Seawolves off to best start since joining Division I in 1999.
United States Air Force Academy, Colo. - Freshman Bryan Dougher (Scotch Plains, N.J.) scored a team-high 22 points, including two clutch free throws with eight seconds left, as the Stony Brook University men's basketball team upset the Air Force Falcons, 67-64, on Wednesday afternoon at Clune Arena. Junior Muhammad El-Amin (Lansing, Mich.) added 20 points for the Seawolves who improved to 7-5 with the victory, their best start since joining Division I in 1999. Air Force falls to 9-4 with the loss.
"I couldn't be prouder of my team and the heart we showed," Stony Brook head coach Steve Pikiell. "This [Clune Arena] is a very difficult place to play and our kids never lost their composure. We were terrific on the defensive end all day and made the plays we needed to make down the stretch."
The America East Player of the Game, Dougher scored 15 of his 22 in the second half including a perfect 6-for-6 from the free throw line. Senior Demetrius Young (Sacramento, Calif.) added 11 points and 10 rebounds for the Seawolves, who out-rebounded the Falcons 35-23.
Air Force, which entered the game with a 75-7 record at Clune Arena since the beginning of the 2002-03 season, had trimmed an eight-point Seawolves lead to one with 10 seconds left on a Taylor Stewart lay-up, but SBU got the ball into Dougher who calmly knocked down both free throws to push the Stony Brook lead back to three. The Falcons then worked the ball to Matt Holland who missed long on a contested three-pointer as time expired.
The Seawolves were sharp at the start, holding the Falcons without a field goal for the first 3:17 as they jumped to a 3-0 lead behind a basket from freshman Dallis Joyner (Norfolk, Va.) and a free throw from freshman Tommy Brenton (Columbia, Md.). Holland finally got Air Force on the board, knocking down a three-pointer to tie the score at 3.
SBU would grab a 7-5 lead after back-to-back hoops from junior Desmond Adedeji (Landover Hills, Md.) before Grant Parker drilled a three-pointer to give the Falcons a 8-7 advantage with just under 12 minutes remaining in the half. The Seawolves trailed by just one at 10-9 after a jumper from El-Amin midway through the half, but Air Force scored five straight points to take a six-point advantage.
Stony Brook came right back, getting a three-point play from El-Amin and three-pointer from Dougher to tie the game at 15. The teams traded baskets over the next several minutes before El-Amin knocked down a three to give SBU a 26-23 lead with 2:23 remaining in the half. Parker hit a jumper in the lane with 38 seconds left to cut the Seawolves lead to one going into the break.
El-Amin scored a game-high 10 points in the first half for the Seawolves, who turned the ball over just three times in the opening 20 minutes. Anwar Johnson scored a team-high eight points in the first half for the Falcons who shot 56.3 percent (9-for-16) in the opening period.
Dougher nailed a three just one minute into the second half to push the Seawolves lead to four but the Falcons ran off nine straight points to take a 34-29 lead with 15:06 remaining. But SBU would not go away, answering with a Joyner tip-in and an El-Amin three to tie the score at 34.
The Falcons grabbed the lead back on a Parker three but Stony Brook responded with six straight points to regain a three-point advantage. Air Force would jump back on top on an Evan Washingon hoop but Brenton hit a twisting jumper in the lane to give SBU the lead. Johnson came back with three straight free throws to put the Falcons up two before Joyner knocked down two free throws to knot the score at 44 with 7:18 remaining.
SBU then sandwiched a pair of three-pointers from El-Amin and Dougher around two free throws from Johnson to go up four with just over four minutes remaining. The lead would eventually grow to eight on two free throws from Dougher with 1:02 remaining before the Falcons went on a 12-5 run to cut the Stony Brook lead to one with 10 seconds left on the Steward lay-up.
The Seawolves will return to action on Saturday, Jan. 3, traveling to take on defending conference champion UMBC in their America East opener. Game time is set for 7 p.m.
