DOUBLEHEADER LACROSSE FOR AUTISM EVENT AT LAVALLE IN MARCH

Stony Brook-UMBC; Duke-Dartmouth will play on March 28

A lacrosse doubleheader featuring three teams ranked in the preseason Top-25 in NCAA Division I men's lacrosse will be featured at the 2009 Lacrosse for Autism event at Stony Brook University at LaValle Stadium on March 28, 2009. Stony Brook, ranked No. 25 in the Inside Lacrosse Face-Off Yearbook, will host preseason No. 10 UMBC in a key America East contest starting at approximately 2:30 p.m. No. 7 Duke will take on Dartmouth in the first game of the day starting at noon. Stony Brook Athletics will team with Lacrosse Unlimited, Inc. and the Cody Center for Autism and Developmental Disabilities for the event that will donate a portion of the proceeds from ticket sales to the Cody Center.
Lacrosse for Autism was created by Brendan and Jennifer Fleming of St. James, New York to bring Autism awareness to the Long Island lacrosse community. Each festival-style event for Lacrosse for Autism is based on sharing Autism resources and information with families and friends touched by a child with Autism.
Tickets and event information are available at http://www.goseawolves.org/, http://www.lax4autism.com/, Stony Brook Athletics Ticket office (631-632-9653), Lacrosse Unlimited retail locations and http://www.lacrosseunlimited.com/. For more information about Autism and The Cody Center, please visit their website at www.stonybrookmedicalcenter.org/codycenter/.

UNH RALLIES FOR 71-60 WIN AT PRITCHARD ON WEDNESDAY

Junior Muhammad El-Amin scores a game-high 24 points.

Stony Brook, N.Y. - Eric Gilchrese scored 16 of his team-high 22 points in the second half as the New Hampshire Wildcats rallied for a 71-60 victory over the Stony Brook University men's basketball team on Wednesday night at Pritchard Gymnasium. Junior Muhammad El-Amin (Lansing, Mich.) scored a game-high 24 points for the Seawolves, who had their two-game winning streak snapped. Stony Brook falls to 11-10 overall and 3-5 in the America East with the loss while New Hampshire improves to 8-11 and 3-4.
"We just didn't play well enough on the defensive end to win," Stony Brook head coach Steve Pikiell said. "But give credit to New Hampshire, they played a terrific basketball game tonight."
Gilchrese, the America East Player of the Game for UNH, went 5-for-7 from three-point range for the Wildcats, who shot 66.7 percent in the second half as they rallied from a nine-point halftime deficit. The only player in double-figures for Stony Brook, El-Amin went 7-for-16 from the field and 9-for-10 from the free throw line. Freshman Tommy Brenton (Columbia, Md.) tallied six points and a game-high 12 rebounds for the Seawolves, who went 23-for-29 from the foul line.
The Seawolves jumped to an 8-5 lead four minutes in behind six early points from El-Amin. UNH would rally to tie it at 10 but El-Amin and freshman Danny Carter (London, England) followed with back-to-back three-pointers to stretch the Seawolves lead to 16-10 with 11 minutes remaining in the first half.
UNH would climb within two, at 20-18, on a Tyrece Gibbs three-pointer but freshman Dallis Joyner (Norfolk, Va.) answered on the other end with a put-back hoop and El-Amin followed with lay-in off a beautiful spin move to push the Stony Brook lead back to six with six minutes remaining in the half. New Hampshire came back with a Gibbs hoop but senior Marques Cox (Jamaica, N.Y.) followed with a long jumper and then a three to give the Seawolves their largest lead of the game, at 32-23, with two and a half minutes left in the half.

The teams then traded hoops over the final two minutes as Stony Brook went into the break with a 34-25 lead. El-Amin, the America East Player of the Game for Stony Brook, scored 13 in the first half for the Seawolves, who shot 56.5 percent (13-for-23) in the opening 20 minutes. Gibbs led New Hampshire with eight first half points.
The Wildcats came out strong in the second half, outscoring the Seawolves 11-2 over the first three minutes of the period to climb within one. Brenton would hit two free throws to push the Stony Brook lead back to three but Gibbs answered with a three on the other end to knot the game at 38 with 16 minutes left in the game.
Then, with the score tied at 42, the Wildcats went on a 10-0 run, highlighted by two three-pointers from Alvin Abreu, to take a 52-42 lead with 10:30 left. SBU trailed by 11 with just under eight minutes remaining but the Seawolves would hit eight free throws over the next two and a half minutes to cut the UNH lead to 57-54 with 4:55 to go in the game. Gibbs hit two free throws on UNH's ensuing possession but El-Amin answered on the other end with a jumper to pull SBU back within three.
But that is close as the Seawolves would get as Gibbs scored four straight points to secure the game for the Wildcats. UNH went 8-for-11 from the three in the second half as they snapped their three-game losing skid.
The Seawolves return to action on Saturday, hosting UMBC at Pritchard Gymnasium. Game time is set for 7 p.m.

