Seawolves Men Head To Hofstra On Tuesday Night
-Stony Brook Athletics
Hempstead – The Stony Brook men’s basketball team heads to Hofstra Tuesday night after wrapping up a four-game homestand over the weekend. The Seawolves look to bounce back on the road after falling in a nail-biter against Rutgers on Saturday night. Redshirt freshman Akwasi Yeboah had a big week for Stony Brook, resulting in America East Rookie of the Week honors after averaging 17.0 points and 4.5 rebounds through two games.
NOTEWORTHY
– The Seawolves shot 54-percent from beyond the arc against Northeastern and have made a season-best 13 threes in two of the last three games.
– Redshirt freshman Akwasi Yeboah returned to double figures, scoring 16 points in the win over Lehigh, and followed it up with a season-best 18 points against Rutgers.
– Senior Lucas Woodhouse matched his Stony Brook career best for the second time in three games when he scored 17 points in the win over Northeastern. He set a new career best, going 12-for-12 from the free throw line in the win over Lehigh.
– Tyrell Sturdivant got out to a hot start to the season and has been one of the most consistent scorers for the Seawolves this season. He leads the team in rebounding and is second in scoring.
– Junior Roland Nyama made his first start of the year against Hampton and has scored in double figures three times through five starts.
– Junior Bryan Sekunda gave Stony Brook a big lift off the bench against Northeastern as he went 4-for-5 from beyond the arc en-route to a 12-point night.
– The Seawolves have had the same or fewer turnovers than their opponent in eight of the nine games this season, limiting themselves to single-digit mishaps in two of the last three games.
THE OPPONENT
Hofstra returns home to host the Seawolves on a quick turnaround, after falling to No. 6 Kentucky, 96-73, at the Barclays Center Sunday afternoon. Deron Powers led three Hofstra players in double figures with 18 points against the Wildcats. Prior to the game in Brooklyn, the Pride snapped a four-game winning streak with an 81-75 loss to St. Bonaventure at home. Hofstra is 6-5 on the year, 2-1 at home this season. Despite averaging just over 79 points per game, the Pride also allows the same amount.
THE SERIES
Hofstra leads the all-time series 8-4. The two teams first met in 1999 in Hempstead, N.Y. Stony Brook took the most recent match up last season, topping the Pride 71-68 at Island Federal Credit Union Arena. The Seawolves have gone 1-1 so far this season against teams in the CAA, falling to Towson on the road and later topping Northeastern at home.
LAST TIME OUT
It was a battle to the very end, but the Seawolves came up short against Rutgers, 71-66. Junior Roland Nyama hit a long three on Stony Brook’s first possession to get things going, but the two teams traded baskets early on. Seven straight points for the Seawolves helped them control the tempo in the first half. Rutgers was able to get back within one by the halftime break.
Stony Brook again started play with a make from beyond the arc, as junior UC Iroegbu connected from three to begin the second half. Senior Lucas Woodhouse followed it up with a three of his own the next time down the floor to force an early timeout by the Scarlet Knights.
The Seawolves tacked on two more buckets to earn their largest lead of the night, up 10 in the opening minutes of the second half. A lull for Stony Brook midway through the half lost Stony Brook the lead and a 15-0 run by the Scarlet Knights gave them a six-point lead by the under-eight media timeout.
Rutgers hit a dry spell of its own late in the game as it went the final 7:59 of regulation without a field goal, but it was able to make 10 free throws during that span.
Stony Brook took advantage of the lull working its way back within one with 2:01 left to play, and saw a potential game-tying three from the corner go in-and-out with three seconds on the clock.
YEBOAH NAMED AE ROOKIE OF THE WEEK
Redshirt freshman Akwasi Yeboah had a big week of play, averaging 17.0 points and 4.5 rebounds through the 1-1 week for the Seawolves. After scoring a season best 16 points, also adding six rebounds, in the win over Lehigh, Yeboah upped his number as he put up 18 in a nail-biter again Rutgers.
FROM THE CHARITY STRIPE
Senior Lucas Woodhouse leads the team and the America East from the free throw line, shooting 95-percent from the line on the year. Woodhouse made 28 consecutive free throws and has gone 29-for-30 from the charity stripe over the last five games. He went 8-for-8 in the final 1:38 of the win over Northeastern, before setting a new career best the next game with 12 makes on 12 attempts against Lehigh.
Photo: Stony Brook Athletics-Jim Harrison | Roland Nyama and his teammates react to the action on the court this past Saturday night against Rutgers University.
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