The Seawolves fall to 6-8 on the season while the Big Red improve to 4-10. Stony Brook is now 5-7 in non-conference play with one game remaining, and Cornell is now 2-3 against teams from America East.
"We played well on defensive again, but we continue to struggle with our shots," head coach Steve Pikiell said. "We have to forget about this one quickly though because we have an important game on Monday against Binghamton."
In what was a defensive grind the entire game, both teams combined for just 33 field goals in the contest. The difference came in three-point shooting, as the Big Red connected on 7-of-25 shots (28 percent) from behind the arc, accounting for 35 percent of the team's points. Stony Brook was only 2-for-13 from three-point range.
The Seawolves trailed at halftime, 24-19, after making just six field goals, but stayed within striking distance on the strength of seven free throws. To open the second half, Marcus Rouse (Upper Marlboro, Md.) hit a long two-point jumper, and Bryan Dougher (Scotch Plains, N.J.) followed with a pull-up jumper with a hand in his face to get Stony Brook within one, 24-23.
However, Cornell went back to its three-point attack as Chris Wroblewski answered the Stony Brook run with a three-pointer, and a minute later, Drew Ferry also connected from down town to put the Big Red up six, 30-24.
Later in the second half, Anthony Mayo (Philadelphia, Pa.) sank a mid-range jumper to bring the Seawolves within four, 43-39, with 7:04 remaining in the game, but the Big Red scored the game's next six points as Wroblewski dished a dunk to Aaron Osgood and then hit a layup before Adam Wire connected on a jumper at 4:55 to give Cornell its largest lead of the game, 10 points, at 49-39.
Stony Brook got as close as six points late after Dougher's three-point play with 43 seconds remaining, but Cornell excelled at the free throw line at the end, making seven of eight attempts in the final two minutes.
Wroblewski led the Big Red with a career-high 29 points on 8-of-13 shooting, 4-for-6 from three-point range, and 9-for-10 from the free throw line. Dougher had 12 points to lead Stony Brook, but he failed to make a three-pointer, ending his consecutive game streak with a triple at 24 games. Dave Coley (Brooklyn, N.Y.) chipped in nine points and a team-high six rebounds.
The game was marred by a plethora of foul calls on both sides. Stony Brook was called for 24 fouls and had one player foul out. Cornell had 21 fouls and had two players disqualified.
Stony Brook resumes the second half of its tour of upstate New York Monday evening at Binghamton at 7 p.m. The game will be televised live on MSG-Plus with Eric Frede and Frank Sullivan. The game will also be streamed live on ESPN3.com, but is subject to blackout in the New York region.