SBU WOMEN GET FIRST AMERICA EAST WIN AT ALBANY

Horsey, Rushin Lead Women's Basketball To 64-56 Win Over Albany
Kirsten Jeter adds 10 points in first conference win of season

Albany, N.Y. - For a third straight game, the Stony Brook women's basketball team came back from a double-digit lead but against Albany at SEFCU Arena, it was the Seawolves that came out on top. Sophomore Misha Horsey (Wyncote, Pa.) had a game-high 17 points, junior Crystal Rushin (Valley Stream, N.Y.) had a career-high 11 points and Stony Brook (3-15, 1-5 America East) outscored Albany (3-16, 1-5) 52-32 the final 29:54 of the game to win 64-56 in a Tuesday matinee.
"Today, it took a total team effort," said head coach Michele Cherry. "We started out a bit shaky with our transition defense but we regrouped and I was pleased at the way we picked it up. It's good to get our first conference victory, but better a victory on the road."
It was all Albany in the early going as it shot 10-for-14 from the floor and 3-for-3 from the line while taking a 24-12 advantage with 9:54 left in the first half. Stony Brook would not go way however, holding the Great Danes to just a field goal and four points the rest of the half. Offensively, the Seawolves were just as good, utilizing a 16-4 run to end the half as the score was tied at 28 entering the break. Horsey was Stony Brook's high scorer the first 20 minutes, going 4-of-6 including a three, for nine points.
Albany continued its shooting woes to open the second half and Stony Brook continued to capitalize, opening a 10-point lead, 42-32, on a pair of free throws from Horsey. The Great Danes answered with a 10-2 run to cut the Stony Brook lead to two but a conventional three-point play from junior Joia Daniels (Silver Spring, Md.) stretched the lead back up to five.

A jumper from Janea Aiken with 8:04 left in the game made it 49-44, but that was the closest Albany got the rest of the way.
The Seawolves scored on three of their next five possessions including a three from sophomore Jodie Plikus (Waterford, Conn.), to stretch the lead to nine, 56-47. Stony Brook led by as many as 11 in the second half, with the final time coming on Horsey's basket from 15 feet out.
In addition to Horsey's 17 points, she had a career-high seven rebounds earning her America East Player of the Game Honors. Rushin was 5-for-6 from the field and sophomore Kirsten Jeter (Elmont, N.Y.) scored in double figures for the seventh time in eight games with 10 points.
Tabitha Makopondo had 13 points and eight rebounds as she was named Albany's America East Player of the Game. Tiffanie Johnson had a team-high 14 points and Charity Iromuanya had 10 rebounds to pace the Great Danes.
The Seawolves are back in action on Saturday afternoon when they host UMBC in doubleheader with the men's team. Tip-off against the Retrievers is slated for 4:00 pm.

SBU MEN BEAT HARTFORD 72-63 AT PRITCHARD SUNDAY AFTERNOON

Dougher, Young Lead Men's Basketball To 72-63 Victory Over Hartford
Seawolves match their best start since joining Division I in 1999.

Stony Brook, N.Y. - Senior Demetrius Young (Sacramento, Calif.) tied a career-high with 21 points and knocked down eight free throws in the final 1:04 to hold off a late Hartford rally, leading the Stony Brook University men's basketball team to a 72-63 victory over the Hawks on Sunday afternoon at Pritchard Gymnasium. It was the Seawolves first victory over Hartford since the 2005 season. Stony Brook improves to 11-9 overall and 3-4 in the America East with the victory while the Hawks fall to 6-15 and 2-5.
"We really grinded out this victory today," Stony Brook head coach Steve Pikiell said. "Our defense in the first half was terrific and we then made enough plays down the stretch to get a win against a very good Hartford team."
The America East Player of the Game for the Seawolves, Young went 6-for-6 from the field and 8-for-8 from the free throw line. Freshman Bryan Dougher (Scotch Plains, N.J.) also scored 21 points for SBU, going 5-for-8 from three-point range. Freshman Tommy Brenton (Columbia, Md.) added seven points and a game-high 14 rebounds for the Seawolves, who shot 50 percent from the field as they matched their best start since joining Division I in 1999. Jaret von Rosenberg scored 21 points for the Hawks and was named their America East Player of the Game.
Stony Brook took control right from the start, jumping to a 6-0 lead after four and a half minutes behind two three-pointers from Dougher. Hartford finally got on the board on a Genesis Maciel three with 14 minutes remaining but Young followed with two straight hoops to kick start an 8-2 run that put the Seawolves up 14-5 midway through the half.

The Seawolves still led by eight with six minutes remaining in the half before running off eight straight points, including Dougher's third three of the half, to take its largest lead of the game, 27-11, with just under four minutes until halftime. Hartford would then go on an 8-0 run to close to within nine but junior Muhammad El-Amin (Lansing, Mich.) knocked down a jumper with a little over a minute remaining in the half to send SBU into the break up 29-18.
Dougher scored 11 points in the opening period for the Seawolves, who shot 50 percent in the first half. Hartford shot just 36.8 percent in the opening 20 minutes and was led by Anthony Minor's six points.
Hartford scored five of the first seven points of the second half to climb within eight but Brenton then completed a three-point play and Dougher followed with another three to put the Seawolves up 37-23 with 16:30 remaining in the game.
The Stony Brook lead would grow to as many as 17 on a Young hoop with 13 minutes left but Hartford responded with 13-2 run over the next four minutes, which included three three-pointers, to cut the Seawolves lead to six. Dougher would knock down a free throw to push the SBU lead back to seven before von Rosenberg knocked down a three on the Hawks ensuing possession to force a Seawolves timeout with 7:43 left.
Stony Brook still led by just five with just under six minutes remaining but Brenton scored on a put-back hoop and sophomore Chris Martin (Springfield Gardens, N.Y.) then hit one of two free throws to make it 54-46 Stony Brook with five minutes left in the game. Young put the Seawolves up 11 a minute later, drilling a three from the right wing.
But Hartford would then knock down four three-pointers over the next two minutes to close to within four with two minutes remaining. Young hit eight straight free throws over the final 1:04 though to seal the contest for the Seawolves, giving them their first two-game winning streak in conference play since the 2004-05 season. Stony Brook went 7-for-13 from three-point range for the game in addition to hitting 21 of its 30 attempts from the free throw line.
The Seawolves return to action on Wednesday, hosting New Hampshire at Pritchard Gymnasium. Game time is set for 7 p.m.

