SBU Sports

Team members celebrate their victory on Wednesday. Photo courtesy of Stony Brook Athletics

The Stony Brook women’s lacrosse team pulled away from Villanova early and earned a 12-5 victory over the Wildcats on Feb. 19 in Villanova, Pennsylvania to pick up the squad’s second consecutive win.

The Seawolves were paced by eight different goal scorers with Haydin Eisfeld notching a career-high three goals for her first collegiate hat trick. Alexandra Fusco added a pair of goals and assists while Charlotte Wilmoth scored two goals herself. Casey Colbert led Stony Brook with a team and career-high four assists.

Defensively, Avery Hines tallied a single-game program record with eight caused turnovers while adding a career-high five ground balls. Courtney Maclay recorded five draw controls to lead the Seawolves in the circle. In net, Ava Yancey got her first collegiate start, making three saves through 60 full minutes of play.

For Villanova, Sydney Pappas led the Wildcats with two goals, as Madison Freeman, Elena Torres, and Jillian Vaught each notched one. Goalkeeper Makenzie Fisher made 10 saves in net on a .445 save percentage.

HOW IT HAPPENED

The Seawolves scored six straight goals in the span of 11 minutes to begin the contest, the first time since April 6, 2024, against Delaware. Julia Fusco capped the run with a woman-up goal dished out by her sister, Alex.

After a Villanova tally, Wilmoth struck again to put Stony Brook up 7-1 at the end of the first.

The Seawolves grabbed a 9-1 lead with 47 seconds to go in the half as Eisfeld scored in transition to keep Stony Brook on top.

Eisfeld scored again to open the third quarter, as the Wildcats responded and tallied a pair to close the gap, 10-3 heading into the fourth.

Villanova would score another two before Maclay and Kylie Budke capitalized on the Seawolves’ lead to secure a 12-5 victory.

“Really proud of our players and coaches, I always say you improve the most from game one to game two.  Our defense was ready to go, holding a potent offense to just 11 shots in the game.  That stat is incredible with the offensive power of Villanova.  Offensively, we showed spots of brilliance but there’s still so much room for improvement.  That’s the great thing about this group is that the ceiling is so high.  Really awesome for Avery to set that Stony Brook record as she was so in tune with the scout and the tendencies of the Nova offense. It’s great to start out 2-0, but it’s all eyes on UAlbany Sunday,” noted head coach Joe Spallina postgame.

Next up, the team  returns to action on February 23 as they head north to face in-state rival UAlbany. First draw is scheduled for 12 p.m. with coverage available on ESPN+. This will be the 31st meeting between the Seawolves and Great Danes in program history with Stony Brook leading 23-7 all-time.

Photo courtesy o Stony Brook Athletics

Stony Brook women’s basketball fell to Towson, 59-52, at TU Arena in Towson, Md. on Feb. 16. The Seawolves were paced offensively by Breauna Ware’s team-high 19 points and Zaida Gonzalez’s 17 points as Stony Brook battled back from a 12-point deficit but could not overcome the Tigers down the stretch.

Stony Brook struggled out of the gate, shooting only 26 percent from the field as Towson went on a 6-0 scoring run to close out the first quarter. The Seawolves trailed 17-9 with Devyn Scott leading the squad with three points.

The Tigers added to that lead, building a 22-13 advantage before Stony Brook went on a 7-0 run to narrow its deficit to 22-20. Towson responded and expanded its lead, leaving the Seawolves trailing 26-22 heading into halftime. Ware scored eight points through the first half of play.

Stony Brook was able to cut into the Tigers’ lead by only one early but Towson found momentum building a 33-25 lead before the Seawolves went on a 5-0 run to trim its deficit to 33-30 with 4:31 to go in the third. Towson countered and stretched its lead to 41-36 heading into the fourth. Ware and Gonzalez accounted for 15 of the team’s 22 points through the third quarter.

Towson kept widening its lead in the fourth, constructing a 59-47 advantage before Stony Brook went on another 5-0 run to shrink the deficit to 59-52 with 25 seconds to go in the contest. The score would hold for the rest of the contest.

