Looking to extend a two-game win streak at Albany on Monday night, the Stony Brook men’s basketball team fell short against the Albany Great Danes, 58-43, at the SEFCU Arena in Albany, N.Y.
Poor Stony Brook shooting combined with suffocating Albany defense left Stony Brook shooting just 30 percent for the game.
What started as a competitive game and a one-point Albany lead at halftime quickly became a double-digit lead for Albany when Stony Brook opened the second half ice-cold from the field.
A six-minute scoring drought by Stony Brook allowed Albany to score several unanswered baskets, pushing the lead to double digits, where it would stay.
Sophomore Leonard Hayes (Voorhees, NJ) continued his four-game double-digit scoring streak on Monday, finishing with 18 points on 7-of-16 shooting, including 3-of-7 from behind the arc.
After getting almost no playing time through the first half of the season, Coach Pikiell has started to give Hayes extended run in the second half of the season. He has responded with big numbers, providing a much needed spark for the offensively challenged Seawolves.
Junior Bryan Dougher (Scotch Plains, NJ), Stony Brook’s only consistent double-digit scorer at around 13 points per game, struggled to find his shot and good looks all game. He finished the game with 3 points on 1-of-9 shooting.
To make matters worse for the Seawolves, starting forward Dallas Joyner came down awkwardly on his left ankle early in the second half after grabbing an offensive rebound. He would later return to the game after being checked on, finishing with 8 points and 6 rebounds.
The Seawolves already without senior Chris Martin and junior Tommy Brenton, who is out for the season.
For the Great Danes, senior guard Tim Ambrose led all scorers with 22 points on 7-of-12 shooting. Although Stony Brook was able to capitalize on Albany’s many early turnovers, the Great Danes played tough defense giving Stony Brook very few good looks to knock shots down.
With this loss, Stony Brook falls to 6-8 in the American East conference, 11-15 overall.
Next up for the Seawolves is the Manhattan Jaspers (5-21) of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference. This game will take place on Saturday, February 19th at 2 p.m. in Pritchard Gym. From there, the Seawolves will take on Hartford and then Binghamton to conclude the season.
