STONY BROOK, N.Y. – The Stony Brook men's basketball team went toe-to-toe with Yale on Saturday evening in front of an energized crowd inside Island Federal Arena. The Seawolves put forth a valiant effort as they were led by senior guard
Tyler Stephenson-Moore and graduate guard
Aaron Clarke, who each posted 20-point outings. Despite the Seawolves' efforts, the Bulldogs were able to narrowly pull away, 77-72, to improve to 8-1 on the season.
Clarke made his Stony Brook debut and gave the Seawolves a lift off the bench as he scored 20 points in 22 minutes. The graduate checked into the game with 15:44 to play in the first half and scored his first points as a Seawolf at the 13:29 mark when he knocked down a three-pointer.
Stephenson-Moore led the way offensively for Stony Brook as he scored 21 points and grabbed seven rebounds. Stephenson-Moore helped fuel an 8-0 run in the second half as he drilled a three to cut Yale's lead to 67-62 with 8:04 to play.
The Seawolves and Bulldogs traded blows down the stretch. Stony Brook was able to get within two points of the lead three times over the final eight minutes of the game, but Yale came up with an answer on each occasion.
With 1:06 to play in the contest, Clarke converted a pair of free-throws to make it 72-70. Yale returned the favor by cashing in on two free-throws on the ensuing possession with 43 seconds to play to go up, 74-70. A second-chance layup by graduate forward Frankie Policelli cut the Bulldog's lead to two points, 74-72, as he cleaned up a missed three by Stephenson-Moore with 15 seconds to go.
Yale was able to convert its free-throws down the stretch and go on to win by the final score of 77-72. The five-point margin of victory was the second-smallest of the season for Yale, its smallest margin of victory was three points when it defeated Hawaii, 62-59, in overtime earlier this season.
STATS AND NOTES
- Stony Brook had eight players take the floor on Saturday night and seven of them scored: Stephenson-Moore (21), Clarke (20), Policelli (9), Kenan Sarvan (9), Tanahj Pettway (8), Kaine Roberts (3), and Keenan Fitzmorris (2).
- Stephenson-Moore recorded his third 20-plus point performance of the season. His 21 points tonight were his second-most in a game this season; his season-high for points is 23 points which he scored against St. Joseph's - LI on Tuesday, November 29. The guard has recorded back-to-back 20-plus point games for the first time in his career.
- Clarke made his Stony Brook debut and poured in 20 points. The guard shot 6-of-13 from the field and knocked down 5-of-7 from the free-throw line. Clarke pulled down three rebounds and dished out a pair of assists in his first game since March 2, 2022.
- Sarvan scored nine points, all of which came in the second half as he made three three-pointers in the stanza. His final three-pointer made it a two-point game with 7:18 to play.
- Pettway nearly registered a double-double with eight points and a season-high eight rebounds.
- The Seawolves shot 11-of-20 from three-point range. It was the third time this season that they knocked down 10 or more threes in a contest.
- Stony Brook made 19 free-throws which tied its season-high as it also made 19 against Rhode Island on November 15.
QUOTES FROM THE SEAWOLVES
UP NEXT
The Seawolves will travel to Rhode Island to take on Brown. Tip-off is scheduled for 6 p.m., on Friday, December 9. A quick turnaround finds the Seawolves back at Island Federal Arena on Monday, December 12, for a 6:31 p.m. tip-off against Sacred Heart. Get your tickets now to be part of the action!
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