Stony Brook women fall short in CAA Tournament final against Drexel
Stony Brook guard Gigi Gonzalez and Drexel guard Erin Sweeney, right, compete for the ball during the second half of the CAA championship on Sunday. Credit: AP/Mark Schiefelbein
WASHINGTON — Despite a furious late rally, Stony Brook’s bid to complete a season sweep of the Coastal Athletic Association regular-season and tournament titles came up just short Sunday. As did its quest for the second automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament in program history.
The top-seeded Seawolves lost to seventh-seeded Drexel, 68-60, after cutting a 14-point deficit with 5:04 remaining to four with 1:10 left. Stony Brook missed a pair of layups and the Dragons shot 4-for-6 from the free-throw line in the final 28.6 seconds.
“We got down early, but I’m proud of our team. I thought we fought to the end. We never gave up,” said Stony Brook coach Ashley Langford, who won three CAA regular-season titles as an assistant coach at former conference member James Madison University but never a tournament crown.
Gigi Gonzalez scored 18 points, Khari Clark had 12 points and 13 rebounds and Shamarla King had 10 points for Stony Brook (27-4). Gonzalez and Clark were named to the all-tournament team.
Tournament MVP Amaris Baker led Drexel (19-14) with 19 points. Brooke Mullin and Erin Sweeney each had 16 to help the Dragons earn their third NCAA Tournament bid and third CAA Tournament title.
The Seawolves, who won the CAA’s regular-season title by two games with a 16-2 record, were attempting to become the first No. 1 seed to win the tournament since 2017. It was the second consecutive year the seventh seed won the tournament; Monmouth accomplished the feat in 2023.
“That’s parity. This is why it’s March Madness. It’s the beauty of March Madness,” Langford said.
The Seawolves, whose only two regular-season losses came in overtime, beat Drexel twice, including in Philadelphia on March 1, but couldn’t do it again in the title game at the Entertainment and Events Arena.
Drexel coach Amy Mallon said: “Obviously, Stony Brook, the best in the league all year, a talented team and so respected. I just felt like today it was our day.”
The Seawolves trailed 16-9 after the first quarter after missing nine of their last 10 shots. Drexel stretched its lead to 13 with 4:34 left in the second quarter before a late run cut the deficit to 36-26.
“It just comes down to today we can’t make a shot and Drexel can make every shot,” Langford said. “Sometimes it just doesn’t go your way. I thought our team did everything we asked them to do. They fought. They stayed together. I’m proud of them.”
Drexel shot 50% (23-for-46) from the field. Stony Brook shot 30.6% (19-for-62).
“We haven’t shot this poorly all season,” Langford said. “I think it’s the worst shooting performance we’ve had all year.”
After trailing 51-42 heading into the final 10 minutes, the Seawolves found themselves down 64-50 before going on a 10-0 run, spurred by their defense. In one stretch, Drexel committed six turnovers in 4:18.
But two missed layups in the final minute and two free throws by Drexel’s Grace O’Neill with 28.6 seconds left made it 66-60.
Langford wasn’t fazed when her team was down 14 late.
“I said I’ve seen it before. It’s one stop at a time, one possession at a time,” she told them during a timeout. “They responded.”
The Seawolves, who made the WNIT in 2022 and lost to VCU, earned a bid to the Women’s Basketball Invitation Tournament — a first-year tournament — for winning the regular-season title.