The team has a week off before their next matchup as they travel to Buies Creek, N.C. to take on Campbell on Feb. 23 at 2 p.m. This will be the second meeting between the Seawolves and Fighting Camels this season. Coverage is set to be available on FloCollege.

The team celebrates their victory after Sunday's game. Photo courtesy of Stony Brook Athletics

Stony Brook men’s lacrosse ended its weekend trip in North Carolina with a 12-6 victory over Queens University Charlotte on Feb. 16. Freshman Caleb Yeung netted three goals, while Jamison MacLachlan made 13 saves to power the Seawolves to their second win of the season.

Stony Brook started strong on Sunday, registering three of the first four goals of the contest. Collin Williamson, Michael Kloepfer and Richie DeChiaro all found the back of the net during the opening 15 minutes to give the Seawolves an early 3-1 lead.

Yeung netted the first goal of his collegiate career to open the scoring in the second period and add to Stony Brook’s lead.

After an answer from Queens’ offense, Stony Brook scored four straight goals to open things up. DeChiaro and Yeung added their second goals of the game, while Justin Bonacci and Kian McCoy got in on the goal-scoring action.

The two sides traded scores to close the half, seeing Stony Brook carry a 9-3 advantage into the halftime break.

The Royals did not go away quietly, shutting out the Seawolves in the third quarter and trimming their deficit to four goals. Stony Brook seized control of the contest again in the final frame, snapping a nearly 25-minute scoring drought on the strength of Williamson’s second goal of the afternoon to make it 10-5.

MacLachlan shut down the Queens offense for much of the fourth period, making five saves and allowing one goal, a man-down situation for his defense, to hold off Queens’ comeback attempt and win his second game of the season.

“Proud of the toughness we displayed today. After a slugfest on Friday night to be able to turnaround quickly both mentally and physically and earn win number two was the progress we wanted to see,” head coach Anthony Gilardi said.

Photo courtesy of Stony Brook Athletics

The Stony Brook baseball team erased an 8-0 deficit to storm back for an 11-8 victory, capped by a three-run home run from Chanz Doughty in the final inning, securing a series sweep over Bethune-Cookman in Daytona Beach, Fla. on Feb. 16. The game was called after seven innings due to weather conditions.

John Rizzo made his first career start for the Seawolves, tossing 1.2 innings while allowing six runs and striking out two.Matt Sgambati made his Stony Brook debut in the second inning, finishing the second and third frames while allowing two runs on two hits.

Down 8-0 in the third, Johnny Pilla put Stony Brook on the board with a two-out double that plated Matt Miceli, cutting the deficit to 8-1.

Sgambati followed with a 1-2-3 third inning before Nico Azpilcueta led off the fourth with a single. A walk by Luke Szepek and a hit-by-pitch from Cam Santerre loaded the bases with no outs. All three scored on a fielder’s choice and an error, trimming the deficit to 8-4. Kincaid Bergthold later came around to score on another error, making it 8-5.

Hunter Colagrande made his Stony Brook debut in the fourth, allowing two baserunners before striking out three straight hitters to escape the jam.

The Seawolves rallied in the sixth with two outs. Doughty and Miceli singled to bring up Erik Paulsen, who delivered an RBI single to center, making it 8-6. Evan Goforth followed with an RBI single, pulling Stony Brook within one at 8-7.

George Adams made his debut in the bottom of the sixth and struck out two of the three batters he faced in a perfect inning.

In the seventh, Szepek and Santerre drew walks before Bergthold delivered the game-tying RBI single. Doughty then launched a three-run home run to center, giving the Seawolves an 11-8 lead.

Adams shut down Bethune-Cookman in order in the bottom half, sealing the comeback victory before the game was called due to weather.

Next up, the team travels to Fort Myers next week for a three-game series against Florida Gulf Coast. First pitch on Feb. 21 is set for 6:30 p.m., with streaming details to be determined.

Photo courtesy of Stony Brook Athletics

Stony Brook women’s basketball battled with Hampton, ultimately falling 59-57, on Feb. 14 at Stony Brook Arena. Shamarla King, Zaida Gonzalez and Breauna Ware combined to score 46 of the Seawolves’ 57 total points.

The Seawolves (11-12, 6-6) had three players score in double figures, led by King, who had 19 points and six rebounds. Gonzalez tacked on a double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds and Ware chipped in with 12 points, three rebounds, two steals, and one assist.

