Brenton's double-double leads Stony Brook past Binghamton

Junior Tommy Brenton (Columbia, Md.) scored a season-high 17 points and grabbed 13 rebounds, and the Stony Brook men's basketball team used a late 10-0 run to pull away from Binghamton and win 60-54 Thursday night at the Events Center.

The Seawolves have now won four straight games and picked up their first road victory of the season. It was the program's first-ever win at the Events Center and first win at Binghamton since Jan. 15, 2002, a span of nine games. SBU is also now 2-0 in America East play for just the second time in program history (2009-10).

Brenton's 17 was among four Seawolves to score in double figures. Sophomore Dave Coley (Brooklyn, N.Y.) had 12 points, senior Bryan Dougher (Scotch Plains, N.J.) added 11 points, and senior Al Rapier (Chicago, Ill.) chipped in 10.
Stony Brook survived seven Binghamton three-pointers in the game. The Bearcats shot better from outside the arc (43.8%) than inside the arc (41.4%). Robert Mansell led Binghamton with 22 points.

"I liked the way Tommy played tonight, he gave us a huge lift," head coach Steve Pikiell said. "Binghamton was a tough team to play tonight; they were solid and shot the ball well. Fortunately, we made enough plays to come away with the win.

After a back-and forth first half, Stony Brook came out in the second half with a 12-4 run. Coley had six points during the streak, and Rapier punctuated the run with four free throws, the first two coming on an intentional foul by Ben Dickinson.
Binghamton then responded with an 11-0 run that was fueled by a set of three-pointers as Mansell hit one and Chris Longoria hit a pair. Alex Ogundadegbe's hook shot ended the run and gave the Bearcats a 43-39 lead.

It was 44-43 Binghamton when the Seawolves took over the game. Brenton made a move inside, faked a defender and passed out to Dougher in the corner, and Dougher drained a three-pointer to give SBU a 46-44 lead with 8:39 to go.

While the Bearcats missed six straight shots, the Seawolves built a nine-point lead. Brenton put back a Coley miss at 4:58 and then Rapier shot right past defenders in the lane for a dunk and the foul at 4:22. He made the free throw and put the Seawolves up 53-44.

Binghamton cut its deficit to five, 53-48, with 3:13 remaining, but neither team scored for almost two minutes until Dougher rattled off a three-point attempt that missed, but Brenton was there for a ferocious putback dunk at 1:37 to make it a seven-point game and take the air out of BU's sails.

Brenton hit three of four free throws at the end to seal the victory.

In the first half, Stony Brook scored the first two baskets of the game, but Binghamton quickly made a comeback and then was fueled by a 9-2 run that included three three-pointers from Jimmy Gray. The Bearcats went up 15-10.

Stony Brook fought back and briefly took a two-point lead, 23-21, after a Dougher three-pointer, but the Bearcats quickly responded on Mansell's three-pointer to make it 24-23 Bearcats.
Stony Brook led 27-26 after Joyner's hook shot and then seemed poised to add to that lead after grabbing a pair of offensive rebounds that led to nearly a minute of offensive possession time, but the Seawolves could not convert. Gray hit a long jumper just inside the three-point line to send the Bearcats into halftime up 28-27.

Stony Brook outrebounded Binghamton 36-25 and had 17 second chance points on 13 offensive rebounds. The Seawolves were 13-for-19 from the free throw line while Binghamton was 9-for-10.

Brenton now has 688 rebounds for his career, moving into fifth place all-time in Stony Brook history.


Stony Brook is back at home Sunday for another SUNY rivalry match, taking on Albany in the first game of a Seawolves Basketball doubleheader. Tip-off is at 2 p.m., and the game will be televised on Optimum Local Channel 118. For tickets, call (631) 632-WOLF or log on to GoSeawolves.org/tickets.