STONY BROOK MEN WIN AT ALBANY!, 58-45

Men's Basketball Uses Strong Second Half to Defeat Albany, 58-45
Seawolves win at Albany for the first time since 2004.

Albany, N.Y. - Junior Muhammad El-Amin (Lansing, Mich.) scored 11 of his game-high 17 points in the second half as the Stony Brook University men's basketball team held Albany to just 19 second half points on its way to a 58-45 victory over the Great Danes on Friday night at SEFCU Arena. It is the Seawolves first victory at Albany since the 2004 season. SBU improves to 10-9 overall and 2-4 in the America East with the victory while Albany falls to 11-8 and 3-3.
"What a terrific effort by our guys to come in here and beat a terrific Albany team," Stony Brook head coach Steve Pikiell said. "We struggled offensively in the first half but we came out and played terrific defense in the second half and that's what won us the game."
The America East Player of the Game for the Seawolves, El-Amin knocked down four shots from beyond the arc. Freshman Bryan Dougher (Scotch Plains, N.J.) added 12 points for the Seawolves, who held the Great Danes to 33.3 percent shooting in the second half. Will Harris scored a team-high 14 points for Albany, which had won seven straight at SEFCU Arena. .
El-Amin got the Seawolves off to a quick start, drilling two three-pointers in the first two minutes to give SBU a 6-0 advantage. Albany answered with seven straight points but sophomore Chris Martin (Springfield Gardens, N.Y.) hit two free throws and senior Demetrius Young (Sacramento, Calif.) followed with a put-back hoop to give Stony Brook a 10-7 lead with 12:17 left in the first half.
But Albany then went on a 12-0 run over the next four and a half minutes to take a 19-10 lead on a Tim Ambrose three with 7:35 remaining in the half. Young finally ended the Great Dane run on the Seawolves ensuing possession, knocking down a three from the right wing.

Albany would push its lead to as much as 11 before Dougher scored six straight points, on a three-pointer and a three-point play, to pull the Seawolves within five, at 26-21, going into the break. Dougher and El-Amin scored six points apiece in the opening half for SBU, which shot just 28 percent in the first 20 minutes. Ambrose scored a game-high seven points for the Great Danes.
The Seawolves took control of the game at the start of the second half, going on a 14-2 run over the first three and a half minutes of the period to take a 35-30 lead. Dougher knocked down two three-pointers in the run, with El-Amin adding one. Harris stopped the Seawolves spurt with a lay-in but freshman Tommy Brenton (Columbia, Md.) answered with a three to put SBU up 38-32.
Albany would climb to within one, at 40-39, on a Harris three with 11:59 remaining but the Seawolves came back with a 9-2 run to take an eight-point lead with 8:52 remaining. The Great Danes closed to within four, at 49-45, with 4:49 left but senior Marques Cox (Jamaica, N.Y.) hit two free throws and Brenton then followed with a put-back hoop to put the Seawolves up 53-45 with two minutes remaining. Brenton put the game away seconds later as he forced a steal and then took the ball the length of the court for a thunderous dunk.
The Seawolves return to action on Sunday, hosting Hartford at Pritchard Gymnasium. Game time is set for 2 p.m.

