
Despite a massive second-half turnaround, an untimely foul on a three-point attempt spelled the beginning of the end for the Stony Brook men’s basketball team’s search for a Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) win within its first four conference contests.
Wrapping up a three-game home stand, the Seawolves (4-13, 0-4 CAA) hosted the Northeastern Huskies (10-7, 2-2 CAA) at Stony Brook Arena. Trailing by as much as 13 in the closing period, Stony Brook turned things around before costly mistakes down the stretch cost it in a 70-66 defeat.
With 14:53 remaining in the affair, the Seawolves had never led. All night, Stony Brook had failed to string together parallel success on both ends of the floor, and, with some periodic lapses throughout the contest, it failed to be in striking distance for most of the game.
However, that marker served as a turning point. A pair of free throws from forward Nick Woodard — who has struggled in his first season with the Seawolves, scoring just 4.8 points per game on rough efficiency coming into the affair — followed by a layup by forward Andre Snoddy and a three-pointer from Woodard cut Stony Brook’s deficit to 46-41.
Although Northeastern guard LA Pratt responded with a layup, the Seawolves remained on the attack. A jumpshot by guard C.J. Luster II and a close basket from Woodard — while the hosts forced three consecutive misses from the Huskies — brought Stony Brook closer, as it was now within a possession.
The Seawolves’ defense remained in lockdown mode from there on. Outside of a pair of makes from the charity stripe by guard Masai Troutman, Northeastern did not score for nearly seven minutes after Pratt’s bucket. Consequently, it opened the door for Stony Brook to go in front for the first time, who capitalized.
A combination of scores from Snoddy, Woodard, Luster and guard Collin O’Connor not only handed the Seawolves their first advantage but conducted them to a five-point stake at 55-50. Although O’Connor scored again on Stony Brook’s next possession, the team followed his make with eight straight empty possessions. Among those zeros, the Seawolves turned the ball over twice.
With the contest tied at 57 apiece, Troutman attempted a three on the right wing and Snoddy contested. However, he made contact with Troutman during the shooting motion, conceding three free throw attempts. Although Troutman only made two, he gave his team a lead it would not relinquish.
On one end, Stony Brook could not put the ball through the basket, while, on the other side, it continuously fouled Troutman, who racked up 10 points from the line in the game’s final two minutes to seal the deal.
“We really competed hard tonight,” head coach Geno Ford said in a postgame interview with Stony Brook Athletics. “We were up five points with five minutes to go and just couldn’t make a big play down the stretch. We took some steps forward in some areas and just have to keep working at it.”
The Seawolves posted a .463/.400/.615 shooting line and committed a season-high 19 turnovers. Conversely, the Huskies had a .404/.346/.905 triple slash alongside 11 turnovers.
Additionally, Stony Brook was the better team inside, as it out-rebounded Northeastern 34-30 and had 28 points in the paint to the visitors’ 22.
Luster II was the Seawolves’ leading scorer with 22 points on 8-of-16 overall shooting and 4-for-9 from three-point range.
Woodard had his best outing in a Stony Brook uniform. He posted 16 points on 6-of-8 shooting to go with six rebounds, two steals and two blocks.
Troutman spearheaded the Huskies’ offense with 22 points. He made frequent trips to the free throw line, finishing 14-for-15 from the charity stripe.
The Seawolves will remain on the prowl for their first CAA win on Thursday, when they take on Delaware Blue Hens in Newark, Del. The Blue Hens are 9-8 overall and 2-2 in conference play after a 83-77 loss to Hampton. Opening tip-off is scheduled for 6:30 p.m.