Stony Brook women's basketball falls to Arizona in NCAA Tournament debut, but still proud of giant leap forward
Asiah Dingle #3 of the Stony Brook Seawolves drives against Aari McDonald #2 of the Arizona Wildcats during the first half in the first round game of the 2021 NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament at the Alamodome on March 22, 2021 in San Antonio, Texas. Credit: Getty Images/Carmen Mandato
Five Stony Brook women’s basketball players took the court for tipoff against Arizona Monday afternoon, but it really wasn’t just five.
It was the hundreds of women who’ve donned the jersey before them, all who played during the school’s 22-year history as a Division I program and 50-plus years of existence, coach Caroline McCombs said. It was the seniors and graduate students who didn’t get to conclude their careers on their own terms, thanks to a COVID-19 pandemic that canceled their finish last season on the eve of the America East championship. It was all of them, in one way or another, who helped the Seawolves reach this moment — the program’s first NCAA Tournament berth in history.
It didn’t end how they would have wanted as No. 3 Arizona made easy work of 14th-seeded Stony Brook, beating them 79-44 in a first-round Mercado Region game at the Alamodome in San Antonio. But that doesn’t mean they couldn’t celebrate what they hope to be a significant step toward future success.
"We’re going to remember and reflect on this season because we made history," McCombs said. "This is for the women who have worn a Stony Brook jersey before, and really, my heart will always go out to our graduating seniors last year that never got a chance to play in that championship game. So [us] getting here, this is really for them as well, because they deserved this last year."
The Wildcats, a Pac-12 powerhouse, gave Stony Brook little room to breathe, kicking things off with a 13-2 run early in the first quarter and never looking back. Arizona led 47-20 at halftime, holding Stony Brook to 20.8% shooting from the floor. The Seawolves committed 13 turnovers in that first half and struggled to keep up with the breakneck pace and Aari McDonald, the All-American Pac-12 player of the year.
Stony Brook was able to adjust at halftime and were only outscored by one point in the third, but the damage was long done.
Asiah Dingle scored 14 points for the Seawolves, but Arizona was able to completely shut down star Annie Warren, who shot 0-for-6 and went scoreless. McDonald scored 20, with four assists and three steals.
Still, Stony Brook was in good spirits, evidenced by the cheering and dancing when sophomore Aminata Zie got into the game in the waning seconds and hit a three.
"We were just cheering on our teammates and never giving up until the final buzzer," Dingle said. "Being here is what I always dreamed of . . . We’ll learn from it and be here again next year."
Both Warren and Dingle are set to return, and the experience of being under the bright lights will be invaluable, said McCombs, who had made the tournament three times prior — once as an athlete and twice as an assistant coach.
"We’re going to continue to invest in our players, continue to help them grow," she said. "Skill-wise, we can keep getting better. For Stony Brook, our women’s basketball program, [it allows us to have] national recognition. [We’re trying to] continue to put Stony Brook on the map and this does that for us as a program now. Once you get here, it becomes your standard and it’s where you want to get back to every year."
Dingle already is thinking about a second chance. If getting to this stage honors the players that came before her, then actually winning a game at this level will be even better.
"It means a lot to us just walking in their footsteps," she said. "They already put their foot in the door, and just being able to excel after that, I’m blessed to be able to do that. I’m blessed they gave that opportunity to us."
Laura Albanese is a reporter, feature writer and columnist covering local professional sports teams; she began at Newsday in 2007 as an intern.