BU-STONY BROOK WAS EXTRA SPECIAL

By Bob Ryan

Globe Columnist / January 21, 2009

Will it be a good game or bad game? Who knows? You pay your money and you take your chances. But the great thing about being a sports fan is that you never know.
You think the 518 people who found their way into Case Gymnasium Monday afternoon to see an unpretentious America East clash between 7-9 Boston University and 9-8 Stony Brook knew they were going to walk out of that gym having borne witness to Boston collegiate basketball history? You think they were ready for four overtimes, and not just four overtimes but four of the most competitive overtimes witnessed at any level, anywhere?
I rather doubt it.
"I'm not even sure where to start," said BU coach Dennis Wolff, who had just seen his team prevail in a 99-97 epic. "I'm so impressed with how hard Stony Brook played. But they didn't play any harder than our kids."
"Just an unbelievable game," declared Stony Brook mentor Steve Pikiell, who, like Wolff, is a University of Connecticut grad and a former Huskies assistant. "I just wish I was a fan; that's what I wish."
The players, coaches, and fans are all part of local basketball history. Alone among our four Division 1 schools, BU has a previous four-overtime game on its résumé (a 97-95 loss at Holy Cross in 1964). But it was the first four-overtime Division 1 game played in Boston. But what totally distinguished this extraordinary athletic event is that this wasn't merely your, pardon the expression, "ordinary" four-overtime game. This was one of the most competitive strings of overtimes any two teams have played.
Consider the regulation score: 56-56. Now look at the final score of 99-97 and do the math. All too often, overtimes are anticlimactic, sluggish, cautious, mistake-filled, and boring. But these kids slugged it out to the tune of a 43-41 full half of overtime basketball, and it came oh so close to being a five-OT game because Stony Brook freshman Tommy Brenton very nearly tipped in a Bryan Dougher jumper in the final millisecond.
The BU kids and the Stony Brook kids just kept making play after play after play for 20 minutes of overtime basketball.
Foremost among the BU playmakers were sophomore John Holland and junior Corey Lowe, the former scoring a career-high 29 points while playing all 60 minutes and the latter scoring all of his game-high 33 points following intermission after taking, and missing, just one shot in the first 20 minutes.
Holland is a 6-foot-5-inch forward out of famed St. Benedict's Prep in Newark. "He's like a Reggie Lewis-type player this league hasn't had," lauded Pikiell. We're talking about a serious go-to sort who is averaging 25.2 points per game in his last five outings and has made 11 of his last 21 3-point attempts.
No coach intends to play someone 60 minutes, but BU is down two key players, starting point guard Tyler Morris and valued scorer Carlos Strong, both with season-ending knee injuries, and Wolff, who plays only seven at the present time, couldn't get Holland off the floor. In fact, his starting five logged megaminutes, with Jake O'Brien and Lowe each going 56, Matt Wolff going 52, and Scott Brittain a mere 47 because he was the only player to foul out (1:22 left in the third OT), which itself is an amazing thing in a four-overtime game.
"It was a battle out there," said Holland, who wasn't moving too well when it was over. "I kept looking for ways to motivate myself, trying to keep my energy up."
Lowe, who teamed with Anthony Gurley at Newton North for one of the great backcourts in Massachusetts scholastic history, is playing out of position as a point guard in Morris's absence, and in the first half, he was neglecting his primary function, which is to score. Hence the 0 for 1. But the 6-2 combo guard made up for that in the second half and overtimes, mixing in his usual assortment of threes, mid-range jumpers, and power drives (he is built like a light heavyweight contender), the most significant of which was a transition lefthanded layup with four seconds left in the second overtime that tied the score at 76.
"In the first half, I wasn't trying to force anything," Lowe said with a shrug. "In the second half, I knew I had to make shots."
Stony Brook arrived with three freshman starters, two of whom played very strong games. Brenton, a 6-5 forward from Columbia, Md., finished with 15 points and 17 rebounds, while Dougher, whose grandfather, Jim, a former coach at Stonehill and Holy Cross, was in the stands, had 18 points in a 57-minute performance.
But the grittiest Stony Brook player was sophomore Chris Martin, a 6-1 southpaw built like a running back. This young man is playing with a terrible burden, as each day when a practice or game is ended, he gets in his car and drives from the Stony Brook campus in central Long Island to his home in Queens to see his father, Dalvado, a terminally ill cancer patient. Martin skipped the Seawolves' trip to play Air Force last week to be close to his ailing dad, but he showed up Monday and almost extinguished the Terriers, his 26 points featuring four 3-pointers, a pair of running second-OT bankers, and a free throw that gave his team a 76-71 lead with 1:08 to play.
That lead didn't hold up, as Weymouth freshman O'Brien nailed a straightaway three in advance of Lowe's aforementioned end-to-end drive.
All this OT business was necessary, by the way, because Stony Brook junior Muhammad El-Amin's response to a pair of Wolff free throws that had given BU a 56-53 lead with six seconds left in regulation was a contested buzzer-beating three.
Truth be told, the regulation play wasn't much. But something weird and wonderful suddenly came over these teams, starting with a first OT in which the first three baskets were threes by Martin and Holland twice, and which ended when a Wolff 50-footer spun around and out at the buzzer.
That 10-10 first OT set the tone. The second OT was another 10-10 deal capped by the great Lowe dash to the hoop. OT No. 3 was an 11-11 affair in which Holland and Dougher matched threes to start and the lead was never more than 2 thereafter. But BU did seize control of the fourth OT, twice going up by 7 (94-87, 96-89) before an El-Amin layup with 11 seconds left cut the lead to 98-97. Lowe made one of two free throws with seven seconds left to make it 99-97, but Stony Brook had one last chance and Brenton's tip narrowly missed creating OT No. 5.
So how do we account for these kids reaching such a high level in those OTs? "We've had a lot of trouble at home," Wolff pointed out. "But last Saturday in Binghamton [an 81-64 Terrier triumph], we were loose. And in the overtimes, I kept saying, 'Let's just play.' And we did. We played loose. We really competed."
And the Stony Brook Seawolves stayed right with them. "They'd throw a punch, we'd throw a punch," said Pikiell. "They just landed one more."
These kids weren't from North Carolina, or Kansas or UCLA or UConn or some pedigree school. These are kids who were deemed too small, too slow, too unathletic, or too something to warrant consideration from the big boys. Some are nursing grudges against the chalk schools. Others are grateful to be anywhere playing the game they love. But these kids came together on a Monday afternoon in Boston to put on a show unmatched anywhere in America.
Those 518 people got the maximum return on their investment.
Bob Ryan is a Globe columnist. He can be reached at ryan@globe.com.

