The Stony Brook Men’s Basketball team’s season came to an abrupt end on Tuesday evening, after they lost in the first round of the College Basketball Invitational to Siena by the score of 66-55. The Saints took control of the game with a 24-7 run in the second half.
After once again missing out on the NCAA tournament, SBU earned a berth in the 2014 CBI. It was the third consecutive season and the fourth season in the last five years that Stony Brook has participated in a national postseason tournament.
The Seawolves played well in the first half, with sophomore Jameel Warney leading the way offensively. The sophomore had nine of his 15 points in the game’s first twenty minutes.
Stony Brook also was able to get to the line effectively in the first, making eight of 12 free throws in the half. SBU took a 34-31 lead into halftime.
But, the Saints would dominate play in the second half. A key 12-0 run, capped off by a three-pointer from Rob Poole, would help Siena break open a ten point lead on the Seawolves with just 9:13 remaining.
Stony Brook would pick up their play over the next few minutes. A layup made by Warney cut the Saints’ lead to just six points with 7:32 left in regulation.
However, the Saints would respond with a 9-0 run over the next 5:06 to extend their lead to 65-50, and put the game out of reach.
In the second half it was Siena who excelled at getting to the charity stripe. The Saints shot 20 second half free throws, after shooting just five in the first half.
Warney finished the game with a double-double for the tenth time this season. He had 15 points and 10 rebounds, as well as a career-high 5 blocked shots, in 34 minutes of play.
Poole finished with a game-high 20 points for Siena. The Saints also got 17 points and six rebounds from Brett Bisping.
Stony Brook’s outside shooting troubles followed them from the America East championship game against Albany. The Seawolves shot just 5-of-18 from three point range, and also just 36.4 percent from the field for the game.
SBU’s postseason record fell to 1-4 after Tuesday night’s loss. The one victory came in the first round of last year’s NIT against Massachusetts.
Stony Brook finished with its third consecutive 20-win season, and it’s fourth in the last five years. The team had 23 victories during their 2013-2014 campaign, which is the second most all-time in the program’s history.
The game marked the end of seniors Dave Coley, Anthony Jackson, Eric McAlister, and Ben Resner’s careers with Stony Brook. Both Coley and Jackson were 1,000 point scorers with the program, while McAlister finishes third all time on the program’s all-time Division I blocks list.
The Seawolves’ season has now officially ended. They will return next fall, playing in a brand new arena, and once again trying to nail down the program’s first America East championship and berth in the NCAA tournament.
