Stony Brook men’s basketball earned an 80-75 victory over rival Hofstra in the Battle of Long Island on Feb. 8 at the Mack Complex in Hempstead. Andre Snoddy and CJ Luster II combined to score 53 points and delivered in clutch moments on both ends of the floor down the stretch to snap the Seawolves’ three-game losing streak.
Snoddy had things working offensively to start the game, helping Stony Brook overcome an early seven-point deficit. A jumper at the 11:19 mark pushed Snoddy’s point total to 12 and put the Seawolves ahead, 16-14.
Stony Brook led for a majority of the final 10 minutes of the second half, but the Pride scored twice in the final two minutes and carried a narrow 33-31 advantage into the break.
Hofstra held onto its lead for much of the second half, answering every Stony Brook attempt to whittle its deficit.
Cruz Davis connected on a trifecta at the 8:34 mark of the second half to make it a seven-point game, the largest margin between the two sides in the second half.
The Seawolves turned the tide at the 4:53 mark, ripping off eight straight points to turn their five-point deficit into a three-point lead, 66-63.
Stony Brook never trailed from that point on, though Hofstra cut the Seawolves’ advantage to one point on two occasions. The Seawolves made eight of their final nine free throws in the final minute of action, closing out a victory over Long Island rival Hofstra and snapping a three-game losing streak.
“I thought it was a hard-fought game and both teams played well. We’ve been playing well for, I think, five games in a row, and we’ve only won two of them. The schedule has flipped and we’ve caught a bunch of good teams, several of them on the road, and come up short. Today, we were able to make some plays. CJ made some big shots and Snoddy was elite. Dre was fantastic and willed us to the win,” head coach Geno Ford noted postgame.
“Collin, a freshman point guard on the road in a rivalry game, had six assists and no turnovers. There’s a lot that goes into winning and we needed all of it because it was a game that could’ve gone either way,” Ford added.
Up next, the team returns home to host Monmouth on Thursday, February 13 in the first nationally televised home game of the season. Tip-off is scheduled for 5 pm at Stony Brook Arena and will air nationally on the CBS Sports Network.
#21 Andre Snoddy secured his fourth double-double of the season during Thursday's game. Photo courtesy of Stony Brook Athletics
Stony Brook men’s basketball battled back and forth with Towson, ultimately falling to the CAA preseason favorites, 66-59, on Feb. 6 at Stony Brook Arena.
Andre Snoddy posted an 18-point, 10-rebound double-double and led a trio of double-digit scoring Seawolves in the setback.
Towson jumped out to an early 17-8 lead, using a 9-0 scoring run to create a cushion in the opening eight minutes of play. Sabry Philip cut through the lane and threw down a dunk through contact to end the run and flip the momentum in the favor of the Seawolves. After a Hicks triple, Stony Brook erased a 10-point deficit and fought back to even the contest at 24 with less than six minutes to play in the first half.
A CJ Luster II trifecta put the Seawolves ahead, 29-27, in the final four minutes of the opening stanza. It was Stony Brook’s first lead of the contest. Towson regained the lead momentarily, but Stony Brook carried an advantage in the scoring column into the intermission after a late bucket by Snoddy. Dylan Williamson scored eight of Towson’s first 10 second-half points in the first five minutes, putting the Tigers back in front, 42-37.
Stony Brook answered with a 10-0 scoring run, featuring a pair of and-one conversions inside by Ben Wight, to take hold of a five-point lead.
A 9-0 scoring run by Towson followed, seeing the lead change hands once again. The Tigers scored 14 of the next 16 points after the Seawolves took a five-point lead, turning Stony Brook’s five-point lead into a seven-point deficit.
The Seawolves eventually found themselves down 10 points, 63-53, with just over two minutes to play. Stony Brook closed the gap to five points on two occasions down the stretch, but could not complete the comeback.
STATS AND NOTES
Snoddy secured his fourth double-double of the season, and his second straight at home. He tallied 18 points (9-11 FG), his second best scoring output of the season. Snoddy added 10 rebounds, his sixth double-digit rebounding performance of his senior season.
