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men’s basketball

#22 Kenan Sarvan at Saturday's game. Photo from Stony Brook Athletics

The Stony Brook men’s basketball team (8-16, 4-7 CAA) found itself tied, 20-20, with the Hofstra Pride (17-8, 10-2 CAA), but could not keep pace with its Long Island rival on Feb 4 at the David S. Mack Sports and Exhibition Complex in Hempstead.

With about eight minutes remaining in the first half, freshman guard Toby Onyekonwu found graduate center Keenan Fitzmorris open in the paint and Fitzmorris slammed home a deuce to tie the game, 20-20.

Onyekonwu had one of the best performances of his career, despite the loss. He finished with a career-high 15 points, tied his career-high with six assists, and added five rebounds. The freshman started and played in 39 minutes.

Junior forward Kenan Sarvan had one of his better games of the season too. He finished with 14 points, his first time scoring in double figures since he scored 12 against Towson on Jan. 7 and his most points since scoring 16 against Sacred Heart on Dec. 12.

Sarvan nailed four three pointers in the game, his most since Jan. 7.

Despite Hofstra being without the reigning CAA Player of the Year in Aaron Estrada, Stony Brook struggled to keep pace with the Pride. Hofstra redshirt senior guard Tyler Thomas dropped a season-high 29 points, including 13 points in the second half. Thomas shot 13-of-17 from the field and grabbed 11 boards in the win.

The Seawolves and Pride will meet for the second ‘Battle of Long Island’ this season on Feb. 18 in Stony Brook.

“We did some good things; obviously not the result we wanted but I thought we battled tonight. Tyler Thomas had the game of his life and we were unable to defend him. I thought he used his size on the perimeter and shot over the top of us easily all night. Toby has strung some good games together which has helped, but clearly we have some depth issues right now,” said head coach Geno Ford.

#2 Frankie Policelli takes a shot during Saturday's game. Photo from Stony Brook Athletics

The Stony Brook men’s basketball team (8-14, 4-5 CAA), led by a second half explosion from graduate forward Frankie Policelli, stormed past the Hampton Pirates (5-17, 2-8 CAA) on Jan. 28 at the Convocation Center in Hampton, VA to pick up a 71-66 victory. 

Policelli scored a career-high 34 points, shooting 11-of-20 from the floor and 12-of-14 from the free-throw line. The New Hartford, New York, native exploded for 31 points in the final 20 minutes, shooting 11-of-16 from the field and 9-of-10 from the line in the second stanza.

Policelli also hauled in 12 rebounds, giving him his team-leading eighth double-double of the season.

The Seawolves trailed the Pirates, 37-30, at halftime and used a second half comeback to upend Hampton. Stony Brook began the frame on a 12-4 run to regain the lead and backed by Policelli they never looked back.

Policelli fooled Hampton freshman forward Kyrese Martin with his pump fake and step-through move that gave the Seawolves the lead with less than 14 minutes remaining. At that point, Policelli had scored 10 points in the half. The graduate helped maintain control of the lead and continued to build on it. He also got help from freshman forward Leon Nahar, who splashed the second three-pointer of his career.

The Seawolves opened the second half on a 27-9 run and built a lead of up to 13 points, at 65-52. Policelli exploded in the second half scoring 31 of the Seawolves’ 41 points. The team shot 55.6 percent from the field and 71.4 percent from the free-throw line in the second stanza. 

With the victory, Stony Brook picked up its fourth conference win of the season.

“Great team win for us. I couldn’t be prouder of how we competed and found a way to win tonight. A lot of guys made huge plays and were factors in the game, but Frankie’s second half is the best 20 minutes of offensive basketball I’ve been a part of. Our guys are competing and battling as hard as they can,” said head coach Geno Ford.

Photo from Stony Brook Athletics

The Stony Brook men’s basketball team fell in a battle against the UNCW Seahawks on Jan. 21 at Island Federal Arena. The Seawolves battled throughout a tough back-and-forth first half, in which they found themselves down 22-21 at the break.

The Seawolves battled throughout a tough back-and-forth first half, in which they found themselves down 22-21 at the break. Stony Brook had three players score in the first half. Senior guard Tyler Stephenson-Moore finished the first frame with eight points, graduate center Keenan Fitzmorris had seven, and freshman guard Toby Onyekonwu scored six points.

In the early stages of the game, graduate forward Frankie Policelli passed the ball across the court to Fitzmorris, who drained his fifth three pointer of the season.

