MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. - Stony Brook University men's basketball erased a 12-point deficit to defeat Central Michigan, 73-72, on Thursday evening at McGuirk Arena. Freshman Collin O'Connor hit the game-winning layup with 3.7 seconds left to propel the Seawolves to their first win of the 2024-25 season.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Stony Brook built an early 11-5 advantage, courtesy of a Nick Woodard triple, but battled back.
- The lead traded hands multiple times down the stretch in the first half until the final three minutes. Central Michigan scored 11 of the final 13 points before intermission to take a 36-30 lead into the locker room.
- The Seawolves hung around to start the second half, but never closed the gap further than four points before the Chippewas opened up a double-digit lead.
- Stony Brook trailed by as many as 12 points with just under 10 minutes to play, whittling the deficit to six points before Central Michigan pushed the lead back to 10 points with seven minutes to play.
- Joe Octave made 1-of-2 free throws to make it a one-possession game with 4:17 remaining.
- After CMU upped the lead to five points, the Seawolves ripped off seven straight points in a 74-second span, bookended by a CJ Luster and-one to take a 69-67 lead.
- Jakobi Heady buried a three on the ensuing possession, taking the lead away from the Seawolves, who held it for a mere 20 seconds.
- O'Connor scored inside on Stony Brook's next possession, to put the Seawolves back in front before a pair of Anthony Pritchard makes from the charity stripe gave the Chippewas the advantage.
- With the shot clock turned off, O'Connor drove to the hoop and scored through contact with 3.7 seconds left. Central Michigan did not get a shot off and Stony Brook emerged with a 73-72 victory on the road in Michigan.
STATS AND NOTES
- O'Connor scored a game-high 16 points on 7-of-10 shooting, adding six rebounds, three assists and three steals.
- O'Connor's 16 points are the most by a Stony Brook freshman since Tyler Stephenson-Moore tallied 19 in a win over Binghamton on February 12, 2020.
- Luster added 15 points on 5-of-10 shooting, with three makes from beyond the arc. He registered four steals defensively.
- Octave and Andre Snoddy chipped in offensively with 11 points apiece. They also matched Ben Wight with a team-high seven rebounds.
- The lead changed hands 11 times. Stony Brook trailed for more than 24 minutes and erased a 12-point, second-half deficit to earn the come-from-behind win.
- Stony Brook forced Central Michigan into 14 turnovers, turning the miscues into 13 points on the offensive end.
- Tonight's meeting was the first between the two programs.
QUOTES FROM THE SEAWOLVES
"We showed unbelievable resilience down the stretch today. That is a very good team playing their home opener with the conference Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year," head coach Geno Ford said. "We had a ton of big plays down the stretch at both ends. Hopefully we can build off a great road win and continue moving forward. We have a lot to get better at as the season progresses. Collin's reverse layup finished off a terrific comeback win."
UP NEXT
Stony Brook wraps up the Marquette Challenge on Monday, November 11 at George Mason. The Seawolves and Patriots are set for a 7 p.m. tip-off, with the contest streaming live on ESPN+ from EagleBank Arena in Fairfax, Virginia.
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