Wight tallied 16 points, adding eight rebounds and a blocked shot. He finished 7-of-10 from the floor and half of his rebounds came on the offensive glass.
Luster rounded out Stony Brook’s double-digit scorers with 14 points. He pulled down five rebounds and handed out a season-high four assists.
Collin O’Connor logged all 40 minutes for the third straight contest, finishing with seven points, four rebounds, three assists and a steal.
The Seawolves limited Towson to a 35 percent mark from the floor (22-62) and out-rebounded the Tigers 45-32. Stony Brook’s 45 rebounds and plus-13 margin on the glass were season-best marks against a Division I opponent.
Stony Brook connected on just three shots from beyond the arc, matching its second-worst effort of the season. The Seawolves shot 14.3% (3-21) from three, their worst mark against a conference foe this year.
The Seawolves moved to 0-5 all-time against Towson and 0-2 at home against the Tigers.
Up next, the team heads across the Island to Nassau County to face Hofstra on Saturday, February 8. Tip-off is scheduled for 4 p.m. in the 36th iteration of the Battle of Long Island. The contest will air locally on MSG Networks and stream live on FloCollege.
SBU's David Wrobel with Wolfie. Photo by Anna Maria Gounaris
By Daniel Dunaief
David Wrobel, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at Stony Brook University since August, can relate to the school’s students.
Like about a third of the students at the downstate flagship SUNY university, Wrobel is the first member of his family to attend college.
David Wrobel. Photo by John Griffin
“I’ve had the advantage of that social mobility that higher education can provide,” said Wrobel, who grew up in England. To have the opportunity to facilitate that for thousands of other students is “hugely important and meaningful.”
Provost Carl Lejuez appreciates Wrobel’s passion for education and for providing opportunities to students from a wide array of backgrounds and experiences.
“For first generation students, there are some challenges that even the most empathetic, well-meaning person may want to help with, but because they don’t have that experience, they don’t know,” said Provost Carl Lejuez. “He brings both the experience of some of the things these students are going through as well as the humanity and personality that is very empathetic.”
Indeed, for Wrobel, who was dean at the University of Oklahoma for six years before joining Stony Brook, his new job appealed to him because of the opportunity to use education to help students expand their horizons and seek new opportunities.
Stony Brook has been successful in the area of social mobility, enabling students “from more disadvantaged backgrounds coming to the university” to complete their degrees at a high rate, said Wrobel. Higher education can perform the role it should as an “engine of democracy.”
Wrobel, who is a tenured professor in the Departent of History, oversees the breadth and depth of offerings at Stony Brook.
Lejuez suggested that Wrobel relates well to students from every background.
“You never see him at an event talking to other administrators,” said Lejuez. “He’s trying to really get in there and talk to people and make them feel welcome.”
Indeed, within his first few weeks of arriving, Wrobel met with several students who shared their concerns about visual arts, particularly as the music and art departments are about to move during an HVAC renovation project.
Wrobel worked with the students and partners around the university, including staff, the fire marshal and others, to see where they can display artwork and perform music.
The Arts Everywhere effort, which is “big in spirit” but “small in funding” provides an opportunities for the “work of students to be better understood by other students on campus,” Wrobel said.
Research opportunities
As a member of the Association of American Universities, an exclusive club that recognizes universities committed to research and education, Stony Brook provides students with opportunities to contribute to the forefront of new information.
“We have undergraduates doing research on genes that are led by some of the most important scientists in the world,” said Wrobel. These students are “not doing research that is tangentially associated with important science. They are contributing to the research teams” that lead to societal and life improvements.
These research contributions across a wide range of fields can and should address the question some people have asked about the return on investment of a college education.
Students are working in fields such as quantum science, artificial intelligence, climate and health.
“We should take great pride in the fact that, as a university, we are answering that question: why does a degree matter,” said Wrobel.
‘Not a spectator sport’
From left to right: Bonita London, associate dean of research development and communications; Danielle Papaspyrou, senior administrator for staff and faculty affairs; AnnaMaria Gounaris, assistant to the dean; Michael d’Ambrosio, senior director of development; Lois Carter, assistant dean for faculty affairs and personnel; Rachel Rodriguez, director of communications; Carol Davies, assistant director for budget and finance, and David Wrobel, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. Photo courtesy Stony Brook University
The university is incorporating into the degree programs the kind of learning experiences that prepare students for success in areas ranging from private and industry positions to government jobs.
