
Defensive lapses in the second half undid solid work by the Stony Brook men’s basketball team throughout its sixth straight loss.
The Seawolves (4-14, 0-5 CAA) faced the Delaware Blue Hens (10-8, 3-2 CAA) in enemy territory on Thursday night. The hosts’ high-powered offense — which ranks second in the Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) — played as advertised, handing Stony Brook a tough task in an 84-74 loss.
Just over a minute and a half into the second half, guard Joe Octave finished through traffic to tie the game at 39 apiece. However, it all went downhill for the Seawolves from then, starting with eight unanswered points for the Blue Hens that commenced during the ensuing possession following Octave’s basket.
Delaware guards Erik Timko, Izaiah Pasha — who drilled a three-pointer — and Niels Lane outpaced Stony Brook en route to a 47-39 advantage.
After the brief barrage, the teams traded buckets, with guards Collin O’Connor and Jared Frey alongside Octave accounting for Stony Brook’s points, which trimmed its deficit to three. Undeterred by a brief revival from the visitors, the Blue Hens responded in a big way once again.
After a miss from the charity stripe by Octave, Delaware put its foot on the gas pedal. Starting with 13:15 left in the contest, it did whatever it wanted in the paint with no resilience from the Seawolves. Pasha and Lane combined for three layups in consecutive possessions, pushing the Blue Hens’ lead to 56-47. Following a fourth straight empty possession for the Seawolves — which featured a turnover by forward Nick Woodard — Delaware sent guard Cavan Reilly to the line, who knocked down a pair of free throws to make it a double-digit affair for the first time all night.
Although Stony Brook’s offense was more consistent for the remainder of the game, it simply had no answer for Delaware’s offense, which, down the stretch, began showcasing its scoring ability from the perimeter to put the contest to bed. After a make from beyond the arch by forward Macon Emory with just over six minutes remaining, the Blue Hens led by 17, their largest lead in a steady victory.
“Offensively, we did some good stuff,” head coach Geno Ford said in a postgame interview with Stony Brook Athletics. “Delaware has a nice team and both their high-major transfers played like it. We had zero answer for Lane or Camden. I am really disappointed in our rebounding, because that’s not a strength of their team and we have been one of the better offensive rebounding teams in our conference so far. Tonight, that didn’t show up. We have no consistency as a group right now.”
Stony Brook penciled in one of its best shooting performances of the season, with a .472/.400/.762 shooting line alongside 11 turnovers. However, Delaware matched it in both aspects, as the hosts posted a .500/.333/.824 triple slash and committed one less turnover than the Seawolves.
Additionally, the Blue Hens dominated in the paint. They outrebounded Stony Brook 39 to 27 and doubled the Seawolves’ points down low (44-22).
Octave broke out of his slump in a major way. He headlined Stony Brook’s offensive effort with one of his best outings of the year, registering 23 points on 8-of-18 shooting to go with four rebounds and three assists.
Guard C.J. Luster II put up his fourth consecutive 20-point game, adding 20 points on 5-of-7 shooting, including a scorching 4-for-6 from deep and a perfect 6-for-6 from the free throw line. Forward Andre Snoddy was the Seawolves’ only other double-digit scorer. He chipped in 10 points and blocked a pair of shots.
Delaware’s offensive explosion was a team-effort. It featured seven players scoring at least five points and was led by Lane, who had 20 points on 8-of-16 shooting. Camden was right behind him with 19 points on the same efficiency.
The Seawolves — still seeking their first CAA win — will be back in the office on Saturday, when they face the Towson Tigers in Maryland. The Tigers are 9-9 overall and 4-1 in conference play in the 2024-25 campaign. They are winners of three straight, having taken down Hofstra 65-60 in their last time out. Opening tip-off is scheduled for 2 p.m.