Seawolves Nip Nicholls State, 81-77

Stony Brook withstood the Nicholls State Colonels' three point attack behind the stellar play of Destiny Jacobs and rallied to win 81-77 on Wednesday.

The scene that unfolded was similar to the Seawolves' : an opponent using the three-point shot to build a lead. This time the Colonels (2-2) hit 8 of their 13 first-half treys, but the Seawolves (2-2) held them to a surmountable four-point lead at the break.

Also, like the Hofstra game, a starter suffered a major injury in the second half and was later seen on crutches. With 9:18 left in the game, Jodie Plikus attempted to intercept a pass and collided with a Nicholls State player. She landed hard on the court, holding her left knee and unable to quiet the pain against the silent arena.

Heroes: With Misha Horsey out with a torn ACL (tests are still pending to determine how long she'll be out), Sam Landers took over at point guard and filled in nicely. Landers finished with 16 points and 5 assists, but committed 5 turnovers.  She also nailed four free throws in the final 12 seconds to seal the win for Stony Brook. Jacobs had her usual strong inside game with 10 rebounds, and even hit a few deep jumpers in scoring 14 points. Amanda Corona received extra playing time with Plikus out and responded with 9 points on 4-5 shooting.

Turning Point: The Plikus injury. After she left, Nicholls State hit one of their 11 three pointers to take a one point lead. Not shaken, the Seawolves went on a run that would end with a six point cushion that they would not relinquish.

Quotable: The America East Conference's leading active scorer Kirsten Jeter had another rough shooting night. She scored 15 points but only shot 4-17 and committed 5 turnovers. Coach Michele Cherry said about her performance, "She's pressing too much. She's trying to be perfect. She wants to win so badly that she's putting a lot of pressure on herself. She's just got to loosen up and that's pretty much it."

Bottom Line: Stony Brook allowed an opponent to hit 11 of their 18 three point attempts and still came out victorious. Landers picked up the slack in Horsey's absence and showed that she's a capable replacement if needed. The Plikus injury can seriously hurt the Seawolves chances, but Jeter needs just one hot-shooting game to start a streak. They'll have plenty of chances to do that before conference play begins.

Key Stats:

Jacobs: 14 points (6-8 FG), 10 rebounds.

Landers: 16 points (4-8 FG), 5 assists.

Jeter: 15 points (4-17 FG), 8 rebounds, 4 steals.