ELON, N.C. - The Stony Brook University men's basketball team topped Elon, 79-64, on Thursday evening at the Schar Center. Aaron Clarke, Dean Noll and Tyler Stephenson-Moore combined to score 63 points, while the team dished out a season-high 22 assists to help the Seawolves claim a second straight win.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Stony Brook jumped out to an early 11-3 lead, expanding the advantage to double figures by the midway point of the opening half.
The Seawolves maintained their lead throughout the opening 20 minutes of play, entering halftime with a 35-27 advantage. Stony Brook relied on its three-point shooting in the period, knocking down five shots to account for 15 of its 35 points.
Stony Brook held onto a double-digit lead as the game approached the final 10 minutes, but a burst from the Phoenix trimmed it to two possessions with seven minutes to play. Unselfish basketball and timely baskets from Clarke, Noll and Stephenson-Moore helped the Seawolves expand the lead back to double-figures and hold off Elon for a 15-point victory, Stony Brook's first double-digit decision of CAA play this season.
STATS AND NOTES
- Clarke finished with 22 points, surpassing 1,500 career points with his first made basket of the evening and becoming one of 105 active Division I players to boast 1,500 or more career points. He also added a season-best seven assists.
- Stephenson-Moore paced the offense with 27 points, matching a career-high. He eclipsed double digits in points for the 18th time this season and reached the 20-point plateau for the seventh time this year.
- Noll finished with 14 points, reaching double figures for the eighth time in his last nine games played. He connected on four shots from beyond the arc for the second straight game, matching a career-high. He also matched a career high with six assists.
- Clarke, Noll and Stephenson-Moore accounted for 63 of Stony Brook's 79 points.
- Andre Snoddy grabbed a game-high nine rebounds, adding three assists and a steal. Snoddy has tallied eight or more boards in seven of his last eight games played.
- As a team, Stony Brook attempted 31 three pointers, matching a season-high. The Seawolves connected on 11 three pointers, moving to 6-3 overall this season when they make at least 10 shots from beyond the arc.
- The Seawolves assisted on 22 of their 26 made baskets, a season-best mark. The 22 assists were Stony Brook's most against a Division I opponent since dishing out the same amount in a win over Miami-Hamilton last season.
- Tonight's contest snapped a streak of 11 straight games that were decided by single digits. 16 of the Seawolves' 24 contests this season have been decided by single digits, with Stony Brook boasting a 9-7 record in such contests.
- Stony Brook earned its first victory over Elon as a member of the CAA, improving to 3-1 all time against the Phoenix. The road victory over Elon is Stony Brook's first since its last visit in January of 2000.
QUOTES FROM THE SEAWOLVES
"Really good win for us tonight. We haven't seen 10 possessions of zone all year, so going against it for 40 minutes against a well-coached team was going to be a challenge," head coach Geno Ford noted post game. "AC, Dean and Tyler all made timely shots for us in the second half, but the game was won because we had zero turnovers against the press and we dominated the backboards. Big challenge ahead of us at Campbell on Saturday."
AROUND THE CAA
UP NEXT
Stony Brook continues its swing through North Carolina, facing Campbell on Saturday, February 10. Tip-off between the Seawolves and Fighting Camels is scheduled for 2:00 p.m. on FloHoops from Buies Creek, N.C.
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