Stony Brook men’s basketball earned its first league victory with an 89-74 triumph over North Carolina A&T on Jan. 26 on Long Island. CJ Luster II (31) and Andre Snoddy (22) tallied career-high marks in points to cap off the seventh annual Children’s Hospital Game with a win.
The opening 15 minutes of action were a back-and-forth affair, with the lead trading hands five times. Neither team led by more than four points during that span.
Stony Brook used a 9-2 run that featured baskets from Collin O’Connor, Luster and Ben Wight to build a 37-29 advantage with three minutes remaining in the half.
The Seawolves constructed an 11-point lead, the largest of the afternoon. Stony Brook a 46-35 advantage into the intermission.
After a Snoddy basket to open the half made it a 13-point game, N.C. A&T fought back to whittle its deficit to four points, 55-51, with 13 minutes to play in regulation.
Luster ripped off six straight points to push the advantage back to double figures before the Aggies again trimmed their deficit to five points with 8:28 to play.
Stony Brook answered with eight straight points, holding N.C. A&T without a made field goal for more than four minutes to take complete control of the contest.
The Seawolves stretched their lead to 15 points, maintaining a double-digit cushion in the scoring column and capping off an emotional day with their first CAA victory of the season.
“First and foremost I want to thank the [Stony Brook] Children’s Hospital for organizing another great event. To be able to meet families who are going through a real courageous battle with their children keeps things in perspective. I know the players and our coaching staff wanted more than anything to try to provide a few hours of quality entertainment. We continue to pray for all the families,” head coach Geno Ford said postgame.
“I’m happy for the players; we needed to win, and to be able to do it as shorthanded as we were, makes it even better,” he added.
Up next, the team heads south to face Charleston in a rematch of the 2024 CAA Championship on Jan. 30. Tip-off is scheduled for 6 p.m. from TD Arena, with the contest streaming on FloCollege.