Wrobel is eager to demonstrate how “education is not a spectator sport” with every prospective student and their parents. Students become a “full participant not just in learning existing knowledge, but in the process of creating new knowledge.”
At the same time, the university is committed to enhancing the abilities of its educators.
“You work to reward teaching excellence at every level,” said Wrobel. “You make it clear that teaching does matter.”
Teachers need to refine their approaches and methods based on the way students learn, which includes working with technology and its possibilities more effectively than in the past
Wrobel meets with the Dean’s Student Advisory Committee, which includes students from numerous majors, to learn about student needs. These can include expanding quieter study spaces or finding places for more collaborative work.
Additionally, the committee helps select outstanding teaching faculty.
“Faculty go to conferences to improve their research skills,” said Lejuez. “We want to think about teaching in the same way.”
Lejuez appreciates how Wrobel engages with students to understand what would improve the university’s learning environment.
The Center for Excellence in Learning and Teaching provides opportunities not only for those educators who might be struggling to connect with their students, but also for those who want to improve their craft, Lejuez said.
As a part of student evaluations of their educators, Stony Brook has improved the quality of questions in its educator evaluations for the spring semester, which Lejuez hopes encourages more students to offer valuable feedback.
A dedicated educator
In addition to serving as an administrator, Wrobel hopes to put his experience to work as an educator himself by next spring.
Wrobel could imagine leading or contributing to several possible classes.
He would enjoy teaching a graduate seminar that addresses the history of American thought and culture from the end of Reconstruction after the Civil War in the 1870’s to the end of the New Deal in the 1940s.
At the University of Oklahoma, he also taught an introductory survey class that first year students typically took. The course covered the period from the end of the Civil War to the present.
“I love the idea that I have the opportunity to engage with brand new students when they come to the university,” he said.
Wrobel would like to share a view of America from the Great Depression through the Vietnam War, focusing on John Steinbecks view of the core political and social debates of the time.
Steinbeck was “better than just about any other author at finding what is extraordinary in the lives of ordinary Americans,” said Wrobel.
As for his roles at Stony Brook, Wrobel is “thrilled to have the opportunity to help first generation students and other financially disadvantaged students find their way.”
These composite brain images from the study of WTC responders reveal evidence of amyloidosis. Areas shaded in red and yellow indicate regions of the brain with amyloid. Image courtesy of Sean Clouston, Stony Brook Medicine
By Daniel Dunaief
Even over 23 years after first responders raced to the smoldering site of the World Trade Center terrorist attacks, many emergency crews continue to battle the effects of their exposure.
With a combination of toxic aerosolized particles infusing the air, first responders who didn’t wear personal protective equipment and who had the highest degree of exposure have suffered from a range of symptoms and conditions.
Sean Clouston
In a recent study of 35 World Trade Center first responders in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease, lead author Sean Clouston, who is a Professor in the Department of Family, Population and Preventive Medicine in the Renaissance School of Medicine, found evidence of amyloid plaques, which are often linked to Alzheimer’s Disease.
The paper links exposure to a neurodegenerative protein.
Research with World Trade Center first responders not only benefits those who worked tirelessly to try to find survivors and to restore the area after the attack, but also could help other people who inhale aerosolized toxins.
Indeed, such research could help those who are spending hours battling the ongoing wildfires in Los Angeles, which have been consuming forests and trees, homes and commercial buildings, at a furious and uncontrolled pace.
People have a feeling that fresh air is safe, but what scientists have learned from their studies of the World Trade Center first responders is that “just being six feet away from a pile of rubble that’s smoldering, even if you can’t see that it’s dangerous, doesn’t mean it isn’t,” said Clouston. “There is at least some risk” to human health from fires that spew smoke from burned computers and refrigerators, among others.
