STONY BROOK, N.Y. -- The Stony Brook men's basketball team is set for its sixth straight post season appearance as it travels to Chicago to take on UIC in the opening round of the College Basketball Invitational presented by FIVE FOUR on Thursday night. The Seawolves are in search of their first post season victory since the 2012-13 season, while the Flames are making their first post-season appearance since that same season, as well their first CBI appearance.
NOTEWORTHY
- This marks the sixth straight year the Seawolves have participated in the post season and the third time in that span it has played in the CBI.
- Lucas Woodhouse made it back-to-back 20-plus point games in the AE Playoffs after scoring 24 in the quarterfinal against Binghamton and adding 25 in the semifinal game against Albany.
- Lucas Woodhouse dished out three assists in the game against Albany to match the Stony Brook single-season record (158).
- Akwasi Yeboah helped lead the Seawolves with a career day against Binghamton in the quarterfinals, notching 21 points and 16 assists for his second double-double of the year. He has scored in double figures in four of the last five games.
- Roland Nyama closed out the regular season averaging 16.6 points and 5.3 rebounds through the last seven games.
- Tyrell Sturdivant finished the regular season averaging 11.1 points and 5.3 rebounds per game in league play.
- Bryan Sekunda notched his fifth double-digit scoring game of the season with 14 off a bench that outscored Hartford's 34-2.
- Stony Brook has limited itself to single-digit turnovers 11 times this season, committing 10 or fewer on 19 occasions, sitting at 29th in the nation in turnover margin.
- Stony Brook has seen 12 of its 31 games so far this season be decided in the final minute of play.
THE OPPONENT
The Flames enter the post season with a 15-18 record on the year and finished sixth in the Horizon League. After dropping their last four games of the regular season, they upset three-seed Green Bay in the quarterfinals of the Horizon League Tournament before falling to 10-seed Milwaukee in the semifinals. UIC is led by Tai Odiase, who averages 11.1 points, 7.1 rebounds and 2.9 blocks per game. He was named the Horizon League Defensive Player of the Year and currently sits fifth in the nation in blocks per game and fourth in total blocks (97). As a team, UIC ranks 20th in the nation in blocks (5.2) and 76th in rebounding margin (3.4). Freshmen Tarkus Ferguson and Dominique Matthews also earned conference post-season honors, both being named to the League's All-Rookie Team. Ferguson has started every game this season and leads the team with 151 assists. This is the Flames' first time playing in the CBI and first post season appearance since the 2012-13 season. They have previously played in the NCAA Tournament, NIT and CIT.
THE SERIES
This is the first meeting between the two schools. UIC is the first Horizon League team the Seawolves have faced this season. They sit at 2-3 all-time against teams currently in the Horizon League, having faced Cleveland State, Detroit and Wisconsin-Milwaukee.
LAST TIME OUT
The Seawolves advanced to the America East Playoff semifinals for the eight straight season, but came up short, falling to Albany, 63-56. The two teams traded buckets early on with neither team leading by more than a possession until the final minute of the half.
Albany used a 12-2 run to close out the first and head into the break with an eight-point lead after five ties and eight lead changes in the opening period.
Junior Roland Nyama seemed to take back the momentum, scoring in the first nine seconds of the new half. Junior Junior Saintel threw down a lob from Woodhouse on the next possession to keep the energy in Stony Brook's corner.
A technical foul on the Stony Brook bench awarded the Great Danes five quick points after a pair of free throws were followed by a Devonte Campbell three, putting Albany up double figures for the first time in the game.
The Seawolves did not back down and put together a 10-0 run over a three-minute span, capped off by a three from redshirt freshman Akwasi Yeboah to make it a three-point game.
Stony Brook kept the difference within two possessions until the eight-minute mark. Woodhouse responded with four quick points to make it a four-point game and later drained a three with 4:29 on the clock to get the Seawolves within two. A pair of free throws from Nyama with 3:41 remaining got the difference back to two, but that's as close as the Seawolves got the rest of the way.
SEAWOLVES IN THE POST SEASON
Stony Brook is participating in its sixth straight post season. It is 1-5 all-time in post-season play, with its first win coming at UMass, 71-58, in 2013 in the NIT.
Last season the Seawolves claimed both the regular season and America East Tournament titles to earn their first trip to the NCAA Tournament, but fell to one-seed Kentucky, 85-57. Stony Brook has also participated in the NIT ('13, '12) and CBI ('15, '14), since moving to the Division I level for the 1999-2000 season.
ALL-CONFERENCE HONORS
Five Seawolves were honored as the America East announced its post season awards following the conclusion of the regular season. Senior Lucas Woodhouse led the group earning All-America East First Team honors. Junior Tyrell Sturdivant was named to the third team, while redshirt freshman Akwasi Yeboah garnered All-Rookie team accolades. Junior Roland Nyama was named to the All-Defensive team and junior Bryan Sekunda was named the to league's All-Academic team for the second straight season.
TWENTY-PLUS
Woodhouse has been a leader for the Seawolves all season, especially on the offensive end. He strung together four-straight 20-plus point games against the top five teams in the America East. Woodhouse has surpassed the 20-point mark nine times this season, most recently notching the mark in each of Stony Brook's America East Playoff games.
HELPING HAND
Woodhouse finished the regular season leading the America East and is 46th in the nation with 5.1 assists per game. Woodhouse also sits at 40th in the country in assist-turnover ratio (2.59). He has had at least one assist in every game he has played at Stony Brook and recently matched the program's single-season record (158) with three assists in the semifinal game against Albany. He currently ranks sixth on the all-time career list with 272 through two seasons.