The Seawolves out-rebounded the Pirates 41-37, paced by Gonzalez’s 10 boards. Stony Brook’s defense held Hampton to only 40 percent shooting from the field, including 27.8 percent from beyond the arc. The Pirates did not have much luck cleaning up their misses on the offensive glass either, as they finished with nine offensive rebounds and managed eight second chance points while Stony Brook cleared 32 defensive rebounds.

HOW IT HAPPENED

After jumping out to a 7-6 advantage, Stony Brook went on a 5-0 run with 6:27 left in the first quarter, culminating in a three from Gonzalez, to increase its lead to 12-6. The Seawolves then lost some of that lead but still entered the quarter break with an 18-13 advantage. Stony Brook relied on its three-point shooting in the period, knocking down four treys with a pair from Gonzalez and King.

The Seawolves could not maintain their lead in the second quarter, only shooting 2-11 from the field as the Pirates entered halftime on top, 26-25.

Stony Brook’s deficit continued to grow after halftime as Hampton continued to outscore the Seawolves. Lauren Filien, Dallysshya Moreno, and Elizabeth Field helped in the offensive output while the squad dominated on the boards with 13 rebounds.

Stony Brook narrowed its deficit in the fourth quarter, as Ware and King both scored seven points. The Seawolves trailed by only four heading into the final frame and got within one with 25 seconds left to play.

Up next, the team has a quick turnaround in traveling to Maryland to take on Towson on Feb. 16. Tip-off is scheduled for 2 p.m. in the Seawolves and Tigers sixth meeting all-time. Coverage is available on FloCollege.

Photo courtesy of Stony Brook Athletics

Stony Brook softball fell in a pair of neutral site contests against Mercer and Illinois on day one of the Roar City Invitational in Nashville, Tennessee on Feb. 14.

GAME ONE: MERCER 9, STONY BROOK 6

Gabrielle Maday drew the start in the circle for game one, stranding a pair of runners to toss a scoreless first inning.

Madelyn Stepski and Alyssa Costello reached base in the first inning for Stony Brook, but were left on base.

Mercer opened the scoring in the second inning, pushing a run across with a two-out single. The Bears first two runners reached base, but a line-drive double play neutralized the early threat. A stolen base and single with two outs put Stony Brook in a 1-0 hole, but Maday stranded two more runners to limit the damage.

After the Seawolves were retired in order in the second, Mercer added four more runs in the third.

Jordyn Fray took to the circle to start the fourth inning, tossing a clean inning.

Stony Brook got on the board in the fourth courtesy of a Mia Vannelli run-scoring single, adding another on an Emily Reinstein ground out.

The Seawolves trimmed the deficit further, making it a 5-3 game after Emma Scheitinger plated a run on a fielder’s choice in the fifth.

Mercer got two runs back in the sixth inning, chasing Fray from the game. Crimson Rice finished the inning for Stony Brook, leaving a pair of inherited runners on the bases.

Stony Brook did not go quietly, adding three runs in the home half of the sixth to make it a one-run game. Marissa Thalassinos pushed a run across on a two-out, infield single and Kyra McFarland followed with a two-run double. McFarland represented the tying run, moving up to third base on the throw, but was stranded there to end the frame.

Mercer tacked on two more runs, both with two outs, and ultimately closed out the 9-6 victory, despite Stony Brook’s resilience offensively. The Seawolves brought Naiah Ackerman to the plate in the final frame, but came up just short.

GAME TWO: ILLINOIS 8, STONY BROOK 0 (5 INNINGS)

The Fighting Illini jumped all over Stony Brook, scoring seven runs in the first inning.

Illinois scored seven runs on four hits and were aided by a pair of Stony Brook miscues in the field.

The Seawolves registered just three hits in the five-inning contest, with two of them coming in the second inning. Reinstein and Thalassinos reached base in the frame, but were stranded in scoring position.

Fray relieved Maddie Male in the second inning, throwing a pair of scoreless innings before conceding a run in the fourth.

The Seawolves went down in order in the fifth to enact the run rule.