Given the variety of materials burned in the fires, Minos Kritikos, Senior Research Scientist and a member of the group in the collaborative labs of Clouston and Professor Benjamin Luft, suspects that a heterogeneity of particles were in the air.
People in Los Angeles who are inhaling these particles can have them “linger in their circulation for years,” said Kritikos. “It’s not just a neurological issue” as the body tries to deal with carrying around this “noxious” particulate matter. Since most neurons don’t regenerate, any toxicity induced neuronal death is irreversible, making damage to the brain permanent.
Even in non-emergency situations, people in polluted cities face increased health risks.
“There is a recognition that air pollution is a major preventable cause of Alzheimer’s Disease and related dementias, as noted by the latest Lancet Commission,” Clouston explained.
Two likely entry points
People who breathe in air containing toxic chemicals have two likely pathways through which the particulates enter the body. They can come in through the nose and, potentially, travel directly into the brain, or they can enter the lungs, circulate through the body and enter the head through the blood-brain barrier. The olfactory route is more direct, said Kritikos.
Minos Kritikos in front of Stony Brook Hospital.
The amyloid plaques in these first responders was found primarily in the area near the nose, which supports the idea that maybe inhaling the dust was the problem, Clouston said.
Once these chemicals enter the brain, Clouston and his team believe the body engages defenses that are designed much more for viruses than for toxic compounds. The immune system can encapsulate these chemicals in amyloid plaques.
Amyloid plaques, in moderation and under conditions that protect the brain against pathogens, are a part of a protective and helpful immune response. Too much of a good thing, however, can overwhelm the brain.
“When there’s too much plaque, it can physically disturb neuronal functions and connections,” said Kritikos. “By being a big presence, they can also molecularly and chemically react with its environment.”
A large presence of amyloid can be toxically necrotic to surrounding neural tissue, Kritikos added.
What the scientists believe they are tracking is the footprint of an adaptive response that may not help the brain, Clouston added.
Clouston cautioned that the plaques and cognitive decline could both be caused by something else that scientists haven’t yet seen.
The findings
The research, which used positron emission tomography and magnetic resonance imaging scans to search for evidence of amyloid plaques, found evidence that doesn’t look like old age Alzheimer’s, explained Clouston. Usually these levels of plaques are not located in one spot, but occur throughout the brain during Alzheimer’s.
The immune response may be causing some of these plaques.
The amount of amyloid plaque doesn’t look like Alzheimer’s Disease and does not appear abnormal in the traditional way of testing, but with careful analysis of the olfactory system, the researchers can find elevated levels.
“I was surprised by how little amyloid was necessary to show this association,” said Clouston.
Researchers at Mt. Sinai have examined the effect of exposure to these same particulates in mice.
“The answer is very much similar to what we see in humans,” said Clouston. “That supports this work.”
To be sure, Clouston and Kritikos are hoping to build on this research. They are particularly interested in following up with participants to measure the rate of change in these plaques from the observed amyloid signals they measured at baseline.
“Doing so would enable us to calculate the rate of amyloid buildup allowing us to assess our responders more precisely, opening doors to possible therapeutic interventions such as the recently approved anti-amyloid therapies,” Kritikos explained.
Additionally, they hope to expand on the study beyond the 35 people who participated.
It is unclear whether tamping down the immune system could make patients better or worse. By reducing amyloid plaques, scientists might enable the harmful dust to cause damage in other areas of the brain. Alternatively, however, a lower level immune response with fewer plaques might, in the longer term, be better for the brain.
This study “does open the door for some of those questions,” Clouston said. Kritikos and Clouston plan to study the presence of tau proteins and any signs of neurodegeneration in the brains of these first responders.
“More research needs to be done,” Clouston said, which specifically targets different ways of measuring exposure, such as through a biomarker. He’s hoping such a biomarker might be found that tracks levels of exposure.
Future research could also address whether post traumatic stress disorder affects the immune response.
“It’s certainly possible that PTSD is playing a role, but we’re not sure what that might be,” said Clouston.
The researchers are continuing this research as they study the effects of exposure on tau proteins and neurodegeneration.
“We are hopeful that this will be an important turning point for us,” Clouston explained
From the Medditerranean to the Atlantic
Born and raised in Cyprus, Kritikos comes from a large family who are passionate about spending time with each other while eating good food.