United States Air Force Academy, Colo. - Freshman Bryan Dougher (Scotch Plains, N.J.) scored a team-high 22 points, including two clutch free throws with eight seconds left, as the Stony Brook University men's basketball team upset the Air Force Falcons, 67-64, on Wednesday afternoon at Clune Arena. Junior Muhammad El-Amin (Lansing, Mich.) added 20 points for the Seawolves who improved to 7-5 with the victory, their best start since joining Division I in 1999. Air Force falls to 9-4 with the loss.
"I couldn't be prouder of my team and the heart we showed," Stony Brook head coach Steve Pikiell. "This [Clune Arena] is a very difficult place to play and our kids never lost their composure. We were terrific on the defensive end all day and made the plays we needed to make down the stretch."
The America East Player of the Game, Dougher scored 15 of his 22 in the second half including a perfect 6-for-6 from the free throw line. Senior Demetrius Young (Sacramento, Calif.) added 11 points and 10 rebounds for the Seawolves, who out-rebounded the Falcons 35-23.
Air Force, which entered the game with a 75-7 record at Clune Arena since the beginning of the 2002-03 season, had trimmed an eight-point Seawolves lead to one with 10 seconds left on a Taylor Stewart lay-up, but SBU got the ball into Dougher who calmly knocked down both free throws to push the Stony Brook lead back to three. The Falcons then worked the ball to Matt Holland who missed long on a contested three-pointer as time expired.
The Seawolves were sharp at the start, holding the Falcons without a field goal for the first 3:17 as they jumped to a 3-0 lead behind a basket from freshman Dallis Joyner (Norfolk, Va.) and a free throw from freshman Tommy Brenton (Columbia, Md.). Holland finally got Air Force on the board, knocking down a three-pointer to tie the score at 3.
SBU would grab a 7-5 lead after back-to-back hoops from junior Desmond Adedeji (Landover Hills, Md.) before Grant Parker drilled a three-pointer to give the Falcons a 8-7 advantage with just under 12 minutes remaining in the half. The Seawolves trailed by just one at 10-9 after a jumper from El-Amin midway through the half, but Air Force scored five straight points to take a six-point advantage.
Stony Brook came right back, getting a three-point play from El-Amin and three-pointer from Dougher to tie the game at 15. The teams traded baskets over the next several minutes before El-Amin knocked down a three to give SBU a 26-23 lead with 2:23 remaining in the half. Parker hit a jumper in the lane with 38 seconds left to cut the Seawolves lead to one going into the break.
El-Amin scored a game-high 10 points in the first half for the Seawolves, who turned the ball over just three times in the opening 20 minutes. Anwar Johnson scored a team-high eight points in the first half for the Falcons who shot 56.3 percent (9-for-16) in the opening period.
Dougher nailed a three just one minute into the second half to push the Seawolves lead to four but the Falcons ran off nine straight points to take a 34-29 lead with 15:06 remaining. But SBU would not go away, answering with a Joyner tip-in and an El-Amin three to tie the score at 34.
The Falcons grabbed the lead back on a Parker three but Stony Brook responded with six straight points to regain a three-point advantage. Air Force would jump back on top on an Evan Washingon hoop but Brenton hit a twisting jumper in the lane to give SBU the lead. Johnson came back with three straight free throws to put the Falcons up two before Joyner knocked down two free throws to knot the score at 44 with 7:18 remaining.
SBU then sandwiched a pair of three-pointers from El-Amin and Dougher around two free throws from Johnson to go up four with just over four minutes remaining. The lead would eventually grow to eight on two free throws from Dougher with 1:02 remaining before the Falcons went on a 12-5 run to cut the Stony Brook lead to one with 10 seconds left on the Steward lay-up.
The Seawolves will return to action on Saturday, Jan. 3, traveling to take on defending conference champion UMBC in their America East opener. Game time is set for 7 p.m.