Stony Brook women’s hoops has three-game win streak snapped by Binghamton

Stony Brook, N.Y. – Stony Brook University's women's basketball team had its three-game winning streak snapped on Thursday night as Andrea Holmes scored 16 of her game-high 19 points in the second half to lead the Binghamton Bearcats to a 44-32 victory over the Seawolves at Pritchard Gymnasium.
"We competed hard tonight and our defense was outstanding but we just didn't make enough shots to win the game," Stony Brook head coach Beth O'Boyle said.
Junior Jessica Previlon (Brooklyn, N.Y.) led Stony Brook (4-11, 1-1 AE) with nine points and seven rebounds. The Seawolves held Binghamton (8-7, 2-0 AE) to 29.5 percent shooting, the sixth time in the last seven games that SBU has held its opponent under 35 percent shooting.
Binghamton jumped to a 10-4 lead but Stony Brook answered with seven straight points to take an 11-10 advantage midway through the half. Orla O'Reilly hit two free throws to end the SBU run but senior Tamiel Murray (Teaneck, N.J.) answered with a jumper to put Stony Brook back in front.
A three from junior Dani Klupenger (Aurora, Ore.) with under two minutes left in the half gave Stony Brook a 16-14 lead before the Bearcats scored six straight points.
But Previlon scored just before halftime as SBU went into the break trailing 20-18. Binghamton shot just 25 percent in the opening 20 minutes but went 8-for-12 from the foul line.
The Bearcats took control of the game to start the second half as Holmes scored 11 points over the first three minutes of the period to give Binghamton a 31-19 lead.
Klupenger ended the run with her second three of the game but BU scored the next five points to build its lead to 14 midway through the half.

SBU scored eight of next 10 points though, pulling within 38-30 on a Previlon put-back with 5:01 left.

But that is as close as the Seawolves would get as Binghamton held SBU without a field goal the rest way as the Bearcats pulled away for the 12-point victory.

Binghamton scored 17 points off 14 Stony Brook turnovers and out-rebounded the Seawolves, 41-38. Previlon and Holmes were named America East Players of the Game for their respective teams.

Stony Brook returns to action on Sunday, hosting the Albany Great Danes at Pritchard Gym. The contest will follow the men's 2 p.m. game and is scheduled to tip at 5 p.m.

HIGLIGHTS...STONY BROOK WOMEN WIN AT VERMONT, 54-47

Watch "Stony Brook women's basketball vs. Vermont highlights" on YouTube

Diary Series: Jay Young, Assoc. Head Coach - Stony Brook

As we recover from the egg nog, travel and “money”games of the holiday season, let’s journey off topic this month with a subject that is near and dear to my heart: my dog Nora.

No disrespect to my colleagues, but do we really need another blog about playing freshmen (usually not ready) or winning on the road (usually can’t)? It has all been written, heck, I’ve written it! This blog is about a man’s best friend and this coach’s best friend, his dog. My wife and I adopted Nora about a year and a half ago. She was found running along a Hoosier state highway, and ended up on doggie death row at the local pound. Since I have never successfully recruited a player from Indiana I figured this was a sure thing, certainly a dog in her predicament couldn’t say“no.” Nora is no Paris Hilton lap dog. She is a “dog’s dog,” a 90 pound Great Pyrenees that sheds like crazy, barks at strangers, and chases squirrels. You know you have a “real dog” when you ask for the extra large poop bags at PETCO.This is why Nora is the best friend a coach can have: she has never complained about meal money, getting more“touches” or having the offense run through her. Throw her a ball and she lays out for it. Two weeks ago one of our cats came running at her, and I swear she took a charge. Nora is like a Bo Ryan defense – remarkably consistent. Experience a bad loss – tail wags. Miss a big free throw down the stretch – tail wags. Put on a few pounds during the season – tail wags. You get the idea. Not once has Nora demanded that her son have more playing time…hell, she’s spayed! Talk about coachable; no one beats Nora. Stick a treat over her head and she will place her rear end on the floor with perfect precision for as long as it takes to please. It’s usually a struggle for our guys to play in a stance for 35 seconds. Nora is always willing to compromise. The other night I changed the TV from the Lifetime network to watch a Big East game; she could have cared less. Try doing that with your wife.
Every coach needs to own a dog; it should be mandatory therapy. Even Nora’s flaws are endearing. When she dribbles too much, you clean it up with a paper towel. I wish I could do that with our guards. Nora is not the brightest of dogs, and her listening skills need some work, but I’ve never worried about her being ineligible for anything. A sliding scale to Nora is that big contraption at the vet. Maybe it’s something about Nora being from Indiana, but I actually think she likes college basketball. Two weeks ago when the Hoosiers beat Kentucky on a last-second shot, she barked like crazy.
I think of what Nora’s life would have been like if we had not adopted her. The Humane Society estimates that there are some 6-8 million dogs in need of adoption every year. Many will be euthanatized because good homes cannot be found for them. We work in a hectic, high stressed profession where coaches are often judged on their win - loss record. A dog never judges. A dog wants to be fed, petted, walked and loved. Every coach could use a friend like that.

