After losing its last four games in blowout fashion, the Stony Brook men’s basketball team snapped its losing streak by breaking the program’s single-game three-point record.
The Seawolves (2-5) drained a total of 17 three-pointers in their 89-48 win over St. Joseph’s at home on Tuesday, shattering the previous program record of 14. That total had been equaled four times but never surpassed, and was most recently reached last year against Central Connecticut State University.
Forward Frankie Policelli hit the record-breaking 15th three-pointer with over nine minutes remaining in the second half. Overall, Policelli scored a career-high 22 points on 7-of-12 shooting while making six of his eight three-pointers. He also grabbed 10 rebounds and tallied four assists and three steals.
“It just felt good to take some shots and just win,” Policelli said. “Enjoying the moment, just playing basketball and trying to have fun with it. Everything just fell into place like that.”
However, it was not all smooth sailing from the start.
Stony Brook struggled early, falling behind 29-25 with just under seven minutes left before halftime. After a timeout, the Seawolves picked things up and went on a 12-0 run to take control of the game. The scoring streak started when guard Tanahj Pettway hit a corner three off an assist from guard Kaine Roberts. On the ensuing possession, guard Tyler Stephenson-Moore scooped up a steal and flushed down an emphatic windmill dunk to put the Seawolves back on top.
Over the final six minutes and 41 seconds of the first half, Stony Brook outscored St. Joseph’s, a Division III team, 21-4.
“We knew this would be a game for them that they would be excited to play in,” head coach Geno Ford said in a postgame press conference. “They got off to a great start. We were able, as the game went on, to use our athleticism, length, physicality to kind of force them to take harder shots.”
The Seawolves continued their dominant play into the second half, where they outscored the Golden Eagles 43-15. As a team, they shot 53.3% overall and 55% from three-point territory in the second half. They made 11 three-pointers in the second half, helping them surpass the previous record.
Stephenson-Moore posted a career-high in scoring, with scored 23 points on 10-of-15 shooting. He contributed to the three-point record, knocking down three of his seven attempts.
Other standout performers include Pettway and center Keenan Fitzmorris. Pettway scored 13 points on 4-of-7 shooting. He made three of his six three-pointers and also racked up five assists and three steals. Fitzmorris added 11 points on 4-of-6 shooting with seven rebounds.
Overall, Stony Brook shot 50% from the field and 44.7% from deep. Defensively, they held the Golden Eagles to 33.9% from the field. St. Joseph’s guard Ryan McNeely led his team with 12 points on 5-of-10 shooting.
Even though St. Joseph’s is NCAA Division III, Ford is still pleased with his team’s performance against the Golden Eagles.
“There are all kinds of non-Division I teams that win these games,” Ford said. “While I believe that we have a lot of talent here, every opponent is scary. You’ve got to take everybody serious, because when you don’t, that’s when you get embarrassed.”
In other news, freshman guard Toby Onyekonwu missed Tuesday night’s game with a broken nose that he suffered during practice. Ford did not specify a timetable for his return, but did say that he will likely be out for “a while.” As for guard Aaron Clarke, he has not yet returned to practice. He is dealing with a back injury that he suffered before the season began.
Looking ahead, the Seawolves will be back in action this Saturday at home against the Yale Bulldogs. Yale is 6-1 this season after being defeated 65-62 by Colorado on Sunday. They will host Howard on Wednesday before Saturday’s matchup with Stony Brook.