MEN'S BASKETBALL DROPS FOUR-OVERTIME THRILLER TO BOSTON UNIVERSITY, 99-97...ARCHIVE OF GAME AVAILABLE NOW!

Men's Basketball Drops Four-Overtime Thriller to Boston University, 99-97
Sophomore Chris Martin leads Seawolves with career-high 26 points.

Boston, Mass. - Sophomore Chris Martin (Springfield Gardens, N.Y.) scored a career-high 26 points but it wasn't enough as Boston University held on for a 99-97 victory over the Stony Brook University men's basketball team in a heart-stopping four-overtime thriller on Monday afternoon at Case Gym. Freshman Tommy Brenton (Columbia, Md.) added 15 points and a school-record 17 rebounds for the Seawolves. Stony Brook falls to 9-9 overall and 1-4 in the America East while BU improves to 8-9 and 3-2.
"What a tremendous basketball game, it's a shame a team had to lose tonight," Stony Brook head coach Steve Pikiell said. "I couldn't be prouder of the effort my team put forth tonight. But give BU credit, they made the plays they had to make down the stretch."
The America East Player of the Game, Martin scored 15 of his 26 after the end of regulation. Freshman Bryan Dougher (Scotch Plains, N.J.) added 18 points in an incredible 57 minutes of action. Corey Lowe led the Terriers with 33 points after going scoreless in the opening half.
Junior Muhammad El-Amin (Lansing, Mich.) sent the game into overtime, drilling a three-pointer from the right wing as time expired to tie it at 56. BU surged ahead 66-62 with 1:42 left in the first overtime but Martin hit a three with 1:18 left and Brenton then hit one of two free throws with six seconds left to send the game into a second overtime. Matt Wolff nearly won the game at the buzzer for the Terriers, but his shot from half court just rimmed out.
SBU seemed to have the game in the hand in the second overtime after five straight points from Martin gave the Seawolves a 76-71 lead with 1:08 remaining. But Lowe drilled a three with 47 seconds left and then drove the length of the court for the tying score with four seconds left after a Stony Brook miss.

The teams continued to trade blows in the third overtime, with the Seawolves grabbing an 87-86 lead on a Brenton tip-in with 12 seconds left. But Lowe was then fouled with seconds left, hitting one of two to send the game into a fourth overtime. Dougher nearly it won for the Seawolves as time expired but his runner just bounced off the front rim. The lead changed hands eight times in the third overtime.
BU bolted to a 96-89 advantage with 1:35 left in the fourth overtime but the Seawolves would not go away, eventually closing to within one with 11 seconds left after back-to-back hoops from El-Amin. Lowe then hit one of two free throws with seven seconds left to put the Terriers up two, giving SBU one final chance.
Dougher took the ball the length of the court, but his runner hit the side rim. Brenton nearly tipped in the rebound but it rimmed out as time expired to give the Terriers the victory. It marked the first four-overtime game in the America East since New Hampshire defeated Maine in January 1996.
BU grabbed a 9-5 lead six and a half minutes into the game behind five early points from John Holland but senior Demetrius Young (Sacramento, Calif.) then scored two straight hoops to spark a 10-2 run that gave the Seawolves a 15-12 lead with 8:44 remaining in the first half.
The Terriers answered with an 8-2 spurt to take a 20-17 advantage before freshman Danny Carter (London, England) nailed two short jumpers to give SBU a 21-20 lead with 3:45 remaining in the first half. BU scored eight of the final 10 points of the half though to head into the break up 28-23.
Young scored a team-high six points in the opening 20 minutes for the Seawolves, who shot just 33.3 percent. Holland scored 12 first half points for the BU, who went 8-for-11 from the line.
After going scoreless in the first half, Corey Lowe scored the first four points of the second half to give BU a nine-point advantage just three minutes into the period. The Terriers would extend their lead to 11 before sophomore Chris Martin knocked down a three for the Seawolves first points of the half.
SBU would eventually draw to within two on another Martin three with 11:30 left but Lowe answered with a three of his own on BU's ensuing possession to push the Terriers lead back to five. The Seawolves would go away though, tying the game with 8:19 left on two free throws from freshman Dallis Joyner (Norfolk, Va.).
Jake O'Brien answered with a three on the other end to put the Terriers up 45-42 but Dougher came back with a driving lay-up and El-Amin then completed a three-point play after a Lowe hoop to tie the game at 47 with 5:46 remaining. A Matt Wolff put-back hoop with 5:12 left put BU back on top but Dougher nailed a three with 4:03 left to give SBU a 50-49 lead with 4:03 remaining.
Young then hit two free throws with 2:21 left to put the Seawolves up three but Lowe tied it on BU's ensuing possession with a long three from the right wing. The Terriers grabbed the lead on a Scott Brittain hoop with 21.4 seconds left and the Seawolves then drew within one with 6.4 left when Martin hit one of two free throws.
Matt Wolff hit two free throws with 5.6 seconds left and the Seawolves then worked the ball to El-Amin, who drilled the three from the right wing as time expired in to send the game into overtime.
The Seawolves return to action on Friday, traveling to take on Albany. Game time is set for 7 p.m.

MEN'S BASKETBALL FALLS TO VERMONT, 83-72

Sophomore Chris Martin leads four Seawolves in double-figures with 17 points.

