Orono, Maine – The Stony Brook Seawolves have won the America East championship and are going dancing! A tough battle between the league’s top teams concluded with the Seawolves cutting down nets at Memorial Gymnasium at the University of Maine.
The champs were down by double-digits but stymied Maine’s three-point attack and won the game with late defensive stands. Junior Annie Warren led the way with 31 points and nine rebounds becoming the first player to score 30 points in a title game since UAlbany great Shereesha Richards in 2016.
Warren was named Most Outstanding Player and was joined by teammates Asiah Dingle and Hailey Zeise on the All-Championship Team. Maine’s Blanca Millan and Maeve Carroll were the honorees from Maine. Maine senior Kelly Fogarty was awarded the league’s Elite 18 Award with her 3.94 GPA in management.
Stony Brook earned a 14-seed in its first-ever NCAA Tournament appearance and will play Arizona Monday, March 22 at 2 p.m. on ESPN2.
Battle of Top Seeds
- Both teams exchanged blows to start the game. Maine freshman Anna Orois capped the opening quarter by finishing off a spin move with just seconds remaining after a steal and score moments prior.
- Carroll (eight) and Millan (seven) combined for 15 of Maine’s 21 first-quarter points while Dingle and Warren combined for 12 of Stony Brook’s 16 points.
- Stony Brook was down 11 in the second quarter but used an 8-0 run to cut the gap to three before the break.
- Annie Warren’s three-pointer was the exclamation point of the rush and gave her 17 points in the first 20 minutes.
- Dingle was limited to nine first-half minutes with two early fouls but finished with 20 points.
- Stony Brook was up two at the end of the third quarter.
- With under one minute left in the fourth, Asiah Dingle's layup increased the lead to four.
- The Black Bears had a chance to tie the game late in the fourth with the shot clock turned off but the Seawolves defense held strong.
- Warren sunk two free throws with just seconds remaining to cap it as the celebration ensued.
- Stony Brook won the rebounding battle 42-22.
The History
- Stony Brook will play in the NCAA Tournament for the first time in program history.
- The Seawolves are the first No. 2 seed to win the title since UAlbany in 2017.
- Friday marked the first time the lower seed won a championship game since Hartford did so in 2011.
- Stony Brook now leads the all-time postseason series against Maine 3-2, earning a win in their first title game matchup.
Visit #AEPlayoffs Central to relive all of the postseason with box scores, highlights and photos.
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