Stony Brook’s men’s basketball team picked up its fourth straight victory Sunday, beating Div. III Mount Ida by a score of 95-40.
“We took care of business,” said Stony Brook’s head coach Stephen Pikiell.
In the first half, Stony Brook thumped the Mustangs, outscoring the visitors 52-25. Mount Ida was held to 28.1% shooting, while the Seawovles shot 52.8% in the half.
Junior Muhammad El-Amin led all scorers in the half, as he tallied 18 points on 6-7 shooting, including 4-4 from three-point land.
“El-Amin scores in a lot different ways,” Pikiell said. “He loves to shoot and he’s been working hard on his game in the gym.”
In the second half, Stony Brook continued its dominance, as the team out-scored the Mustangs 43-15. The Seawolves went on a 11-0 run to start the half, and added a 15-0 run later on to increase its lead to 90-35.
Mount Ida was held to 21.7 % shooting in the half, finishing 25.5 % for the game. To add to their woes, the Mustangs had 24 turnovers, compared to the Seawolves’ 9.
El-Amin ended as the high scorer for the game with a career high 22 points, while freshman Bryan Dougher and junior Jonathan Moore added 12 points each.
Newcomer Desmond Adedeji, a 6-9, 298 pound junior transfer from Dayton played in his second game as a Seawolf and added six points, four rebounds, and led the team in the blocks category with four in his 15 minutes.
“Desmond is a guy who has great hands, clogs the lanes, and adds size to our team,” Pikiell said.
Overall the Seawolves shot 33-68 (48.5%) from the field, including 10-21 (47.6%) from three-point land.
Although the Seawolves were going against a lesser opponent, Pikiell was happy with his teams’ offense performance.
“A jump shot is a jump shot,” Pikiell said. “It gives the guys the comfort to know they can hit their shots.”
The victory gives the Seawolves a 5-3 record on the season, their best start since the 2002-2003 season. The next game for Stony Brook is this Wednesday, where the Seawolves will host Long Island Rival Hofstra, who is 6-1 to start its season.
“We’re going to be facing a tough team who is on a six game winning streak,” Pikiell said.
But Pikiell has a secret weapon this year. Pritchard Gym.
“I love Pritchard. It’s brighter, louder, and the guys shoot on these rims every day,” Pikiell said. “The fans are closer to the game, and they give us a home-court advantage.”
