Three Seawolves starters scored in double figures as the Stony Brook men’s basketball team defeated the University of Maryland, Baltimore County Retrievers, 69-59, on Monday at Pritchard Gymnasium.

Bryan Dougher, Eric McAlister and Marcus Rouse  lead the team in points.  Rouse (Upper Marlboro, Md.) had a strong night, finishing with 12 points along with five rebounds and two blocked shots.

The Seawolves came out firing to start the game with an early 8-0 run.  Freshman McAlister (Hightstown, N.J.) played strong in the first with a steal, a block and  two uncontested dunks. He finished the game with a career-high 12 points.

Despite Stony Brook’s strong start and a 10-point halftime lead, 12 turnovers allowed UMBC to hang around before the Seawolves eventually pulled away in the second half.

Both teams relied heavily on their deep shooting, with a combined 49 shots taken from behind the arc.  Dougher (Scotch Plains, N.J.) led all scorers with 19 points, including five three-pointers.  His three with 2:11 left in the second half gave Stony Brook a five-point lead.

UMBC started out flat and tried to play catch-up the entire game.  Shooting only 30 percent from the floor, the Retrievers were led by guard Chris de La Rosa, who finished with 12 points on 3-14 shooting, and Chase Plummer, who had 13 points on 5-12 shooting.

With this win, Stony Brook moves to 4-5 in the America East, tying  with Albany for 5th place in the conference.  They move to 9-12 overall with seven games left, including a nationally televised game against Albany on ESPN.

The Seawolves play at home next as they take on Boston University (10-13) on Friday, Feb. 4 at 7 p.m. in Pritchard Gym.