“Tough day for us against two very good teams. It was disappointing that we didn’t play better,” head coach Megan T. Bryant said. “It takes what it takes, and we need to be better in all three parts of our game.”

UP NEXT
Feb. 15 games at the Roar City Invitational have been canceled. Stony Brook will return to action on Feb. 16.

Photo courtesy of Stony Brook Athletics
Sophomore left-hander Nicholas Rizzo delivered a dominant seven-inning performance, allowing just one run, while fellow sophomore Erik Paulsen provided the go-ahead RBI in the eighth inning to lift the Seawolves to a 3-2 victory on Feb. 15 and secure the series-victory over Bethune-Cookman in Fort Myers, FL.
After the Seawolves were retired in order in the first inning, Rizzo walked the leadoff batter but quickly escaped the frame with a strikeout and a strike-’em-out, throw-’em-out double play by catcher Luke Szepek.Szepek ignited the Stony Brook offense in the second inning with his first career home run, clearing the left-field fence to give the Seawolves a 1-0 lead.Rizzo retired the next four batters before surrendering a hit but induced an inning-ending double play to maintain the 1-0 advantage through three innings.

The Wildcats tied the game in the bottom of the fifth inning after a double and a stolen base at home plate.

Both teams remained scoreless until the eighth inning when senior Matt Miceli led off with a hit-by-pitch and later scored on a sacrifice fly from Paulsen, putting Stony Brook ahead 2-1.

Jacob Pedersen took over in the bottom of the eighth, working around a leadoff double by retiring the next three batters to keep the lead intact.

Graduate student Cam Santerre opened the ninth with a walk, advanced to second on a passed ball, and reached third on an error. Junior Chanz Doughty then reached on another error, allowing Santerre to score and extend the lead to 3-1.

The Wildcats mounted a ninth-inning rally with a one-out double and an RBI single to make it 3-2, but Pedersen secured the victory with a game-ending flyout.

Up next, the team looks to complete the series sweep against Bethune-Cookman on Feb. 16. First pitch at Jackie Robinson Ballpark is scheduled for 1 p.m. and will be streamed live on YouTube.

Andre Snoddy registered his sixth double-double during Saturday's game. Photo courtesy of Stony Brook Athletics

The Seawolves return to action later this week at North Carolina A&T on Saturday, February 22 for a 2 pm tip against the Aggies. Stony Brook will then head to Hampton to meet the Pirates on Sunday, February 24. Tip-off is scheduled for noon from the Convocation Center.

Stony Brook men’s basketball was defeated by Northeastern, 71-60, on Feb 15 at Matthews Arena in Boston, Mass. Andre Snoddy secured his sixth double-double of the season, scoring 20 points and grabbing a season-high 15 rebounds.

Sabry Philip started things with an exclamation point for the Seawolves, stealing a pass and jamming home a reverse slam on an uncontested fast break. Snoddy and Ben Wight followed with baskets to give Stony Brook the early 9-6 advantage less than four minutes into the action in Boston.

The Huskies used an 11-3 run to grab a five-point advantage and continued to expand their lead throughout the rest of the first half.

Northeastern’s lead grew to double figures at the 3:40 mark and ballooned to 18 points in the final minute of first-half action.

After a CJ Luster II trifecta opened play in the second stanza, Northeastern went on a 22-6 run to construct a 29-point advantage, 61-32, with less than 12 minutes to play.

The Huskies maintained a 20-plus point gap between themselves and the Seawolves before a late push by Stony Brook.

The Seawolves scored 26 of the final 30 points of the contest over the final six minutes of action, but the late surge was eventually ended by the final buzzer.

Updated: In coordination with the Coastal Athletic Association, Hampton University Athletics announced the postponement of the men’s basketball game between Stony Brook and Hampton scheduled for Thursday, February 20 due to inclement weather predicted for the Hampton Roads area. Stony Brook will now face Hampton at noon on Monday, Feb. 24 inside the Convocation Center.

 

Photo courtesy of Stony Brook Athletics

Stony Brook men’s lacrosse played a strong first half, but fell to No. 11 North Carolina, 9-4, on Feb. 14 at Dorrance Field in Chapel Hill, N.C.. Carson Boyle tallied a pair of goals and Jamison MacLachlanmade a season-best 17 saves in net.

