After 18 consecutive missed shots, it was clear that UMBC was simply outmatched against the Stony Brook Men’s Basketball team. The Seawolves put on a stout defensive display as they won their 17th straight game, 75-52.
Senior forward and reigning America East Defensive Player of the Year Jameel Warney locked down the paint in Baltimore. The Retrievers attempted to score close to the basket, but Warney’s three blocks put a stop to their plans.
Warney was not the only force to be reckoned with on defense. Junior guard Lucas Woodhouse had three steals, including one that led to a fast break in the opening minutes that allowed senior forward Rayshaun McGrew to score a layup and extend the Seawolves’ lead to 7-4.
It looked as if the Retrievers were lost on offense. From the perimeter, UMBC only made one 3-point shot while attempting 11. The team’s leading scorer, sophomore guard Jairus Lyles, was held to 13 points, going 3-for-17 from the field after averaging 25.4 points per game before the contest.
The Seawolves contested shots throughout the game. Stony Brook blocked the ball seven times at the end of the night.
UMBC’s most consistent offense came at the end of the game, when it went on a 10-3 run to cut Stony Brook’s lead down to 23 points, but at that point the matchup was out of reach.
On the offensive side of the ball, the Seawolves often looked to pass the ball into the post. Warney was on the receiving end of several passes as he scored 22 points on a 75 percent shooting night. McGrew got into some of the action as well, scoring eight of his 12 points in the first half.
Stony Brook scored 36 points in the paint and grabbed 41 boards, 11 of which were offensive. The team scored 10 second chance points off of those 11 offensive rebounds.
Junior guard Ahmad Walker recorded his seventh double-double of the season, and his second in a row, as he scored 15 points and grabbed 10 rebounds. Walker got to the free throw line seven times in the game and scored six points from the charity stripe.
Senior guard Carson Puriefoy came back to score 10 points in the second after spending the majority of the first half on the bench due to foul trouble. His biggest contribution came from behind the 3-point arc, as he shot 3-for-4 for the night from long range.
Stony Brook will put its nation-best winning streak on the line when they play New Hampshire in Island Federal Credit Union Arena on on Feb. 14. The Seawolves blew out the Wildcats 80-50 on the road earlier this season.
