Final Stats

TICKETS TO SUNDAY VS. USMMA

Hempstead, N.Y. - Junior Jameel Warney (Plainfield, N.J.) absolutely dominated Hofstra with a game-high 26 points and 14 rebounds, but Dion Nesmith's jumper with 1.6 seconds remaining lifted the Pride past the Stony Brook men's basketball team, 66-65, in a thrilling game at the Mack Sports Complex Friday.

In the first meeting between the two Long Island schools in six years, it was a back-and-forth, must-watch game that featured 17 lead changes and seven ties.

Head Coach Steve Pikiell's Reaction
"Give credit to Hofstra. Their guy made a heck of a play at the end. They were one point better today. But I like my team. We're as young as can be. We're going to get better, and we're going to be real good. I'm excited about how hard we played. We outrebounded them, and we're going to be a good basketball team."

Turning Point
The game came down to the final five minutes, which featured a wild eight lead changes. Warney's domination in the second half, which featured 17 points, gave the #Seawolves a seven-point lead, 61-54. He scored 11 straight Stony Brook points from 12:23 to 7:03.

But the Pride responded with back-to-back three-pointers, including a four-point play by Brian Bernardi after a foul on the three-point shot. The game was tied 61-61 with 3:23 on the clock.

From there, the teams traded blows with each other. Nesmith hit a layup with 33 seconds remaining to give the Pride a 64-63 lead. Then the #Seawolves executed a great play when junior Carson Puriefoy (Wenonah, N.J.) went over the top to feed Warney in the post, and the big guy executed the perfect layup with 9.2 seconds to go to give Stony Brook the 65-64 edge.

So it came down to Hofstra and the final possession of the game. The Pride got the ball to Nesmith, who was heavily defended, but he got to the top of the free throw line and hit the game-winning shot. Stony Brook's desperation heave missed the mark.

Inside the Numbers

• Stony Brook shot a season-high 52.9% from the field and went 7-for-8 from the line, but was only 2-for-9 from the three-point line.
• The #Seawolves outrebounded Hofstra by a wide margin, 36-19. This included 12 offensive rebounds that led to 13 second chance points.
• Hofstra shot 48.2% for the game, but only 50% from the free throw line and 25% from behind the arc.
• Stony Brook was plagued by turnovers, committing 19 that turned into 27 Pride points.
• Warney was a beast with 26 points and 14 rebounds. The 26 points are the second-highest of his career. He put in 17 of the 26 in the second half.
• Warney's double-double was his fourth consecutive, dating back to the final game of the 2013-14 season. He is the only player in Stony Brook's Div. I history to ever record three straight double-doubles, a feat he accomplished at the start of last season as well.
• It was Warney's sixth career 20-point game, 20th career 10-rebound game and 18th career double-double.
• Junior Rayshaun McGrew (Chicago, Ill.) scored 13 points and grabbed seven rebounds.
• Freshman Deshaun Thrower (Muskegon, Mich.) was 4-for-5 from the field for nine points.

News & Notes

• This was the first meeting between Stony Brook and Hofstra, two schools located only 35 miles apart, since Dec. 10, 2008. Hofstra now leads the all-time series 19-4.
• Stony Brook has outrebounded its opponent in three straight games to open the season.

Up Next
Stony Brook has little time to rest as it will host the United States Merchant Marine Academy Sunday afternoon at Island Federal Credit Union Arena at 2 p.m. The game will be available on AmericaEast.TV, and tickets are available by calling (631) 632-WOLF or visiting StonyBrookAthletics.com/tickets. The game will feature the return of former Stony Brook men's basketball 1,000-point scorer Steve Hayn, who is now the USMMA head coach.