Stony Brook, N.Y. - Sophomore Chris Martin (Springfield Gardens, N.Y.) led four Seawolves in double-figures with 17 points but it wasn't enough as the Vermont Catamounts went 35-for-47 from the free throw line on their way to a 83-72 victory over the Stony Brook men's basketball team at a sold out Pritchard Gymnasium on Saturday afternoon. Stony Brook falls to 9-8 overall and 1-3 in the America East while Vermont improves to 11-6 and 2-2.
"We got off to a poor start but our guys really battled to get back in the game, we just didn't make enough plays down the stretch to win." Stony Brook head coach Steve Pikiell said. "Our effort on the defensive end needs to be better if we're going to beat a team as good as Vermont."
The America East Player of the Game for the Seawolves, Martin scored 15 of his 17 points in the second half. Junior Muhammad El-Amin (Lansing, Mich.) added 15 points for the Seawolves, who shot 55.6 percent (25-for-45) from the field. Junior Marqus Blakely, the America East Player of the Game for Vermont, led four Catamounts in double-figures with a game-high 20 points.
The teams played evenly early, with the Seawolves holding a slim 11-10 lead nine minutes in after a dunk from freshman Dallis Joyner (Norfolk, Va.). But Blakely answered with a jumper in the lane to start a 10-0 Vermont run that gave the Catamounts a 19-11 lead with eight minutes remaining in the period.
Junior Eddie Castellanos (Jersey City, N.J.) would end the Vermont run with a reverse layup, the first of five straight Seawolves points that cut the UVM lead to 19-16 with 6:30 left in the half. SBU still trailed by four with 5:03 left after a free throw from freshman Bryan Dougher (Scotch Plains, N.J.) but Vermont then went on a 13-3 run over the next four minutes to take a 35-21 lead with just over a minute remaining in the first half.

Martin would hit a jumper with 41 seconds left in the half to send the Seawolves into the break down 35-23. Dougher and El-Amin scored five points apiece in the first half for Stony Brook, which went 9-for-13 from the free throw line in the first 20 minutes. Joey Accaoui scored a game-high 10 points in the first half for Vermont, who shot 50 percent in the opening period.
The Seawolves still trailed by 14 with just over 14 minutes remaining in the game but El-Amin then scored three straight buckets to cut the Catamount lead to 45-37 with 13 minutes left. Castellanos followed with a driving hoop a minute later to draw the Seawolves within six but UVM then hit six straight free throws over the next minute and a half to go up 51-39 with 11:22 remaining.
But Joyner responded with a jumper in the lane and Martin then followed with a three-point play to cut the SBU deficit to seven. Stony Brook would eventually cut its deficit to five on a Martin floater in the lane but Mike Trimboli knocked down a three-pointer, his only field goal of the game, on the Catamounts ensuing possession to make it 56-48 in favor of Vermont with nine and a half minutes left in the contest.
The Seawolves would not go away though, going on a 9-1 run to slice the Vermont lead to one with 6:01 left. But that is as close as SBU would get, as Blakely answered with a tough jumper in the lane on UVM's ensuing possession to kick start a 12-2 run over the next two and a half minutes that would seal the game for the Catamounts.
The Seawolves return to action on Monday, traveling to take on Boston University. Game time is set for 3 p.m.

MEN'S BASKETBALL WINS 60-52, AT DARTMOUTH

Seawolves match best start since 1994-95 season.

Hanover, N.H. - Junior Muhammad El-Amin (Lansing, Mich.) scored a game-high 20 points to lead the Stony Brook men's basketball team to a 60-52 victory over the Dartmouth Big Green on Tuesday night at Leede Arena. Stony Brook improves to 9-7 with the victory, matching its best start since the 1994-95 season. Dartmouth falls to 2-12 with the loss.
"After a tough loss on Thursday, this was a great way to bounce back," Stony Brook head coach Steve Pikiell said. "We showed great toughness tonight and our defense in the second half was superb."
The America East Player of the Game, El-Amin went 8-for-18 from the field and knocked down four of seven from beyond the arc. Freshman Tommy Brenton (Columbia, Md.) added 11 points and 10 rebounds, his second double-double in three games, for the Seawolves, who held Dartmouth to 32 percent shooting the second half. The Seawolves also had a season-high 17 steals.
Stony Brook used the three-point ball to jump to a 12-6 lead just over five minutes in as freshman Bryan Dougher (Scotch Plains, N.J) knocked down two and El-Amin added one. The Big Green answered with an 8-0 run to take a two-point lead midway through the half before Brenton knocked down a three from the top of the key to give the Seawolves a 16-15 advantage.
Dartmouth regained the lead on its next possession but El-Amin came back with a tough jumper and Dougher followed with his third three of the game to put SBU up 20-16 with 7:18 left in the first half. The Big Green once again had a response though, going on a 9-0 spurt to take its largest lead of the contest at 25-20, with just under five minutes left in the first period.

