STONY BROOK, N.Y. — Stony Brook men's basketball coach Geno Ford had been concerned about how his team would respond in its first action in nearly three weeks.

Unfortunately for the Seawolves, they were handed their first America East loss on Saturday.

New Hampshire rallied to defeat Stony Brook, 81-64, at Island Federal Arena.

The Seawolves (6-5, 4-1 AE) had a five-game winning streak snapped.

The Wildcats used an 11-0 second-half run to take a 59-53 lead and ultimately opened a 17-point advantage.

Stony Brook had led by as many as 13 points during the first half.

"I thought the second was clearly a disaster," Ford said. 

The contest marked Stony Brook's first game action in 20 days. The team had paused while following COVID protocols.

Jayden Martinez's three-pointer with 11:56 remaining pulled UNH even at 48.

Stony Brook then regained a five-point advantage on Omar Habwe's three-pointer and Mohamed Diallo's jumper. But the Widcats' 11-0 scoring spurt ensued.

"They are super physical," Ford said. "They came into the game the leading rebounding team, the leading fouling team [in America East]. So you know that they're going to pursue the ball. They're going to body you. Whether that wore on us and we were physically tired in the second half, or we just weren't mentally tough enough to sustain it for 40 minutes, we can all debate that, as I'm sure the coaches will all night."

Frankie Policelli (12 points), Mouhamadou Gueye (12) and Juan Felix Rodriguez (10) all scored in double-figures in the defeat. Rodriguez also contributed five rebounds and five assists.

The Seawolves played without Jaden Sayles, who is expected to return Sunday.

"He's done workouts, but he's not done live in terms of five-on-five," Ford said. "I have no idea what to expect cardio-wise. ... He'll give us what he can."

The teams again meet on Sunday at 2 p.m. at Island Federal Arena.