CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – Hitting nearly 50 percent of its shots from the field, the Stony Brook men's basketball program won its second game at the Islander Invitational, defeating Texas-Rio Grande Valley 69-58 at the American Bank Center on Saturday night.
 
Sophomore Elijah Olaniyi (Newark, N.J.) led the game with 20 points on 6-for-9 shooting, including 3-for-4 from long range. Redshirt juniors Andrew Garcia (Harlem, N.Y.) and Makale Foreman (Kingsport, Tenn.) had 16 and 14, respectively.
 
FORD'S REACTION
"We played really hard and responded with good physicality in back to back games. I also felt it was a very good team victory.  Elijah and Drew played a high level game and Makale hit some big shots down the stretch.  I also felt Jordan really handled the ball well and kept the game at a great tempo."

FLOW OF THE GAME

• Stony Brook grabbed the first five points of the night on a layup from Olaniyi and a three from Garcia.
• The Seawolves' first double-figure advantage came at the 11:20 mark of the first half after Olaniyi's three.
• UTRGV brought the lead as low as four in the half but could never get closer in the period.
• After Stony Brook had an eight-point lead at the break, UTRGV cut the Seawolves' advantage down to two at 39-37 four minutes into the second half.
• Three straight triples distanced the Seawolves again, as Olaniyi and Foreman combined to go back to back to back from deep.
• UTRGV got as close as six but Stony Brook was able to keep their distance the rest of the way.

STATS AND NOTES

• For the second time in three games, Olaniyi cracked the 20-point mark.
• The three double-figure scorers combined to shoot 16-28 from the field and 8-for-12 from deep.
• Stony Brook had eight steals on the night, including four from Garcia.
• Junior Mouhamadou Gueye (Staten Island, N.Y.) hit three of his five shots from the field, finishing with eight points.
• The Seawolves hit 10 threes as a team.

UP NEXT
The last game of the Islander Invitational will be tomorrow, as the Seawolves take on reigning Summit League Champion North Dakota State at 2 p.m. Eastern.
 
This game is the midpoint of a five-game road trip. The Seawolves return home on December 2 to take on Manhattan at Island Federal Arena, the first of three games at home in December. Get your tickets now!
 
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