Coming off an impressive 62-37 victory at Binghamton University on Wednesday, Jan. 9, men’s basketball returned home, Saturday, Jan. 12 to battle the Hawks of the University of Hartford. Stony Brook entered the game with an overall record of 11-4 on the season and a 2-0 record in America East games. Hartford was 10-6 overall and 3-0 in conference games coming into the day.
The game got off to an uneven start over the first four minutes of play when Hartford outscored Stony Brook 7-6. The Seawolves were sloppy during this stretch, committing three turnovers before a television time-out stopped play.
The Seawolves committed another turnover on the ensuing inbounds pass. However, Stony Brook guard Anthony Mayo blocked a shot, and guard Dave Coley got revenge for the home team, stealing the ensuing inbounds pass and emphatically dunking the ball to give the Seawolves the lead for good, 8-7.
The home team now had momentum, and they began to dominate. Guard Marcus Rouse hit a three-pointer to put Stony Brook up 21-10, with 8:21 left before halftime. Forward Tommy Brenton forced a turnover on the next Hartford possession before racing down the court and converting a three-point play for a 24-10 lead.
With Stony Brook leading 35-18 late in the first half, forward Jameel Warney blocked a shot, and then, while falling out of bounds, he impressively saved the ball to give the Seawolves possession. Stony Brook capitalized on Warney’s incredible play when Brenton hit a jumper with one minute remaining in the half. The Seawolves took a 37-18 lead into halftime.
The Seawolves put the game away early in the second half. A three-point shot by guard Carson Puriefoy gave Stony Brook a 55-34 lead with 9:18 remaining. Puriefoy then stole the ball and hit a lay-up while being fouled. He completed the three-point play to give the Seawolves a 58-34 lead.
Stony Brook took its largest lead of the game, 63-34, when Warney completed a three-point play with 7:42 remaining. Though Hartford closed the gap down the stretch, the 29-point deficit proved too much for the Hawks to overcome. The Seawolves were able to close out a 73-59 win.
The Seawolves’ offense had found its balance that day. Warney led the team in scoring with 17 points, and Brenton, Coley and Puriefoy each scored 16 points. Brenton had a double-double, collecting 10 rebounds in addition to his 16 points. Hartford guard Evan Cooper led all players with 18 points.
With the 73-59 victory, the Seawolves improve to a 12-4 season record overall and 3-0 in America East play on the season. They will host Boston University, Tuesday, Jan. 15 at 7PM.
