Facing an old America East foe, the Stony Brook men’s basketball team withstood a late comeback attempt to capture the win.
The Seawolves (4-8) took on the Maine Black Bears (8-6) at Stony Brook Arena on Saturday afternoon. With hot-shooting from behind the three arc and critical free-throw makes, Stony Brook escaped with the 74-72 victory.
While quiet in the final minutes, it was guard Joe Octave that put the Seawolves in a position to win, as he got the offense rolling in the first period. Octave scored seven of Stony Brook’s first 13 points, as both sides were tied with 13:13 left in the half.
Later in the period, Octave found center Ben Wight for a finish in the paint before going coast-to-coast and hitting a pull-up three to extend the lead to eight. The Black Bears kept it competitive, drawing as close as down two points early in the second period. Octave seemingly had a response for every Maine rally, hitting momentum-breaking three-pointers to keep his team afloat.
With just 1:41 left in regulation, guard Collin O’Connor drew a key foul off of Maine guard Kellen Tynes. O’Connor sank both from the charity stripe, giving the Seawolves a 11-point advantage. The lead proved to be just enough for Stony Brook, as the Black Bears looked to put together one last comeback effort.
Tynes started the run, finding forward Christopher Mantis for a deep above-the-break three, closing the gap to single digits. Off the inbound, guard C.J. Luster II quickly tossed it to O’Connor, who was immediately swarmed by Maine defenders in a full-court press. Black Bears guard Jaden Clayton was the one to steal the ball, as he turned around and finished strong at the rim to make it just a six-point lead in the Seawolves’ favor.
In the next possession, Maine opted to intentionally foul, putting guard Jared Frey on the free-throw line. Frey made both, pushing the lead back up to eight with just under a minute left. Still, the Black Bears would not go down easy, as Tynes stormed down the court for a layup to cut right back into the deficit.
Frey gave those points right back just moments later, telegraphing a pass to Mantis, who found Tynes under the basket, making the score 74-70. Continuing its aggressive full-court press, Maine came up with another steal, as Clayton picked O’Connor’s pockets and finished in the lane to make it a two-point game.
With 35 seconds left and possession, Stony Brook had a chance to go up two possessions, essentially icing the game. With the clock winding down, in isolation, O’Connor heaved up a runner in the paint that rimmed out, leaving the door open for the Black Bears.
Fortunately for the Seawolves, Clayton was unable to hold onto the ball after the rebound, preventing Maine from calling a timeout and getting a shot off. In a scramble for the ball, Luster II came up with the game-winning steal, closing the door shut on the rally, as his team walked away in the winner’s column.
“We have had a heck of a week,” head coach Geno Ford said in a postgame interview with Stony Brook Athletics. “I thought we played two games well, but struggled to finish both. Luckily, we had enough of a cushion today that we hung on late.”
Stony Brook won the game at the charity stripe, shooting a blistering 21-for-22, compared to the Black Bear’s 10-of-13 shooting. The Seawolves won the battle of the boards, out rebounding Maine 32-25.
Octave finished with 24 points on an efficient seven-of-16 shooting from the field, three-of-five from three and seven-of-eight from the free-throw line. Wight tallied 11 points with three rebounds and four assists.
Luster II was Stony Brook’s only other double-digit scorer with 11 points and three rebounds. Snoddy chipped in with a team-high 11 rebounds.
Tynes led the way for the Black Bears with 15 points, four rebounds and four assists. Clayton was right next to him at the top of the box score, pouring in 15 points as well. Guard AJ Lopez and Mantis helped with 13 and 11 points, respectively.
“Maine has a nice team,” Ford said. “They had already won on the road over an [Atlantic 10] team and have played well on the road in general. We are getting better, but have a lot of work to do.”
The Seawolves hit the road and play their final non-conference game against another former conference rival in the Albany Great Danes on Saturday, Dec. 29. Albany is 7-7 following a close 87-82 loss to Fordham. Opening tip-off is slated for 2 p.m.
