With its first Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) win of the season in sight, the Stony Brook men’s basketball team went cold down the stretch for its third straight loss.
The Seawolves (4-11, 0-2 CAA) hosted the William & Mary Tribe (8-7, 2-0 CAA) at Stony Brook Arena on Saturday afternoon. A back-and-forth contest until over halfway into the second half turned in the Tribe’s favor, resulting in a 83-76 defeat for Stony Brook.
The contest’s first significant advantage belonged to the Seawolves. Efficient shooting from all three levels culminated in a 19-11 Stony Brook lead with 11:02 left in the opening frame following nine unanswered points from the hosts.
However, it did not take long for William & Mary to battle back. Highlighted by a pair of layups from guard Chase Lowe and a catch-and-shoot three-pointer from forward Caleb Dorsey, the Tribe embarked on a 13-5 run to tie the game at 24 apiece.
Later in the period, William & Mary strung together another potent stretch. A three by forward Gabe Dorsey — Caleb’s brother — put a bow on an 11-1 run that handed the Tribe a 42-35 advantage, their largest of the game to that point. A pair of free throws from guard C.J. Luster II inched the Seawolves closer at the halftime break, though they headed to the locker room having scored just four points in the half’s final 4:40.
Nonetheless, the second frame’s opening told a different story. Stony Brook came out the gate hot, with consecutive threes from forward Andre Snoddy and guard Jared Frey giving it the lead back quickly. The hot shooting opened a 13-4 run from the Seawolves to put them in front 51-46 with 16:17 left to play.
With crunch time nearing, the teams traded blows. Stony Brook’s lead fluctuated within the single digits, but, after a fastbreak layup by Luster II, the Seawolves held a somewhat comfortable 63-58 advantage.
However, in an affair full of momentum switches, the contest’s most significant run would materialize following Luster II’s basket. After a layup from Lowe and a missed jumpshot on the other end from guard Joe Octave, Gabe Dorsey drilled a shot from beyond the arch to give William & Mary a 65-63 lead.
Frey responded with a two-point jumper to tie it back up, but an and-one layup from William & Mary guard Matteus Case and a layup from Gabe Dorsey gave the Tribe a five-point advantage. Although Stony Brook cut its deficit to as little as one thanks to four points from Luster II, it struggled offensively down the stretch, and, coupled with a pair of threes from William & Mary, it dropped its conference home opener.
“Give William & Mary credit, they were able to score in crunch time with some big shots,” head coach Geno Ford said in a postgame interview with Stony Brook Athletics. “We had the ball four straight times in the last three minutes and had plenty of chances to take the lead and weren’t able to score. We are getting better, which is encouraging, but we haven’t found anyone who can deliver big baskets for us in crunch time. Once we can get that, we will start to win these types of games.”
Stony Brook posted a .455/.308/.818 shooting line with 10 turnovers. Conversely, William & Mary registered a .519/.429/.652 slashline along with 5 turnovers.
Luster II led the Seawolves in scoring with 22 points on 5-of-12 shooting from the field and a near perfect 10-for-11 from the free throw line. Frey tallied 18 points on 7-of-15 shooting. However, the pair combined to shoot 4-for-16 from deep.
The Tribe’s win was a team effort, as they had five players — guard Isaiah Mbeng (15), Caleb Dorsey (14), Gabe Dorsey (13), Lowe (11) and forward Keller Boothby (10) — reach double-digit scoring totals.
Stony Brook will remain home as it seeks its first CAA victory of the 2024-25 campaign. It will welcome the Drexel Dragons on Thursday at Stony Brook Arena. The Dragons are 9-6 on the year and 1-1 in conference play after a 68-59 victory over North Carolina A&T. Opening tip-off is set for 7 p.m.
