win its third straight meeting between the two teams.
The Seawolves closed out the first half with an 18-6 lead to take a 29-17 advantage heading into the locker room. The run was fueled by eight free throws in the final nine minutes of the frame.
After back-to-back baskets from Bethea, a three-point play and a pair of free throws from Bayne-Walker at 6:04 began the run for Stony Brook. Meier scored on a layup attempt before the Seawolves were able to score four straight from the charity stripe.
The two teams exchanged baskets before the Seawolves scored five unanswered going into the break.
Saint Peter's opened up the second half with two straight baskets to cut the margin to single digits with 18:02 remaining on the clock. Following a Stony Brook timeout, the Seawolves used a 9-2 run to widen the lead and take a 38-23 advantage.
The Peacocks countered with consecutive treys from Alyssa Velles (Franklin, Conn./Norwich Free Academy) and Bethea to trim the margin with 10:55 left. Both teams exchanged baskets before consecutive layups from Stony Brook extended its lead.
Saint Peter's began its comeback trail, using five straight points from Sparks to fuel an 8-0 run to get within six with 4:13 left in regulation.
The Seawolves pulled away with a 9-2 run, powered by their free throw shooting, to win 56-40 and take the season opener.
Velles and fellow freshman Talah Hughes (Beacon, N.Y./Beacon) saw their first collegiate minutes on the night. Velles finished with two points and four assists in 28 minutes while Hughes finished with two rebounds in 10 minutes of action.
Saint Peter's returns to action on Nov. 25, when the team makes its Yanitelli Center debut against Lehigh. Game time is set for 7 p.m.
