Junior Muhammad El-Amin leads the Seawolves with 15 points.
Easton, Pa. - Stony Brook's men's basketball team mounted a furious rally, cutting a 22-point lead to seven, but it wasn't enough as the Lafayette Leopards held on for a 80-71 victory on Tuesday night at the Kirby Sports Center. Junior Muhammad El-Amin (Lansing, Mich.) led the Seawolves with 15 points while freshman Dallis Joyner (Norfolk, Va.) added 14 points and five rebounds. Stony Brook falls to 1-1 with the loss while Lafayette improves to 2-0.
"I'm proud of the way we competed and the character we showed coming back," Stony Brook head coach Steve Pikiell said. "We just have to execute better on the defensive side of the court."
Lafayette took a 72-50 lead with 4:57 remaining on an Andrew Brown jumper but freshman Bryan Dougher (Scotch Plains, N.J.) answered with a long three-pointer to kick start a 12-0 Stony Brook run. Dougher capped the run with a driving lay-up with 2:15 to go that cut the Leopards lead to 72-62. The Seawolves forced a Lafayette turnover on the ensuing possession but were unable to capitalize on the offense end and the Leopards then got ball to Brown who knocked down two free throws to push the lead back to 12.
The Seawolves cut the Lafayette deficit to seven with under a minute to play on a lay-up from freshman Tommy Brenton (Columbia, Md.) but the Leopards hit two free throws on their next possession to close the game out. Brown scored a game-high 25 points for Lafayette who hit 10 three-pointers and shot 54 percent from the field. El-Amin, the America East Player of the game, scored 13 of his 15 points in the second half for Stony Brook who forced 24 Lafayette turnovers. .
Lafayette jumped on the Seawolves early, scoring 18 of the game's first 21 points to take an 18-3 lead just six and a half minutes into the game. But Stony Brook answered back, scoring eight straight points to cut the Lafayette lead to seven on jumper from freshman Danny Carter (London, England) with 9:18 left in the first half. Jeff Karl snapped the Stony Brook run on Lafayette's next possession but senior Michael Tyree (Somerset, N.J.) answered with a long three to cut the SBU deficit to six.
The Leopards had a response though as Kari and Brown hit on back-to-back three-pointers to push the lead back to double-digits with 6:58 to go in the first period. The Lafayette advantage would grow to 16 with just over two minutes remaining in the half but the Seawolves scored the final four points of the first stanza, on a hoop from senior Demetrius Young (Sacramento, Calif.) and two free throws from junior Andrew Goba (Durban, South Africa), to cut their deficit to just 12 at the half.
Lafayette opened the second half hot, going on a 12-3 run to push its lead to 21 with 14:37 remaining in the game. The Seawolves clawed back once again, cutting their deficit to 16 on a three-pointer from junior Jonathan Moore (Cleveland, Ohio) but the Leopards once again answered with a three to push their advantage back to 19. The Leopards maintained the double-digit lead until the final minutes when the Seawolves staged their furious rally.
The Seawolves return to action on Saturday, Nov. 22, hosting Wagner at Pritchard Gymnasium. Game time is set for 2 p.m.
"I'm proud of the way we competed and the character we showed coming back," Stony Brook head coach Steve Pikiell said. "We just have to execute better on the defensive side of the court."
Lafayette took a 72-50 lead with 4:57 remaining on an Andrew Brown jumper but freshman Bryan Dougher (Scotch Plains, N.J.) answered with a long three-pointer to kick start a 12-0 Stony Brook run. Dougher capped the run with a driving lay-up with 2:15 to go that cut the Leopards lead to 72-62. The Seawolves forced a Lafayette turnover on the ensuing possession but were unable to capitalize on the offense end and the Leopards then got ball to Brown who knocked down two free throws to push the lead back to 12.
The Seawolves cut the Lafayette deficit to seven with under a minute to play on a lay-up from freshman Tommy Brenton (Columbia, Md.) but the Leopards hit two free throws on their next possession to close the game out. Brown scored a game-high 25 points for Lafayette who hit 10 three-pointers and shot 54 percent from the field. El-Amin, the America East Player of the game, scored 13 of his 15 points in the second half for Stony Brook who forced 24 Lafayette turnovers. .
Lafayette jumped on the Seawolves early, scoring 18 of the game's first 21 points to take an 18-3 lead just six and a half minutes into the game. But Stony Brook answered back, scoring eight straight points to cut the Lafayette lead to seven on jumper from freshman Danny Carter (London, England) with 9:18 left in the first half. Jeff Karl snapped the Stony Brook run on Lafayette's next possession but senior Michael Tyree (Somerset, N.J.) answered with a long three to cut the SBU deficit to six.
The Leopards had a response though as Kari and Brown hit on back-to-back three-pointers to push the lead back to double-digits with 6:58 to go in the first period. The Lafayette advantage would grow to 16 with just over two minutes remaining in the half but the Seawolves scored the final four points of the first stanza, on a hoop from senior Demetrius Young (Sacramento, Calif.) and two free throws from junior Andrew Goba (Durban, South Africa), to cut their deficit to just 12 at the half.
Lafayette opened the second half hot, going on a 12-3 run to push its lead to 21 with 14:37 remaining in the game. The Seawolves clawed back once again, cutting their deficit to 16 on a three-pointer from junior Jonathan Moore (Cleveland, Ohio) but the Leopards once again answered with a three to push their advantage back to 19. The Leopards maintained the double-digit lead until the final minutes when the Seawolves staged their furious rally.
The Seawolves return to action on Saturday, Nov. 22, hosting Wagner at Pritchard Gymnasium. Game time is set for 2 p.m.