He earned his doctorate from the University of Bristol in England.
Kritikos met his wife Jennifer LoPresti Kritikos, who is originally from Shirley, New York, at a coffee shop in Aberdeen, Scotland, where he was doing postdoctoral research.
LoPresti, who works at Stony Brook as the Department Head Administrator for Biomedical Engineering, and Kritikos live in Manorville and have an eight year-old daughter Gia and one-year old son Theseus.
As for his work, Kritikos is grateful for the opportunity to contribute to research with Clouston and Luft, who is the Director of the Stony Brook WTC Health and Wellness Program.
“I’m happy to be in a position whereby our large WTC team (the size of a small village) is constantly pushing forward with our understanding for how these exposures have affected” the brain health of WTC first responders, Kritikos explained. He would like to continue to uncover mechanisms that underly these phenomena, not just for WTC responders but also for similarly exposed populations.
Lawrence Martin and Patricia Wright. Photos courtesy of SBU
Stony Brook University’s Charles B. Wang Center Theater, 100 Nicolls Road, Stony Brook will host the university’s February Provost Lecture, featuring distinguished anthropologists Patricia Wright and Lawrence Martin on Tuesday, Feb. 11 from 3:30 to 5 p.m. Each will each give a brief lecture about their work and its significance followed by a reception with light refreshments. The lecture and reception are free and open to the public.
See press release below for more information:
Did you know that Stony Brook University has important African research and scientific discovery centers? The Turkana Basin Institute (TBI) in Kenya and Centre ValBio in Madagascar are both university Institutes and Centers and co-founded by members of university faculty.
Two SUNY Distinguished Service Professors, Anthropology Lawrence Martin, PhD, co-founder and director emeritus of the TBI and Patricia Wright, PhD, founder and executive director of the Centre ValBio will be speaking about their centers and the impact of thir own research to the local and university community at the upcoming Provost’s Lecture Series. The series, hosted by university Provost Carl Lejuez, showcases Stony Brook faculty who have earned the rank of SUNY Distinguished faculty. The distinguished rank is the highest honor available to faculty in the State University of New York 64-campus system.
About Lawrence Martin: Professor Martin is an expert on the evolution of apes and the origin of humans. He worked with the late world-renowned paleoanthropologist and conservationist Richard Leakey to build a bastion for research on human evolution, Stony Brook’s Turkana Basin Institute, which he directed for 17 years
About Patricia Wright: Professor Wright founded Centre ValBio, the modern research campus in the rainforest of Madagascar where she has combined her research with efforts to preserve the country’s endangered forests and the many species of plants and animals they harbor. She was the driving force behind the creation of Ranomafana National Park, a 106,000-acre World Heritage Site there, which is home to many endangered species, including several species of lemur that she works to save from extinction.
WHEN
Tuesday, February 11, 2025 from 3:30 – 5 p.m., ET (reception to follow lecture)
WHERE
Wang Center Theater, West Campus, Stony Brook University directions
Despite a 27-point effort from Zaida Gonzalez, Stony Brook women’s basketball fell to UNC Wilmington, 65-57, on Feb. 2 at Trask Coliseum. The Seawolves raced to a five-point lead, but the Seahawks came out hot in the second quarter and held an advantage the rest of the contest.
Behind Gonzalez’s performance, Breauna Ware tallied 11 points and five rebounds, while Janay Brantley helped out with seven points and three steals. Lauren Filien led on the boards with 10 rebounds on the day for the Seawolves.
After playing to a 2-2 tie early in the game, Stony Brook went on a 5-0 run with 6:43 left in the first quarter. The Seawolves then maintained that lead and entered the quarter break with a 13-8 advantage. Brantley led with five points through the opening frame.
The Seawolves could not maintain their lead in the second quarter as UNC Wilmington shot a game-high 69 percent from the field to take a seven-point lead entering the break.
Stony Brook’s deficit continued to grow after halftime, with the Seahawks hitting a trio of three-pointers to spark a 19 point advantage. Gonzalez popped off for nine points through the third quarter trying to close to the gap for the Seawolves.
