STONY BROOK, N.Y. -- The Stony Brook men's basketball team finishes its record-setting non-conference schedule on Saturday night, facing off against Northern Iowa at the McLeod Center in Cedar Falls. Having already set the Division I program record with 11, the Seawolves go for their 12th non-conference win in 15 games, a feat last achieved when the program won the Skyline Conference title in the 1990-91 season.
The Seawolves are coming off a 76-73 victory over Quinnipiac six days ago in which redshirt-sophomore
Andrew Garcia (Harlem, N.Y.) tallied 19 points, a team-high, in a career-high 37 minutes of action and senior
Jaron Cornish (Abaco, Bahamas) chipped in 15 to hold off a late Bobcats rally.
THE OPPONENT
The Panthers close out their non-conference schedule on Saturday as well, entering the Saturday night contest with a 5-7 record. They snapped a two-game slide on the Saturday before the holiday, knocking off North Dakota 64-62 in Cedar Falls. Shandon Goldman recorded a double-double on the night, scoring 16 points and hauling in 11 rebounds, leading the team in both categories. Trae Berhow added four threes and made the game-sealing steal as time expired to secure the victory.
AJ Green is the team's lone double-figure scorer, averaging 15.1 points per game in 12 starts this season. Wyatt Lohaus has started 10 of his 12 appearances, shooting .356 percent from beyond the arc. The Panthers are second in the Missouri Valley Conference, averaging just 12.8 turnovers per game. They're also second in the Valley with a .731 team percentage from the free throw line.
THE SERIES
The two programs have never met on the basketball floor, however both were members of the 2016 NCAA Tournament. The Panthers advanced to the second round thanks to a half-court buzzer-beater against Texas.
BOARD BULLIES
Entering Thursday's action, the Seawolves ranked fourth in the country in total rebounds with 562 on the season, averaging 40.1 per game. Both numbers lead the conference, as does the team's 6.9 rebounding margin. The team is rebounding 36 percent of its own shots, ranking 25th in the country in offensive rebounding percentage, according to KenPom.
NEW KIDS ON THE SCHEDULE
The Panthers of Northern Iowa will be Stony Brook's fourth and final new team that it will face during the 2018-19 regular season. Entering the year, the Seawolves had not faced South Carolina, Quinnipiac or Molloy and won all four meetings with these teams this season.
ICE IN HIS VEINS
Cold weather does not bother freshman Miles Latimer, as he's scored in double figures in each of his seven December appearances, including a career-high 22 points against Hofstra. During this seven-game stretch, he is averaging 14.6 points per game and is on fire from long range, shooting 17-for-33 from beyond the arc.Â
ELI IS EVERYWHERE
Sophomore Elijah Olaniyi has made an impact in all facets of the game in his last four appearances. Along with highlight reel blocks against LIU Brooklyn
and Hofstra, the Newark, N.J. native has averaged 10.8 points, 4.3 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game, along with a pair of steals last Wednesday night against Hofstra. He is also shooting the ball efficiently, coming in at 18-for-41 through the last four outings.
RECORD START
Stony Brook won its 11th non-conference game on Sunday afternoon, breaking the D1 record for most wins before conference play. The Seawolves last won 11 non-conference games in the 1990-91 season when they won the Skyline Conference after going 23-4 and 9-1 in conference play.
NO-TCHERE
Sophomore Jeff Otchere has blocked multiple shots in each of his last four games and five of his last six, averaging 2.1 per game entering the weekend. He is tied for the league lead with 29 on the season. According to KenPom, his block percentage is 14.2 percent, ranking 11th in the country and his 29 total blocks are good for 18th nationally entering Thursday's action.
CARDIAC SEAWOLVES
Of Stony Brook's 11 wins this season, only one has come by more than 10 points. Along with that, Stony Brook has completed a pair of second-half comebacks in which they were down by double figures, including a 12-point rally against LIU Brooklyn. The team's five wins in the month of December have come by a combined margin of 30 points.
UP NEXT
The Seawolves open conference play on January 5 with a trip to Lowell, Mass. on the docket to play UMass Lowell. Tip is scheduled for 1 p.m. on Saturday afternoon.