Rapier's 17 points lead Stony Brook

By JAMES CREPEA james.crepea@newsday.com
Al Rapier displayed his versatility Monday night. He acted as the point guard and took the ball upcourt, came off screens and drove in from the wings, and matched up on the inside and served as the center.
The 6-8 Rapier did it all, scoring 17 points, shooting 7-for-11 from the field and adding six rebounds for Stony Brook in a 65-59 America East Conference victory over Vermont at Pritchard Gymnasium.
Stony Brook coach Steve Pikiell was most pleased with his team's defensive play. The Seawolves (6-6, 1-0) held Vermont to 34 percent shooting from the field, and the Catamounts were 9-for-31 from two-point range.
"We played great defense, held them to a season-low 34 percent," Pikiell said. "I thought we had a good game plan on the defense end from the start."
Stony Brook's Dave Coley (15 points) matched up against Vermont's Brendan Bald, who came in averaging more than nine points a game but was held scoreless and shot 0-for-10.
"I just want to send a message to the league that I'm going to stop every team's best player," Coley said. "Start from tonight and here on out."
Rapier, a senior, finished two points shy of his career high. The Chicago native made a crowd-pleasing play late in the first half, dribbling around a screen before driving down an open lane and finishing with an authoritative dunk.
"We're at home, the fans come out and support us, so I got to give them their money's worth," Rapier said.
Vermont (6-9, 0-1) started the second half on a 12-4 run to take a 37-36 lead.
"They had the lead for a half a second. We scored right after that," Pikiell said. "We fouled them in the second half, we had no fouls in the first half and they're too good of a team to put them to the free-throw line as much as we did in the second half."
Stony Brook regrouped and took firm control when Coley stole the ball and went coast-to-coast, hitting a fading jump shot to the right of the basket. That gave the Seawolves their largest lead of the game at 56-44 with 3:38 to play.
"I'm a basketball player. That's a go-to move for me," Coley said. "I'm creative. Like Al, I got a little bit of tricks up my sleeve as well."
Vermont cut the gap to 61-57 with 22 seconds to play but could not get any closer.
Rapier scored seven of Stony Brook's first eight points and combined with Bryan Dougher (14 points) and Coley for 31 of Stony Brook's 32 first-half points.

Stony Brook wins America East opener and third straight overall by topping Vermont

Behind 17 points from senior Al Rapier (Chicago, Ill.) and 15 points from sophomore Dave Coley (Brooklyn, N.Y.), the Stony Brook men's basketball team opened American East play with a 65-59 victory over Vermont Tuesday night at Pritchard Gymnasium. The Seawolves remain undefeated at home and extended their win-streak at Pritchard to seven straight, dating back to last season.
Stony Brook has now won its last four conference openers and extends its overall winning streak to three games. The Seawolves held Vermont to its season low shooting percentage at 34 (18-for-53). The Seawolves shot 44 percent from the field and dominated in the paint, outscoring the Catamounts there 28-14. SBU also outrebounded UVM, 37-29.

In addition to Rapier, who was SBU's America East Player of the Game, and Coley's efforts, senior Bryan Dougher (Scotch Plains, N.J.) chipped in 14 points and four steals. Junior Tommy Brenton (Columbia, Md.) had an all-around effort with eight points, nine rebounds, four assists and three steals.

Vermont was led by America East Player of the Game Luke Apfield's 18 points and Sandro Carissimo's 16 points.
"We played very good defense tonight and held Vermont to its season-low for shooting," head coach Steve Pikiell said. "We continue to play well at home and we have to keep that home court advantage up. It was a good conference opener for us; Vermont is a good team that's going to win a lot of games."

Stony Brook (6-6) and Vermont (6-9) kept pace with each other throughout the first half. With the score knotted at 8-8 in the first half, Coley hit a fadeaway jump shot to put SBU up 10-8. Senior Pat Bergmann put in a layup with 10:50 to go in the first half to tie the score at 10 before Coley again gave the Seawolves a two point edge with a jump shot.

SBU led for the rest of the first half. Coley grabbed an offensive rebound and nailed another jump shot to extend the lead to 14-10. with 9:24 left in the first half. The Seawolves and Catamounts then exchanged threes as Dougher and Four McGlynn each made shots from behind the arc at 7:04 and 6:36, respectively, to make the score 19-16.

