March 2, 2002

Stony Brook, N.Y. - The Vermont women's basketball team held Stony Brook to just 11 second-half points as the Catamounts defeated SBU, 61-43, in the Seawolves' regular season finale at the SBU Sports Complex on Saturday afternoon.

The Seawolves (14-13, 7-9 America East) led by as many as seven points in the first half after trailing early. Aaron Yantzi's lay-up gave the Catamounts (20-7, 14-2 America East) a 15-10 edge five minutes into the game. But Stony Brook's Erika Shipley scored five straight points to even the game three minutes later. Sherry Jordan rhen nailed a jumper and a three-pointer, part of a 10-2 Seawolves run that stretched the lead to 20-17 midway through the half. Shipley's free throw gave Stony Brook its largest lead of the game at 32-25 with 3:26 remaining. However, the Catamounts scored the final five points of the half to pull within 32-30 at the break.

Sherry Jordan opened the second half with a jumper to stretch SBU's lead to 34-30 at the 18:33 mark, but from then on it was all Catamounts. The Seawolves went scoreless for the next 12 minutes, while Vermont reeled off 19 straight points. The Seawolves were 0-of-15 from the floor during the stretch, and Vermont went ahead 49-34 with 6:21 to go. Jordan's layup finally ended the 12-minute drought, but UVM scored eight of the game's next 11 points to earn its largest lead of the day at 59-38.

Stony Brook shot 41 percent from the field in the opening half, but made only four field goals for a chilly 14 percent (4-of-29) in the second half.

Jordan led the Seawolves with 15 points, while Shipley scored all of her 14 points in the first half.

Yantzi tallied a game-high 18 points for the Catamounts, while Libby Smith scored 13 points to give her 1,000 in her career. Morgan Hall also chipped in with 13 points, while Dawn Cressman added 11.

The loss marked Stony Brook's seventh in its last 10 games, while UVM closed the regular season with 12 straight victories.

Stony Brook earns the No. 7 seed in next week's America East Conference Tournament, facing second-seeded Boston University on Thursday, March 7, at noon.