Binghamton University hadn’t won a game all season when they entered Pritchard Gymnasium to take on the first-place Stony Brook men’s basketball team on Wednesday night, so it was understandable if they found hope in a slow start for the Seawolves.
But that start rapidly devolved into a plain old blowout, as Stony Brook pulled away in the first and cruised in the second to a 82-48 win over the last-place Bearcats.
Anthony Jackson led the Seawolves off the bench with 14 points, and Bryan Dougher had 13. Every Seawolf who saw time scored and got a rebound, and nine different Seawolves contributed assists in the game, totaling 19. The Stony Brook bench accounted for 45 points in a total team effort.
“We try to stay ready to provide that spark off the bench, so it’s no dropoff when the first team comes off,” Marcus Rouse, who scored 11 for the Seawolves, said.
“I think we have a starting five on the bench, honestly,” Jackson added.
The Seawolves started the game sluggishly, going only 3 for 8 in the first five minutes and allowing the Bearcats to keep it close.
Then the three-pointers rained down, as Jackson (2), Lenny Hayes (2) and Marcus Rouse contributed to five straight three-pointers, giving the Seawolves a 21-8 lead with 11:15 to go in the first.
It was all part of dominating 44-9 run that saw the Seawolves take a 50-15 lead into the half. It was a dream half for Stony Brook, which shot as good from three-point range as it did from the free throw line, hitting 75 percent from each. The team tallied 11 assists from five different players, including four for Dallis Joyner.
Jackson led the way with 14 first-half points, including four three-pointers.
“It was our defense, we played good defense,” Pikiell said. “It doesn’t really matter how many threes you make when you hold a team to 15 [first-half points].”
The shooting cooled off slightly in the second half, but not by much — the Seawolves sank a program-record 14 three-pointers.
“Those guys can hit shots, so I wasn’t surprised,” Pikiell said. “Those guys are all very capable of hitting threes, and tonight they put it together.”
The win extended Stony Brook’s unbeaten streak at Pritchard Gym to 12, dating back to last season. It also clinched a winning record in the regular season for just the second time in America East play.
Ron Bracey missed the game with a knee injury, but is expected back in the lineup soon.
Stony Brook now goes on the road for five of its next six, with the next game at Albany on Saturday. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.
