Dec. 12, 2007
Box Score
HEMPSTEAD, N.Y. -- Senior Ricky Lucas (Herndon, Va.) scored a team-high 19 points to lead four Seawolves in double-figures as the Stony Brook men's basketball team built a 22-point lead and then hung on late for its second straight victory, an exciting 77-74 victory over the Hofstra Pride on Wednesday night at the Mack Sports Complex. Stony Brook improves to 3-7 with victory while Hofstra falls to 1-5.
"I'm obviously very proud of my team," Stony Brook head coach Steve Pikiell said. "We kept our composure down the stretch and beat a very good Hofstra team."
Stony Brook took its largest lead of the game at 44-22 with 14:43 remaining on a lay-up from freshman Jermol Paul (Palm Beach, Fla.). But the Pride slowly chipped away at the lead and eventually pulled within two on three occasions. The last time came with seven seconds left when Antoine Agudio hit the second of two free throws with seven seconds remaining to make it 76-74.
Hofstra then fouled Lucas with six seconds to go and the senior hit the second of two free throws to push the lead to three. The Pride pushed the ball up-court but Charles Jenkins three from the right-side hit the back rim and the Seawolves escaped with their third victory in four games.
Junior Nick Carter (Huntington Station, N.Y.) tallied a season-high 14 points for the Seawolves while senior Mitchell Beauford (Queens, N.Y.) added 15. Agudio, the nation's leading scorer entering the game, scored 24 but was harassed into seven of 21 shooting by SBU who set season-highs for points (77) and field goal percentage (51.9 percent).
The Seawolves scored eight of the first 10 points to open the game and took a 16-4 nearly midway through the first half on lay-in by junior Demetrius Young (Sacramento, Calif.). Hofstra would close within 16-10 but Stony Brook then went on a 17-3 run capped by a Carter three that gave SBU a 33-13 lead with 2:25 remaining in the half.
Stony Brook shot 52 percent from the field in the first half while forcing the Pride into 15 turnovers and 20 percent shooting. Carter was terrific in the opening stanza, scoring 12 of his 14 points on five of six shooting.
SBU continued it's strong play to open the second half as Lucas knocked down a three and then junior Eddie Castellanos (Hoboken, N.J.) hit Young streaking down the floor for a dunk that gave the Seawolves a 38-19 lead and forced a Hofstra timeout.
The Pride scored the next three points out of the timeout but the Seawolves responded with back-to-back hoops from freshman Jermol Paul (Palm Beach, Fla.) and Lucas to make it 42-22 and another Paul hoop gave SBU the 44-22 lead.
Paul finished the game with 10 points and a season-high five rebounds for Stony Brook who struggled from the line, shooting just 58.1 percent (18-for-31).
The Seawolves return to action on Saturday, traveling to take on FDU at 7 p.m.
