SBU Sports: Men’s basketball holds off Maine to secure 74-72 victory

Stony Brook men’s basketball held off a late push from Maine to secure a 74-72 victory on Dec. 21 at Stony Brook Arena. Joe Octave matched a season-best effort with 24 points to help the Seawolves pick up their 23rd consecutive win over the Black Bears.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• The two sides played close for the entire first half; neither side trailed by more than eight points at any point over the opening 20 minutes of action.
• Maine kept things close thanks to its three-point shooting during the first 10 minutes of the first half.
• Stony Brook used an 18-5 run over a span of eight minutes down the stretch to turn a five-point deficit into an eight-point advantage with less than four minutes to play before intermission.
• The Black Bears whittled their deficit down to four points entering halftime, but baskets from Octave and Ben Wight to begin the second half pushed Stony Brook’s lead back to eight points.
• A pair of free throws by Collin O’Connor at the 11:53 mark of the second half increased the Seawolves’ lead to double figures, 52-41, for the first time in the contest.
• Stony Brook’s lead grew to 14 points later in the period following a 6-0 run before Maine held Stony Brook without a point for nearly three minutes to make it a two-possession game.
• CJ Luster connected on a trifecta with 4:55 remaining on the clock to put Stony Brook ahead 66-57.
• Despite not registering another made field goal over the final four-plus minutes of action, Stony Brook held off a ferocious comeback from Maine to pull out the two-point victory.
• Maine’s press defense caused issues for Stony Brook in the final minutes, forcing the Seawolves to turn the ball over multiple times and use their final two timeouts. The pressure helped Maine turn an eight-point deficit with 58 seconds left into a two-point deficit and a chance to tie or win the game on the final possession. Stony Brook came up with a loose ball on Maine’s final offensive possession and dribbled out the clock to escape victorious.

STATS AND NOTES

• Octave matched a season-best mark with 24 points. He has now scored double-digit points in 10 of Stony Brook’s 12 games. Octave and Luster have combined to score 20 or more points in five games this season.
• Stony Brook converted on 21-of-22 (95%) at the free throw line, a season-best mark. The Seawolves 21 made free throws are the most since February 29, 2024.
• Stony Brook shot 50 percent from deep (7-14), the second-best mark for the Seawolves this season. Fifty percent of Maine’s scoring came from beyond the arc.
• The Seawolves improved to 4-0 this season when scoring at least 70 points.
• Nick Woodard played 10 minutes off the bench, scoring nine points while shooting a perfect 4-for-4 from the floor.
• Snoddy grabbed 11 rebounds, adding four points and a pair of steals. He has pulled down double-digit rebounds in three of his last six games.
• Stony Brook improved to 30-14 all-time against its former America East counterpart. The Seawolves earned their 23rd straight victory over Maine and have now won 16 of the 22 contests and 13 straight on Long Island in the series history.

“We have had a heck of a week. I thought we played two games well, but struggled to finish both. Luckily, we had enough of a cushion today that we hung on late,” head coach Geno Ford said. “Maine has a nice team. They had already won on the road over an A-10 team and have played well on the road in general. We are getting better, but have a lot of work to do.”

The team returns after a holiday break, heading north to face in-state rival and former America East foe, UAlbany, on Sunday, December 29. Tip-off between the Seawolves and Great Danes is scheduled for 2 pm, streaming live on ESPN+ from the Broadview Center.