The Catamounts continued to stay within reach. A jumper by Matt Glass made it 26-22. After being fouled in the act of shooting a three pointer, Dougher nailed all three free throws to extend the Seawolves lead to 29-22.
The Seawolves went into the locker room with a 32-25 lead at the half.

Stony Brook scored quickly in the second half. Senior Dallis Joyner (Norfolk, Va.) dunked the ball to give SBU a 34-25 advantage, but the Catamounts went on a 12-2 run, culminated by a three point field goal by Clancy Rugg to put Vermont up 37-36.

Once again, the teams played back-and-forth basketball, but Stony Brook seemed to pull away with 12:19 to go in the game and the score tied at 40. Senior Danny Carter (Windsor, England) nailed a jumper to begin a 14-6 run for the Seawolves. Coley scored on a fastbreak jump shot following a Dougher steal to give SBU a 56-44 lead with 3:38 remaining.

Vermont hung in with the Seawolves to make it interesting. A three-pointer by Carissimo closed the gap to 61-57 with 17 seconds remaining, but Anthony Jackson (Columbus, Ohio) and Coley nailed their free throws at the end to put the Catamounts away for good.

The Seawolves will hit the road for an important conference game against SUNY rival Binghamton Thursday at 7 p.m. Stony Brook is back at home this Sunday against another SUNY rival, Albany, at 2 p.m.

STONY BROOK women’s hoops knocks off Vermont in conference opener

Burlington, Vt. – Junior Dani Klupenger (Aurora, Ore.) poured in a career-high 18 points and the Stony Brook women’s basketball team held the Vermont Catamounts to 28 percent shooting on its way to a 54-47 victory in the America East opener for both teams on Monday night at Patrick Gym.

Klupenger went 4-for-6 from three as the Seawolves (4-10, 1-0 AE) won their third straight game and defeated Vermont for the first time since 2006-07. Vermont entered the contest as the highest scoring offense in the America East but the Seawolves held them over 15 points below their scoring average.

Senior Whitney Davis (Muskegon, Mich.) added 11 points and junior Jessica Previlon (Brooklyn, N.Y.) chipped in with six points and nine rebounds. The three-game winning streak is Stony Brook’s first since 2008-09 and it was their first win in their last six America East openers.

Vermont led 27-25 with 12:30 to go in the game but Davis hit two free throws to tie the game and junior Taylor Burner (Port Jefferson, N.Y.) followed with an inside hoop to give SBU the lead. Klupenger hit two more free throws to push the Stony Brook lead to 32-28 with 9:21 remaining.

Another Burner hoop gave Stony Brook a 34-29 lead and junior Gerda Gatling (Woodbridge, Va.) dished off to senior Destiny Jacobs (Glen Burnie, Md.) for an easy basket to give the Seawolves a six-point lead with 5:30 left.

UVM cut the SBU lead to 36-33 with just over three minutes left but Previlon answered with an easy bucket on the other end and Klupenger followed with two free to push the Stony Brook lead to seven.

Sam Simononis hit a three for Vermont to make it 40-36 but Klupenger responded with another three to make it 43-36 with 2:08 remaining. Kayla Burchill hit another Vermont three to bring Vermont within four with 1:39 to go but Klupenger hit two free throws on the other end to make it 45-39.

Davis hit two more free throws to make it 47-39 but UVM scored five of the next six points to close within four again. But freshman Kellie Krueger (Wilsonville, Ore.) hit one of two freebies with 50 seconds left and Stony Brook then forced a Vermont miss on the other end to seal the victory.

SBU jumped to an 11-7 advantage midway through the first half as Vermont missed 11 of its first 14 shots. Both teams struggled to score over the next several minutes with Stony Brook holding a slim 13-10 lead with just under four minutes to go.

Lauren Buschmann hit one of two free throws with 3:48 left to break an over five minute Vermont drought but Klupenger banked in a three from the right wing to give SBU a 16-11 lead.

Klupenger drilled her third three of the half with just under a minute left and Davis followed with a long jumper with 19 seconds to go as SBU carried a 21-14 lead into halftime.

Stony Brook scored 10 points of nine Vermont turnovers in the opening 20 minutes and had 12 second chance points. SBU also forced UVM to shoot just 21.7 percent from the field.

Gatling hit two free throws a minute into the second half to push the SBU lead to nine but UVM went on a 13-2 run over the next six and a half minutes to take a 27-25 advantage.

The Seawolves return to action on Thursday, hosting Binghamton at Pritchard Gymnasium. Game time is set for 7 p.m.