WILLIAMSBURG, Va. – The Stony Brook men's basketball team (7-14, 3-5 CAA) trailed by 14 points at halftime on Thursday night against the William & Mary Tribe (9-13, 4-5 CAA), but was able to cut it all the way back to a one-point game in the second half before falling, 77-74, at Kaplan Arena.
The Seawolves were led by graduate forward
Frankie Policelli who had a career night. Policelli scored a career-high 25 points, including 16 points in the second half. He shot 8-of-13 from the floor, 4-of-6 from three-point range, 5-of-5 from the free-throw line and hauled in five rebounds.
William & Mary went wire-to-wire over the Seawolves in the game and got out to a 20-point lead in the first half, 39-19. The Tribe led 45-31 after the first 20 minutes.
Stony Brook chipped away, possession by possession, in the second half, outscoring William & Mary 43-32 in the frame.
With about 15 minutes left, trailing by 19 points, freshman center
Rocco Muratori rocked the rim and slammed home a two-handed dunk to give the Seawolves some life.
Later in the half, freshman guard
Toby Onyekonwu drilled a pair of three pointers to continue chipping away at William & Mary's lead. Onyekonwu nailed a trio of three pointers in the second half, scoring nine points in the frame.
Policelli exploded in the second half, and with the Seawolves down by nine points he nailed a long three pointer to cut the deficit to six with four minutes left. Policelli drilled four three pointers in the second half.
The Seawolves continued to cut into their deficit and found themselves down by four within the final minute. Onyekonwu drove down the center of the lane and kicked out to junior guard
Tanahj Pettway for a wide-open three pointer. Pettway swished the three, and made it a one-point game, 75-74.
William & Mary was able to hold on and fend off Pettway's final look to tie the game at the buzzer. It was the first-ever matchup between Stony Brook and William & Mary. The two teams will face off on Long Island on Thursday, Feb. 16.
STATS AND NOTES
- Stony Brook relied on the three-point shot to come back in the game. The Seawolves shot 9-of-16 from three-point range (56.3 percent) in the second half, after making just one three pointer in the first 20 minutes of the game.
- The Seawolves had four scorers reach double figures in Policelli (25 points), Onyekonwu (12), Pettway (12), and graduate center Keenan Fitzmorris (12).
- Policelli led the team with five rebounds. It was his 16th-time this season leading the team in rebounds and seventh time leading the squad in scoring.
- Muratori set a career-high with two blocks.
- Stony Brook shot 50 percent from the field in the game and 80 percent from the free-throw line. William & Mary shot 13-of-16 (81 percent) from three-point range.
- The Seawolves' bench outscored William & Mary's bench, 29-19.
QUOTES FROM THE SEAWOLVES
"Disappointment of the game result is very secondary for our group. Tyler's injury is our only concern tonight. He means a lot to our team and program statistically, but means much more in terms of leadership and character. Our thoughts and prayers are on a full and speedy recovery.
I am super proud of the guys tonight. They continue to respond to incredible levels of adversity," said head coach
Geno Ford.
NEXT UP
Stony Brook will stay in the state of Virginia to take on the Hampton Pirates on Saturday, Jan. 28. Tip-off is set for 4 p.m. and the game will be broadcast live on FloHoops.
For an inside look at the Seawolves men's basketball program, be sure to follow them on
Facebook,
Twitter, and
Instagram.