Stony Brook came out of the third quarter break clicking on all cylinders, going on an 11-0 run to shrink the deficit to 52-44 with 5:42 to go in the contest. The Seawolves were unable to cut further into the deficit by the end of the game, losing 65-57. Stony Brook took advantage of three UNC Wilmington turnovers in the quarter, scoring eight points off of those takeaways.
Up next, the team returns to New York to take on Hofstra for the Battle of Long Island on Feb. 7 at 7 p.m. This will be the 16th all-time meeting between the Seawolves and Pride in program history. Coverage is set to be available on SNY and FloCollege.
#13 Collin O'Connor scored a career-high 27 points during Saturday's game. Photo courtesy of Stony Brook Athletics
Stony Brook men’s basketball fought to the finish, falling 80-70 to UNC Wilmington on Feb. 1 at Trask Coliseum. Collin O’Connor scored a career-high 27 points, logging a full 40 minutes in the contest.
Stony Brook opened the scoring on an Andre Snoddy trifecta, building a 6-0 lead in the opening minute before the Seahawks connected on a pair of threes to level the contest.
The Seawolves regained the lead for a moment, but UNCW turned the momentum with a 14-2 run to build a nine-point lead, 20-11.
Stony Brook struggled to slow down UNCW offensively, finding itself in a 16-point hole after the under-four media timeout of the first half. The Seawolves scored six of the final seven points of the half, holding UNCW without a field goal for the final 3:42 of the half, to head into the locker room trailing by 11.
CJ Luster II, who had a quiet first half, scored Stony Brook’s first eight points of the second half to whittle the deficit to six points, 45-39, at the 16-minute mark.
The Seawolves did a much better job of slowing down the Seahawks to start the second half, limiting runs and cutting into the deficit.
O’Connor began to find his groove offensively, scoring inside and outside, as well as at the free throw line. A pair of O’Connor free throws with 9:46 to play brought the Seawolves within four points of UNCW, the smallest margin between the two sides since the opening 10 minutes of the first half.
Trailing 60-54 with less than eight minutes to play, Stony Brook sent UNCW to the free throw line. After two misses, the Seahawks corralled an offensive rebound, which led to a second-chance basket. Stony Brook turned it over on the ensuing possession and UNCW capitalized with a three pointer to force a Seawolves’ timeout. Another Seahawks’ basket made it nine straight points and pushed Stony Brook’s deficit to 13 points, 67-54.
Stony Brook could not get within single digits for the remainder of the evening, ultimately dropping the road contest to UNCW.
“We battled tonight, but we weren’t able to make enough plays to pull it out,” head coach Geno Ford said. “Coming into the game, UNCW was 36th in the nation in offensive rebounding and we were able hold them to three total, a season low.”
“Collin had a good ballgame, and I thought Dre’s effort defensively and on the glass was outstanding. We are getting better. We still have eight games to try and build some momentum heading to D.C.,” Ford added.
The team heads home to host CAA preseason favorite Towson on Feb. 6. Tip-off is scheduled for 6:31 pm from Stony Brook Arena, with the contest streaming on FloCollege.
Stony Brook men’s lacrosse has unveiled its schedule for the 2025 season. The Seawolves open the regular season with road tests at Rutgers and North Carolina and will play six games at LaValle Stadium.
The Seawolves open season number six under head coach Anthony Gilardi on February 8 at Rutgers. The Seawolves and Scarlet Knights meet for the fourth straight season, with Stony Brook in search of their seventh overall win over Rutgers and its first since 2020.
Stony Brook returns to action the following weekend, hitting the road to face a pair of North Carolina based opponents. The Seawolves visit Chapel Hill to pair off with UNC on February 14 and then stay in state to face Queens College on February 16. The Seawolves and Tar Heels meet for the second straight season and Stony Brook searches for its first-ever win over UNC.
The Seawolves host Sacred Heart on February 22 in the 2025 home opener at LaValle Stadium. Stony Brook topped Sacred Heart on the road in last year’s season opener. Stony Brook welcomes Iona to LaValle in the first-ever meeting between the two programs on February 25.
