STONY BROOK, N.Y. – The Stony Brook men's basketball team took a big step towards favorable America East Playoffs positioning on Wednesday night, knocking off third-place UMBC 78-63 in front of 2,790 fans at Island Federal Arena.
The Seawolves had five players score in double figures for just the second time this season, led by redshirt-junior
Akwasi Yeboah (Chigwell, England) who finished the night with 16 points and nine rebounds. Sophomore
Elijah Olaniyi (Newark, N.J.) and redshirt-sophomore
Andrew Garcia (Harlem, N.Y.) were the next two highest on the scoreboard, chipping in 15 and 14, respectively.
BOALS' REACTION
"I thought we came in with a great mindset and a great sense of urgency. Our guys bent but they didn't break like they have all year. The start to the second half wasn't ideal, but our guys stayed poised and got the lead back to 10. Very proud of our selflessness tonight, having five guys in double figures and moving the ball like we needed to was a big key to the game."
HIGHLIGHTS
- In what would become a theme of the game, six different Seawolves scored to get the offense going, as the home team would hold its first 10-point lead at 16-6 with 13:48 to play in the half.
- The lead ballooned to 14 in the next 2:30, with Garcia scoring five of the eight during the stretch that rose the advantage up to 24-10.
- UMBC's deficit went down to nine, its smallest point of the half, on a Brandon Horvath layup with 6:12 to play.
- Stony Brook outscored the Retrievers 11-9 over the final 6:12 to have a double-figure advantage going into the break.
- The lead was down to three inside of five minutes into the second half, with Joe Sherburne's layup making it 42-39 with 15:23 to play in the period.
- The Seawolves immediately responded with a 6-0 run over a 2:29 span, with a Garcia three and a trio of free throws aiding the spurt.
- UMBC again rallied, bringing the Seawolves' lead to 60-54 on a Ricky Council three, the first of the game for the Retrievers.
- Stony Brook's 7-0 run in a 1:31 span quickly put the game out of reach, sending the Seawolves to a 13-point advantage.
NOTES
- The Seawolves' hold on the second seed became stronger, with the magic number down to one to clinch a top two seed.
- The other time Stony Brook have five in double figures was at South Carolina on November 9.
- Stony Brook is now 18-0 when leading at halftime.
- Yeboah's 16-point effort marks the fifth consecutive night when he has scored in double figures and the 26th time this season he has reached the mark.
- Olaniyi and senior Jaron Cornish (Abaco, Bahamas) did it for the second consecutive night.
- The Seawolves are now 22-for-50 from beyond the arc in the last two games.
- As a team, Stony Brook eclipsed the 50 percent mark from the field for the second consecutive night and the fourth time this season.
- UMBC finished the night 1-for-20 from three-point land, the worst percentage by a Stony Brook opponent this season.
- Stony Brook outrebounded the Retrievers by 12, the seventh consecutive game it has bested its opponent on the glass. The average rebound margin during this span is 9.1.
- The Seawolves finished the regular season 10-3 at Island Federal Arena.
UP NEXT
Stony Brook continues to vie for the No. 1 seed and the America East Regular Season Championship on Saturday night, when they head to Burlington, Vt. To take on the Catamounts. Tip is scheduled for 7 p.m. at Patrick Gymnasium.
For an inside look at the Seawolves, be sure to follow the team on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
