SBU Sports: Men’s basketball propels to victory over Sacred Heart

SBU Sports: Men’s basketball propels to victory over Sacred Heart

Photo from Stony Brook Athletics

The Stony Brook men’s basketball team erased a 12-point deficit and came from behind to defeat Sacred Heart, 71-64, in a thrilling contest that saw 12 lead changes on Dec. 12 at Island Federal Arena. After being down 31-19 with 3:37 left to play in the first half, the Seawolves outscored the Pioneers 47-31 in the second half to ultimately secure the win. 

On the Seawolves’ first possession of the second half, graduate center Keenan Fitzmorris dunked the ball with authority after a pick-and-roll play, sparking a 12-3 extended run for Stony Brook that cut its deficit to 38-36.

Stony Brook dominated throughout the rest of the second frame, outscoring the Pioneers by 16 in the half, en route to a 71-64 win at Island Federal Arena.

Fitzmorris followed the dunk with a jumper outside the paint that was assisted by junior guard Tanahj Pettway, scoring four consecutive points. He finished the game with 13 points on 6-of-6 shooting from the floor. On the Seawolves’ ensuing possession, Pettway pulled down a defensive rebound off a jump shot that was missed by Sacred Heart’s junior forward Nico Galette and drove down the lane for a layup that put Stony Brook on a 6-0 run.

After Sacred Heart guard Raheem Solomon drilled a three pointer off an assist from Galette with 17:37 left to play in the contest, the Seawolves went on another 6-0 run. Graduate forward Frankie Policelli and sophomore guard Kaine Roberts drained back-to-back threes to cut the deficit to just two, 38-36.

Stony Brook was able to cut the Pioneer’s lead down to a one-point deficit when Pettway grabbed another defensive rebound off a missed three from senior guard Joey Reilly and drove down the lane again and finished a layup and drew a foul. He made the free throw to complete the three-point play and Stony Brook was trailing, 44-43, with 13:20 left to play.

With 12:46 remaining in the game, Pettway had a huge steal defensively and ran the fast break for the Seawolves. With good ball movement, senior guard Tyler Stephenson-Moore found junior forward Kenan Sarvan open in the corner. Sarvan sniped a three pointer, right in front of the Seawolves’ bench, and gave Stony Brook a 46-43 lead. This lead marked Stony Brook’s first lead in the game since it was 4-3, just over two minutes into the first half.

The Seawolves and Pioneers battled throughout the rest of the game and with under two minutes remaining, up 65-64, Fitzmorris got the ball in the post on the low block. With the 6-foot-3 Solomon defending him, the 7-foot center spun towards the baseline and slammed home the finishing touches of the game.

 Stony Brook ended the game on an 8-0 scoring run over the final 2:43 and held Sacred Heart scoreless for the final 3:20. The Seawolves improved to 3-7 overall on the season.