El-Amin ended the Dartmouth run with a three and then sandwiched a put-back hoop and another jumper around an Alex Barnett basket to tie the score at 27 with 2:41 remaining. The Seawolves would eventually take a one-point lead on a free throw from junior Andrew Goba (Durban, South Africa) but Dan Biber knocked down a three with time running out in the first half to send Dartmouth into the break up 32-30.
The Seawolves went 6-for-13 (46.2) from three-point range in the first half and were led by El-Amin's 12 points. The Big Green shot 54.5 percent (12-for-22) in the opening 20 minutes but turned the ball over 11 times.
SBU came out strong defensively to begin the second half, holding the Big Green to just one field goal over the first eight minutes of the period as it grabbed a 37-34 advantage. Dartmouth would eventually tie the score at 37 and then again at 39 but senior Demetrius Young (Sacramento, Calif.) nailed a three with 10:35 left to give the Seawolves the lead. El-Amin then followed with his third trifecta of the game to give SBU a 45-39 advantage with eight minutes to go.
The Big Green would eventually draw to within two on a Robby Pride bucket with 5:04 remaining but Young followed with a jumper in the lane to push the lead back to four and El-Amin, then nailed a long three from the top of the key as the shot clock expired to seal the game for the Seawolves. It was the sixth road victory of the season for SBU, its most since the 1991-92 season.
The Seawolves return to America East action on Saturday, hosting Vermont at Pritchard Gymnasium. Game time is set for 2 p.m. The contest will be televised live on Madison Square Garden Network (MSG).

MEN'S BASKETBALL FALLS TO MAINE, 64-54

Junior Muhammad El-Amin leads Seawolves with 22 points.

Stony Brook, N.Y. - Junior Muhammad El-Amin (Lansing, Mich.) scored a game-high 22 points and senior Demetrius Young (Sacramento, Calif.) added 14 points and seven rebounds but it wasn't enough as the Stony Brook University men's basketball team dropped its second straight game, 64-54, to the Maine Black Bears on Thursday night at Pritchard Gymnasium. Stony Brook falls to 8-7 overall and 1-2 in the America East with the loss while Maine improves to 6-9 and 1-1.
"We've won games this season with defense and tonight we just didn't come to play on the defensive end of the court," Stony Brook head coach Steve Pikiell said. "But we'll go back to work tomorrow and get ready for Dartmouth on Tuesday."
The America East Player of the Game, El-Amin scored 15 of his 22 points in the second half. Freshman Dallis Joyner (Norfolk, Va.) added 10 points and a career-high nine rebounds for the Seawolves, who shot just 33.3 percent for the game. Malachi Peay led four Maine players in double-figures with 12 points. The America East Player of the Game, Peay shot 5-for-8 from the field.
The Seawolves fell behind early, as Maine went 8-for-12 from the field over the first eight and a half minutes to take a 19-6 lead. Joyner kept SBU alive in the early going, scoring four of Stony Brook's first six points. The Black Bears would eventually build their lead to as much as 18 on a Gerald McLemore three with just over six minutes left in the first half.
Stony Brook would creep back within 14 at 30-16 with just under four minutes remaining on two free throws from freshman Tommy Brenton (Columbia, Md.) and a jumper from El-Amin before Maine came back with four straight points to build its lead back to 18 with three minutes left in the half. The Seawolves would gather some momentum heading into halftime, going on an 11-2 run to close to within 36-25 at the break. El-Amin scored five points in the run.

Young scored a team-high eight points in the opening period for the Seawolves, with Joyner adding six points and five rebounds. Peay scored a game-high 10 points in first half for the Blacks Bears, who shot 64 percent in the opening 20 minutes.
Maine came out quickly in the second half, going on a 7-2 spurt to build its lead back to 16. Joyner ended the run with dunk but Sean McNally answered with a three to put the Black Bears up 46-29 with 15:56 to go in the game. Both teams struggled to score over the next several minutes and the Seawolves still trailed by a score of 48-31 midway through the half.
SBU then went on a 9-2 run though, highlighted by four points from Young, to cut the Maine lead to 50-38 with eight minutes remaining. But Maine answered with five straight points, on a Junior Bernal three-point play and a Troy Barnies fast-break lay-up, to push its lead back to 17.
The Seawolves would have one final run left in them, scoring 11 straight points to close within six on a hoop from El-Amin with 2:11 remaining. But that is as close as they would get as Bernal hit one of two free throws and Mark Socoby then followed with a fast break lay-up to seal the game for Maine.
The Seawolves return to action on Tuesday, traveling to take on Dartmouth. Game time is set for 7 p.m.

