The Stony Brook men’s basketball team trailed for nearly all 40 minutes of play, dropping its seventh game in its last eight showings.
After initially being scheduled to play on Thursday night, the Seawolves (6-23, 2-14 CAA) extended their stay in Virginia to play the Hampton Pirates (16-13, 8-8 CAA), as the initial contest was postponed due to inclement weather. Stony Brook’s ongoing struggle to find offense and numerous costly turnovers led to an 81-49 defeat.
The Seawolves opened the game with an and-one basket from guard C.J. Luster II just 15 seconds in. This would be their last lead of the game as Hampton guard George Beale Jr. bottomed a three-pointer to tie the game immediately after. The Pirates took advantage of Stony Brook’s troubles, scoring 15 unanswered points to jump out to an early 12-point lead.
Following a six minute scoring drought, a three-point make from forward Leon Nahar broke the Hampton run, cutting the lead to 15-6. Unfazed, the Pirates continued to power into the paint with a pair of layups from forwards Xzavier Long and Richard Goods, stretching their lead back to 13.
Nearing the end of the half, the Seawolves mounted a small 6-0 run to draw within seven points. With 5:29 remaining, a three-pointer from guard Jared Frey trimmed the deficit to 27-20. However, that was the closest that Stony Brook would get for the rest of the game.
The Seawolves ended the half trailing the Pirates 39-25.
The second half was no better for Stony Brook. Hampton continued to showcase its dominance in the paint and around the arc. A three-pointer from Hampton guard Wayne Bristol Jr. extended the lead to 20 points with a score of 51-31. Then, back-to-back dunks from Bristol Jr. and Goods extended the lead to 55-31.
From there, the Pirates continued to pull away with Stony Brook only adding 22 points in the second half. Meanwhile, Hampton dropped 42 in a dominant back-half, finishing off the game with an 81-49 victory.
Head Coach Geno Ford did not speak to the media after the game.
The Pirates dominated on offense, posting a .485/.5455/.500 while committing just seven turnovers. Conversely, the Seawolves registered a .395/.313/.769 triple slash, while turning the ball over 18 times.
The Seawolves were led by Luster, who produced 18 points on 5-of-14 from the field. Despite his sharpshooting abilities, Luster shot just 1-of-5 from beyond the three-point line. Nahar went 3-for-3 from beyond the arc, tallying nine points.
For Hampton, guard Daniel Johnson led the scoring with 15 points. Additionally, Beale Jr. and Bristol Jr. each contributed 12 points, respectively. The Pirates’ bench was a key factor in the lopsided win, scoring a total of 41 points.
Stony Brook will look to break its losing streak in this season’s second edition of the Battle of Long Island on Thursday. The Seawolves will welcome the Hofstra Pride who have gone 13-16 overall and 5-11 in Coastal Athletic Association play following a 78-65 win over Delaware. Opening tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m.
