After scoring a season low 18 points in the first half, the Stony Brook Men’s Basketball team came alive offensively in the second, as they pulled out a 58-53 road win against Binghamton on Tuesday night. The Seawolves have now won eight of their last nine contests, and improve to 9-1 in America East play.
The Stony Brook offense struggled mightily early on, with the team shooting just 21.4 percent from the field in the first half. But, Binghamton dealt with shooting troubles of their own, and was only able to take a five-point lead into the half.
SBU trailed 28-20 early on in the second half. The Seawolves appeared to be on the verge of a bad loss not only to a more than beatable team, but to a conference opponent.
The team’s veteran backcourt duo, Anthony Jackson and Dave Coley, would not have any of that on this night. The two senior guards helped spark their team to a 12-0 run, to give them a four-point lead with 12:46 left to play.
The Bearcats would not fall apart, though, and kept the game close for most of the second half. A 3-pointer by Yosef Yacob would give Binghamton a 49-47 lead with just 2:30 left in regulation.
Jackson would then respond for Stony Brook with a triple of his own, to give his team a one-point lead with 2:05 to play.
Roland Brown was then sent to the line after a foul by sophomore Jameel Warney. Brown would hit both free throws to give the Bearcats a 51-50 lead.
Then, on Stony Brook’s next possession, Warney, while fending off a triple team, would find freshman Ahmad Walker underneath. Walker would then convert the go-ahead layup, and draw a foul.
Walker would complete the 3-point-play to give his team a two-point lead. A combination of strong defense and foul shooting in the final minute would allow the Seawolves to hang on for the victory.
Coley and Jackson had a big second half for their team, combining for 25 points in the last 20 minutes of the game. Coley also drained three shots from behind the arc in the second half.
Walker continued his strong play of late, by adding 12 points and six rebounds in the win. SBU also got nine points from senior Eric McAlister.
Stony Brook has now won 37 of their last 42 America East games. They have also beaten Binghamton in nine consecutive games.
The Seawolves were able to come away with the win, despite missing 10 free throws on the night. The team made 20 of their 30 attempts from the line in the game.
Up next for Stony Brook is a home game this Saturday against conference opponent New Hampshire. The Seawolves defeated the Wildcats easily by the score of 67-48, back on Dec. 15.
