Seawolves Men’s Hoops Drops Opener To Columbia, 73-66
-Stony Brook Athletics
Stony Brook – The Stony Brook men’s basketball team battled back late, but was unable to get by Columbia, falling 73-66 in the season opener at Island Federal Credit Union Arena Friday night. The Seawolves unveiled their banners honoring their America East regular season and tournament championships, as well as their NCAA Tournament appearance last season prior to the game.
Boals’ Reaction
“I was disappointed about how we came out in the second half. We talked at halftime about being down two, coming out and getting a stop, and they proceeded to score on the next 10 out of 12 possessions. We were doing what they wanted,” said head coach Jeff Boals after the game. “Once we amped our pressure up it was a different ball game. I loved the fight of our guys. The way they came back and competed after being down 13 points. We tied it up at 65 and the kid hit a tough shot with the shot clock running down to burst the bubble, but our guys really competed.”
Highlights
- Akwasi Yeboah (Chigwell, England) helped get things going for Stony Brook, scoring the team’s first five points of the game. The Seawolves remained in control until there was 7:57 left in the first half.
- Columbia led by as many as six points in the first half, but it was a two-point game at the break.
- A steady push by the Lions to open the second half resulted in a double-digit lead just after the first media timeout.
- A pair of free throws from Lucas Woodhouse (Greenlawn, N.Y.) started a 10-2 run by the Seawolves that got them back within three with 5:41 remaining.
- Stony Brook kept it within two possessions in the final minutes, and three straight buckets by the Seawolves in less than a minute tied things at 65 with 2:22 left to play.
- A desperation three from Columbia’s Mike Smith at the end of the shot clock, and with 16 seconds on the game clock, would prove to be the difference-maker.
Notes
- Tyrell Sturdivant (Chester, Pa.) notched the second double-double of his career with 11 points and 10 rebounds in the game after a scoreless first half.
- Roland Nyama (Frankfurt, Germany) led the way for the Seawolves with 16 points off the bench.
- Yeboah finished with 11 points and seven boards in his collegiate debut.
- The Seawolves now move to 9-9 in season openers since moving up to Division I.
- The loss to Columbia is the first non-conference loss for the Seawolves in Island Federal Credit Union Arena.
Next Up
Stony Brook will have the week off and return to the court on Sunday, Nov. 20, kicking off a four-game road swing with a 1 p.m. game against Boston College.
Photos: Stony Brook Athletics-Jim Harrison | Cover Photo: Lucas Woodhouse during team introduction at Island Federal Credit Union Arena on the Stony Brook campus on Saturday night. Story photo: Akwasi Yeboah works his way around a a Columbia defender.
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