Junior guard Anthony Jackson scored 11 points, including a three-pointer with 1:16 remaining in the game that helped lift the Stony Brook men’s basketball team to a 56-54 win in New Hampshire on Saturday afternoon. The Seawolves have now won nine out of their last 10 games.
The game was tight the entire way, coming down to the final two minutes. The Seawolves held a one point lead, before senior forward Tommy Brenton was able to find Jackson on the near wing, allowing the junior captain to sink a three-pointer that gave Stony Brook a 56-52 lead, with 1:16 to play.
New Hampshire’s Ferg Myrick then drew a foul and hit two free throws with 42.3 seconds to play to cut the Seawolves’ lead to two. New Hampshire then decided not to foul, and to try and get a defensive stop. With the shot clock winding down, Jackson attempted another three, but missed. The ball then went out to the free throw line for a long rebound, that freshman forward Jameel Warney was able to control. Warney then passed it out to Brenton, who then kicked the ball out to Jackson to let the clock expire and end the game.
Stony Brook junior guard Dave Coley led all scorers in the game with 13 points, and also had eight rebounds on the night in 31 minutes. Warney also added 11 points, five rebounds, and two blocks in 33 minutes. Chandler Rhoads played well for New Hampshire in a losing effort, scoring with 12 points, and also had seven rebounds in 39 minutes.
Brenton played another well rounded game, scoring seven points, grabbing seven rebounds, and tallying three assists. He now has a career 1,017 rebounds, tying him for sixth all-time in America East history.
One of the main reasons Stony Brook was able to come up with the victory, was their excellent free throw shooting. The Seawolves shot 15 of 18 for the game from the free throw line, and made 12 of 14 free throws in the second half.
Earlier in the week, SBU defeated Albany by a score of 65-49. Strong defensive play by the Seawolves held Albany to just five made field goals in the second half of Tuesday’s game.
Albany was able to keep the game close in the first half, and went into halftime only trailing by six. Stony Brook then took over the game, going on a 16-4 run to start the second half. Stony Brook defense allowed them to open up a big lead, as they held the Great Danes to two of 16 from the field over the first 10:45 of the second half.
Defense was the key component that allowed Stony Brook to get its nation leading ninth true road win of the season. Albany shot only 35.4 percent from the field for the game, and only 23.8 percent in the second half. The Seawolves are now 12-0 this season when holding their opponents under 60 points. They are also 72-18 when holding opposing teams below 60 during Steve Pikiell’s time as head coach.
Stony Brook got contributions on offense from a variety of different players, as four Seawolves finished the game with double digit points. Jackson lead the team with 14 points, and finished with three three pointers.
Freshman forward Jameel Warney had another productive game for Stony Brook He had a double-double on the night, scoring 10 points and grabbing 10 rebounds. Warney has been extremely active lately, as he has had three double-doubles in his past five games.
Forwards Anthony Mayo and Brenton also each scored 10 points for the Seawolves. For the senior Brenton it was the sixth straight game in which he finished in double figures. He also moved into ninth place on the school’s all time Division I scoring list, as he now has a career 876 points.
Brenton also made more history on the night. By finishing the game with seven rebounds, Brenton moved into seventh place on the America East Conference’s all time rebounding list.
The Seawolves have been extremely tough in conference games over the past few seasons. They have now won 25 of their last 29 conference games, going back to February of 2011.
The Seawolves now have a 17-5 overall record and an 8-1 record in America East conference play. Stony Brook is also now off to its best 22-game start in its Divison I history. The Seawolves match last year’s team for their best nine game America East conference start at 8-1, and is an outstanding 26-4 in their last 30 America East games.
After Saturday’s win Stony Brook now leads the nation in true road victories this season. Seawolves broke a tie with Bucknell for most true road victories in the country with 10, which also represents the program’s most road victories in a season in its Division I history.
Next Saturday night Stony Brook will travel to Hartford for another America East conference battle. The Seawolves defeated Hartford already this season, by the score of 73-59 back on Jan. 12, at Stony Brook.