Stony Brook concludes non-conference play against in-state foes Manhattan (March 1) and Binghamton (March 8), before opening CAA play in the 15th installment of the Battle of Long Island against Hofstra on March 15. The Seawolves face defending CAA Champion Towson on the road on March 22 before returning home for the conference opener on March 29 against Fairfield.
The Seawolves face Delaware (April 5) and Drexel (April 19) on the road and host Monmouth (April 12) and Hampton (April 26) to conclude the final month of the regular season. The 2025 CAA Tournament begins on May 1.
Stony Brook women’s basketball fell just short against Charleston, 66-53, on Friday evening at TD Arena. The Seawolves were led by Breauna Ware and Zaida Gonzalez who accounted for almost 70 percent of scoring.
Ware led the Seawolves with 21 points and six rebounds while Gonzalez added 16 points and Shamarla Kingchipped in as well with eight points and a team-high 10 rebounds.
Stony Brook collected 35 rebounds compared to Charleston’s 29, led by King’s 10 boards.
Stony Brook struggled out of the gate, falling behind 20-6 at the end of the first quarter. The Seawolves went five scoreless minutes before King drained a three-pointer and Ware notched a layup and one free throw.
The Seawolves fought back in the second period, narrowing the deficit to 31-20 by the time halftime rolled around. Ware scored seven points to get Stony Brook back within striking distance of the Cougars, outscoring the squad by three points.
Stony Brook came out of halftime on fire, going on a 6-0 run to trim its deficit to 31-26 with 6:13 to go in the third. Charleston then countered and stretched its lead to 46-38 heading into the fourth. King, Ware, Gonzalez, and Lauren Filien had their share in making a Seawolves’ run outscoring the Cougars once again.
Stony Brook could not pull any closer in the fourth, getting within six points of Charleston’s lead but the squad was unable to connect on scoring and making stops, losing by a final of 66-53.
The team heads to North Carolina to face off against UNC Wilmington on Feb. 2 at 2 p.m. This will be only the fifth meeting between the Seawolves and Seahawks in program history. Coverage is set to be available on FloCollege.
Despite a 27-point effort from CJ Luster II, Stony Brook fell to Charleston, 81-74, on Jan. 30 at TD Arena. The Seawolves raced out to a 15-point advantage but the Cougars’ hot-second half pushed them past Stony Brook in the nationally televised affair in South Carolina.
Stony Brook raced out to a 15-0 advantage, holding Charleston without a point over the opening 5:32. The Seawolves connected on 7-of-11 from the floor to start the evening, while the Cougars missed on nine straight to begin the night. Stony Brook led 21-6 with 9:30 remaining in the opening stanza before Charleston ripped off eight straight points and held the Seawolves without a made field goal for more than four minutes. Luster stretched Stony Brook’s lead to double-digits again, 28-18, after connecting on his third trifecta of the first half with less than six minutes on the clock.
Charleston finished the final five minutes of the first half strong, whittling its deficit down to four points, 36-32, at the break. The Cougars scored the first nine points of the second half, turning the four-point deficit into a five-point advantage, their first lead of the evening.
Luster ended a Seawolves’ drought to start the second half by scoring 10 points over a span of three-plus minutes to even the contest at 48-48 with 13 minutes to play. The game of runs continued, seeing Charleston score 17 of the next 24 points to construct a 10-point lead, 65-55, as the clock ticked under eight minutes to play. Stony Brook battled back, trimming its deficit to two points, 68-66, with five minutes remaining.
The Cougars used a late 11-0 run to open up a 79-66 advantage and ultimately close out the come-from-behind victory over the Seawolves.
“Our guys did a great job putting us in position to win the game on the free throw line down two with five minutes to go. Charleston was able to get an offensive rebound and score and they spurted away from us late,” head coach Geno Ford noted. “I was happy with the aggressiveness and tenacity we showed for much of the night. We are playing better as of late and have a tough one on Saturday at UNC Wilmington.”
Up next, the team continues its swing through the south, facing UNC Wilmington on February 1. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. from Trask Coliseum, with the contest streaming on FloCollege.
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