KINGSTON, R.I. – Despite holding Rhode Island without a field goal for the final 3:17 of the game, Stony Brook men's basketball ultimately fell to the Rams, 74-64, on Tuesday night at the Ryan Center.
Senior guard
Tyler Stephenson-Moore paced the Seawolves in scoring with a season-high 16 points on 5-of-10 from the field, 3-of-7 from three-point range and 3-of-3 from the free-throw line. He also added three rebounds, an assist and a steal.
Freshman point guard
Toby Onyekonwu recorded the best game of his career so far. He finished with a career-high 13 points, 3-for-6 from the field and 7-for-8 from the free-throw line. He also totaled four rebounds, three assists and a steal.
Stony Brook came out strong and struck first when graduate center
Keenan Fitzmorris dished the ball to Onyekonwu who converted the jump shot outside of the paint. Rhode Island fought back with a 6-0 run early in the first half which led to a 6-2 lead for the Rams.
Stephenson-Moore and freshman center
Rocco Muratori made back-to-back jump shots with 15:33 to go in the first half to regain control, 10-6. However, the four-point margin would mark the Seawolves' largest and last lead for the contest as the Rams would go on to take control for the remainder of the game.
With 4:09 left to play in the second half, graduate forward Frankie Policielli drilled a step back three-pointer and fought through contact, which cut Stony Brook's deficit back to four points.
STATS AND NOTES
- Stony Brook had three players score in double figures (Stephenson-Moore, Onyekonwu, Policelli).
- Muratori scored for the first time in his career with a turnaround floater inside the paint in the first half.
- Onyekonwu recorded the best game of his career so far. He finished with a career-high 13 points, 3-for-6 from the field and 7-for-8 from the free-throw line
- Fitzmorris tallied eight points on 4-of-5 shooting from the field and pulled down four rebounds in 26 minutes of play.
- Stephenson-Moore accounted for three of the team's three-pointers. Policelli and sophomore guard Kaine Roberts each drained one.
- Stony Brook's starting five scored 51 of the team's 64 points in the game.
QUOTES FROM THE SEAWOLVES
"Really proud of the fight we showed tonight. We shot poorly from three but didn't let it impact our level of competitive spirit on either end. We had it to a four-point game with three minutes left and couldn't get the big stop we had to have. Give URI credit for making some big plays in the guts of the game. Quick turnaround as we need to play Thursday at Brown," said head coach
Geno Ford.
NEXT UP
Stony Brook has a quick turnaround as it stays in the state of Rhode Island and takes on Brown on Thursday, November 17. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. and the game will be broadcasted live on ESPN+. It will be the Seawolves' second of four-straight games away from home.
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