Stony Brook opened the scoring on the strength of a Tanner Williams shot at the 7:37 mark of the first quarter.

MacLachlan stopped all four of UNC’s first quarter shots on goal, holding the Tar Heels scoreless for the entire opening 15 minutes of play.

Boyle converted on a man-up opportunity for the Seawolves, with Williams assisting on the goal. Stony Brook carried a two-goal advantage into the second quarter.

The Tar Heels were held off the board for an additional 50 seconds to start the second half before a Ty English goal to slash their deficit in half.

MacLachlan stopped two more Tar Heel attempts on goal before UNC’s Dominic Pietramala got going offensively. Pietramala scored the game’s next three goals, two of which were unassisted, to put North Carolina ahead 4-2.

Ray O’Brien got involved in the action late in the first half, beating the UNC goalie with 1:44 to play to make it a one-goal game.

The second half went more than 11 minutes before the icebreaker, with MacLachlan making five more stops over the opening 10 minutes of second-half action.

English scored a pair of goals in a 44 second span to give the Tar Heels a 6-3 cushion. North Carolina added two more tallies before the end of the third quarter to build a five-goal lead heading into the final stanza.

Boyle added another goal on another man-up opportunity for the Seawolves, but it would stand as Stony Brook’s lone tally of the second half.

UNC’s Michael Gianforcaro made five of his 11 total saves in the fourth quarter, closing out a 9-4 victory for his side.

“I am proud of the effort and toughness. I thought we played really hard and I thought our defense and JaMo kept us in the game all night long. There were just too many mistakes, especially when you don’t have the ball that much. You have to capitalize when you have it and score on extra man opportunities,” head coach Anthony Gilardi said.

“We have a really young team and our focus from day one is all about focusing on the process of getting better. We need to improve and progress each rep, each practice and each game. We are excited to get back to work for a quick turnaround versus a rested Queens team on Sunday,” Gilardi added.

Up next, the team stays in North Carolina, heading to Charlotte to face Queens University on February 16. The contest is slated to begin at noon and will stream live on ESPN+.

Photo courtesy of Stony Brook Athletics

Stony Brook men’s basketball battled in a 79-69 loss to Monmouth on Thursday evening at Stony Brook Arena. CJ Luster II scored 28 points, connecting on seven trifectas, but the Seawolves’ late comeback attempt fell just short.

Monmouth jumped out to an early 22-13 point lead, extending its advantage to 13 points after a 7-0 run capped by a Jaret Valencia alley-oop.

Stony Brook trailed by double-figures for much of the latter portion of the first half before an 8-0 run that spanned 1:20 and trimmed Monmouth’s lead to 35-29 with just over four minutes remaining.

Late baskets by Jack Collins pushed the Hawks’ advantage back to 11 points heading into the intermission.

Luster caught fire to begin the second half, scoring 12 of Stony Brook’s first 16 points in the second stanza to make it a one-point game, 48-47, in favor of Monmouth.

An 11-3 run by Monmouth pushed Stony Brook’s deficit back to nine points with 10 minutes to play.

The Hawks maintained the nine-point advantage before Stony Brook’s late push in the final five minutes of play.

Baskets from Andre Snoddy and Collin O’Connor made it a one-possession game, 68-65, with 3:12 to play.

A pair of Madison Durr free throws were offset by a Snoddy basket on the other end, keeping it a three-point game with less than two minutes on the clock.

Durr took control of the contest with back-to-back and-ones to extend the Hawks’ lead to nine points again, closing things out on Thursday on Long Island.

“We had the game to one possession and we couldn’t get a stop. They drove us, and it wasn’t Bashir; we did a really good job on Bashir for the game, but when it’s 70-67, we don’t get a stop and they get the and-one. We go down, don’t score, and come back down and allow a transition basket and it’s ballgame in that sequence,” head coach Geno Ford said postgame. “When we’re inside two minutes and it’s a one-possession game, we gave ourselves a heck of a chance to win and just didn’t make enough plays over the last 90 seconds.”

The team  heads to New England to face off with Northeastern on February 15 in another nationally televised game. Tip-off is scheduled for 3:30 pm in Boston and will air nationally on the CBS Sports Network.