In its final contest of the Marquette Challenge, the Stony Brook men’s basketball team was outmatched in a wire-to-wire loss.
The Seawolves’ (1-2) three-game road trip to begin their season ended on Monday night when they faced the George Mason Patriots (2-1) in Fairfax, Va. A poor offensive effort and a lackluster defensive showing did not bode well for Stony Brook in a 94-56 loss.
In the affair’s opening minutes, the Seawolves kept pace with the Patriots, as the sides traded baskets to kick off the matchup. A pair of crafty low-post finishes from forward Ben Wight helped Stony Brook take a 8-6 advantage 4:38 into the game.
However, that would be the last time the Seawolves led for the night’s remainder. At the other end, George Mason guard Woody Newton powered through guard Jared Frey for a basket and a foul before converting the ensuing free-throw.
Newton’s play sparked an 18-4 run in the Patriots’ favor, as the entire team was in lockstep. Consecutive makes from beyond the arch from guard K.D. Johnson, followed by a straight-on three-pointer from forward Zach Anderson spearheaded a 26-12 George Mason advantage nearly halfway through the first half.
Stony Brook cut into the deficit briefly, as a tip-in from Frey cut the lead to eight two minutes later. Its efforts were outdone soon after, though, as Anderson continued to scorch the nets for the rest of the period. He sank four more threes before the halftime break, leading the Patriots to a 46-27 edge after 20 minutes.
The Seawolves hung around coming out of the gate in the second half. Timely jumpers from forwards Andre Snoddy and Nick Woodard allowed them to stay in arm’s reach of George Mason. However, following Woodard’s three-point make, Stony Brook’s offense went cold and it was unable to score for the next five-plus minutes.
During this time, the Patriots took every opportunity to run up the scoreboard. They scored 15 unanswered points — aided by second and third-chance opportunities created by George Mason forward Giovanni Emerjuru, which kept the Seawolves off the glass — to put the game to bed.
“It was a brutal schedule,” head coach Geno Ford said in a postgame interview with Stony Brook Athletics. “It showed with tired legs tonight. We struggled to finish and had some opportunities with some open looks that we just didn’t convert. We have a young team that will grow from playing these high-major opportunities.”
Off the bench, Frey proved to be the Seawolves’ best performer. He mailed in 14 points on five-of-11 shooting. Wight was the team’s only other double-digit scorer, as he delivered a 10-point effort alongside five rebounds.
Guards Joe Octave and C.J. Luster II struggled, as the two starters combined for 11 points on two-of-13 shooting.
Conversely, George Mason guard Darius Maddox led all scorers with 20 points.
Stony Brook was crushed on the boards, as it was outrebounded 43-31. The Patriots capitalized on all aspects of the Seawolves’ defensive inexperience with 38 points in the paint to Stony Brook’s 22.
The Seawolves’ next contest is their home opener on Saturday at Stony Brook Arena. They will face the Division III’s St. Joseph’s Long Island Golden Eagles, who are 0-2 following a 64-53 loss against St. John Fisher and will face Stevens before heading to Stony Brook. Opening tip-off is set for 6:31 p.m.