BOSTON UNIVERSITY TOPS WOMEN'S BASKETBALL, 72-59 IN AMERICA EAST OPENER

Kirsten Jeter leads all scorers with 20 points

Stony Brook, N.Y. - Jesyka Burks-Wiley had her third double-double of the season with 18 points and 13 rebounds and led four Boston University scorers in double figures in its 72-59 win over the Stony Brook University women's basketball team, in the conference opener for both teams, on Wednesday night in Pritchard Gymnasium. Burks had 14 of her team-high 18 points and grabbed nine of her 13 rebounds in the second half. Sophomore Kirsten Jeter (Elmont, N.Y.) had a game-high 20 points, one off her career-high and sophomore Misha Horsey (Wyncote, Pa.) tied a career-high for the second straight game with 16 points, for the Seawolves.
"I thought our effort was outstanding tonight," head coach Michele Cherry said. "I ask our players to play a physical, aggressive style of defense and they gave all they had but we have to shoot free throws better and take better care of the ball."
Play went back-and-forth to begin the game until Boston University (7-6, 1-0 America East) opened up a six-point lead after a jumper from Kristi Dini at the 11:40 mark. After Stony Brook (2-11, 0-1 America East) cut the lead to three, the Terriers stretched the lead back up to seven following two free throws from Christine Kinneary. During a span in which both teams converted on four straight possessions, Boston University maintained the lead throughout the first half.
After leading by as many as eight, Boston University managed just one point the last five and half minutes of the first half. The Seawolves ended the first half on a 7-1 spurt to end the half, cutting the Terrier lead to just one at 35-34.
The Seawolves opened the second half hitting on 3-of-5 shots capped off by a jumper from Jeter that tied the score at 41. A 9-0 run over 5:32 gave the visitors a nine-point lead, 50-41 with 13:02 to play. Stony Brook missed all five of its attempts from the floor and turned the ball over four times during that stretch. Horsey's second three-pointer of the night ended the drought for Stony Brook.

Following Burks-Wiley's free throws that gave the Terriers an 11-point lead, the Seawolves cut the lead to two, 59-57 with 4:21 to play helped by nine straight points from Jeter. It was as close as Stony Brook would get the rest of the game.
Boston University ended the game, making 10-of-13 free throws and 29-37 for the game. Stony Brook shot 3-of-15 from the line.
Along with Burks-Wiley, who earned America East Player of the Game honors, Dini had 14 points, Kinneary added 12 points and Amarachi Umez-Eronini chipped in with 11 points for Boston University.
Jeter's 18 second half-points earned her America East Player of the Game honors for Stony Brook. Junior Crystal Rushin (Valley Stream, N.Y.) was one point shy of a career-high with nine points and grabbed a career-high 12 rebounds. Junior Sarah Kazadi (Bronx, N.Y.) had a season-high nine rebounds in a losing effort.
The Seawolves return to action when they travel to face Vermont on January 14. Tip-off against the Catamounts is scheduled for 7 pm.

MEN'S BASKETBALL UPSETS UMBC 69-61 ON ROAD, IN AMERICA EAST OPENER...SEAWOLVES NOW 8-5

Seawolves win third straight game.

Baltimore, Md. - Junior Muhammad El-Amin (Lansing, Mich.) scored 19 points, including the go-ahead three-pointer with 3:40 remaining, to lead the Stony Brook University men's basketball team to a 69-61 victory over defending conference champion Maryland-Baltimore County on Saturday night at the RAC Arena. Stony Brook improves to 8-5 overall and 1-0 in the America East while UMBC falls to 6-7 and 0-1.
"We played with great energy tonight and were able to make enough plays down the stretch to get a win against a terrific UMBC team," Stony Brook head coach Steve Pikiell said.
The America East Player of the Game, El-Amin knocked down a three with the score knotted at 54 to start an 8-0 run that sealed the Seawolves third straight victory. El-Amin shot 8-for-14 from the field for the game for the Seawolves, who shot a season-high 56.5 percent from the field.
Freshman Bryan Dougher (Scotch Plains, N.J.) added 19 points for Stony Brook, including a terrific 5-for-6 from three-point range. Darryl Proctor posted a double-double (26 points, 10 rebounds) for UMBC, who dropped its second straight game.
Stony Brook took control at the start, going on a 17-2 run after Matt Spadafora scored the first basket of the game. El-Amin scored three hoops in the run and also fed freshman Tommy Brenton (Columbia, Md.) for a thunderous fast-break dunk that forced UMBC to take its second timeout of the first seven minutes. Brenton finished with four points in addition to grabbing a team-high seven rebounds.
The Seawolves lead would grow to as much as 14, at 20-6, on a three from Dougher before the Retrievers went on an 8-2 run to cut the Seawolves lead to eight with 7:05 left in the half. El-Amin pushed the SBU advantage back to double-digits with a long three from the right side and Dougher followed with his third three of the half to push the SBU lead back to 14 with just over four minutes remaining in the period.

UMBC scored six of the final nine points of the half to send the Seawolves into the break up 31-20. El-Amin scored 13 first half points for the Seawolves, while Dougher added 11. Proctor scored a team-high eight points in the first half for the Retrievers, who shot just 30 percent (9-for-30) from the field in the opening 20 minutes.
The Retrievers came out of the break hot, scoring 11 of the half's first 13 points to cut the Seawolves lead to two with 16:54 remaining in the game. Junior Desmond Adedeji (Landover Hills, Md.) stemmed the tide though, sandwiching back-to-to-back hoops around two Proctor free throws to put SBU up four. UMBC would close to within two on a Fry jumper but sophomore Chris Martin (Springfield Gardens, N.Y.) answered with a twisting shot in the lane and El-Amin followed with a three-point play to put the Seawolves up 42-35 with 13:35 remaining.
Stony Brook's lead would grow to as much as 11 after back-to-back Dougher three-pointers but the Retrievers stormed back with a 13-2 run to tie the game at 52 with just over six minutes remaining. Adedeji ended the run with a jump hook in the lane but Proctor answered with a jumper on the other end to tie it at 54.
The Seawolves return to action on Monday, Jan. 5, traveling to take on Binghamton in a game that will be on WUSB and televised live on MSG+. Game time is set for 7 p.m.

MEN'S BASKETBALL SHOCK AIR FORCE, 67-64

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.