Stephenson-Moore led the way through the first 20 minutes. With just over eight minutes left in the first half, he used a screen from Fitzmorris and lost his defender before pulling up for a three pointer from straightaway.

Policelli started the second half with his first bucket of the game, but UNCW shifted the momentum the rest of the way. Senior guard Maleeck Harden-Hayes nailed four straight three pointers to go on a 12-0 run on his own and put the Seahawks up 34-23. Harden-Hayes finished the game with a career-high 31 points.

Onyekonwu provided the spark as the first man off the bench. After scoring six points in the first half, he started off the second frame strong. The freshman dribbled off a screen from Fitzmorris and pulled up for a long two pointer, with just under 16 minutes to go.

Despite falling behind by 11 points in the second half, Stony Brook was able to cut it back to a five-point deficit late in the game. UNCW outlasted the Seawolves’ comeback.

A scene from last Saturday's game. Photo by Troy Herring/Stony Brook Athletics

The Stony Brook men’s basketball team (7-11, 3-2 CAA) led for over 32 minutes on Jan. 14 against the North Carolina A&T Aggies (8-11, 3-3 CAA), but ultimately fell, 61-59, at Corbett Sports Centerin Greensboro, NC.

The Seawolves had a chance to tie the game in the final seconds, but just did not finish on their final opportunity.

Senior guard Tyler Stephenson-Moore paced the Seawolves in scoring in the game. He dropped 18 points, dished out four assists, and grabbed three rebounds in 39 minutes. 

Graduate forward Frankie Policelli totaled his seventh double-double of the season and second in as many games. For the second-straight game he scored 16 points and grabbed 14 boards. Policelli helped Stony Brook get out to a 10-point lead in the first half. He nailed three three pointers in the first frame and had nine points at the break.

The Aggies got off to a great start in the second half. They were led by sophomore guard Kam Woods, who came into the game as the third leading scorer in the CAA. He scored 19 points in 39 minutes. North Carolina A&T also received a 15-point second half effort from redshirt junior forward Marcus Watson.

Then with just over four minutes remaining, Policelli grabbed an offensive rebound and got fouled on his way back up, scoring through contact for the and-one. This extended Stony Brook’s lead, but the Aggies went on a late run. 

Stony Brook led 30-26 at halftime but was outscored 35-29 in the second frame. 

“Tough one because we led for over 30 minutes. We couldn’t make any big offensive plays down the stretch. We had wide open threes, some post isolations and free throws that we couldn’t convert. It goes without saying that I’m sure the long travel and short rest didn’t help us today. We need a good week of practice as we turn to a Northeastern team that will come in with a chip on their shoulder Thursday night,” said head coach Geno Ford.

The team will return home to face Northeastern, for the second time this season, tonight, Jan. 19. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. and the game will be broadcast live on FloHoops. Call 631-632-WOLF for tickets.

Last Sunday was a very good day for Seawolves #2 Frankie Policelli. Photo from Stony Brook Athletics

Graduate forward Frankie Policelli had a career day for the Stony Brook men’s basketball team, helping the Seawolves come-from-behind to defeat the Army Black Knights, 66-59, on Dec. 18 at Island Federal Arena.

With just under seven minutes remaining in the game, Policelli began to heat up. First, the New Hartford, New York native drove down the lane and made a layup to bring the Seawolves within two points of Army.

After getting a stop defensively, the Seawolves came back down the floor on their next possession. Stony Brook went right back to Policelli in the post and he drained a hookshot from inside the paint to tie the game at 50-50.

Army failed to score on its next two possessions and once again Policelli got the ball on the offensive end and swished a turnaround jumper to give Stony Brook its first lead of the game, at 52-50, with 4:59 remaining. 

Policelli then drained two free-throws on the next offensive possession, after another defensive stop. He scored eight-straight points and extended the Seawolves’ lead to 54-50 with 4:24 remaining. Policelli finished the game with 22 points, which tied his career-high, and he hauled in a career-high 19 rebounds. It was his second-straight game with a double-double and his third in the past four contests. It marked his fifth double-double of the season. He shot 8-of-12 from the floor, 2-of-4 from three-point range, and 4-of-7 from the free-throw line.

The Seawolves’ defense helped the squad come-from-behind and hold on to win. Army went on several scoring droughts of at least two minutes in the second half, which opened the door up for Stony Brook.

Senior guard Tyler Stephenson-Moore was also a huge factor in closing out the game with a win. He extended the team’s run to 11-0 with two free-throws with 3:50 to go. Stephenson-Moore went on to score eight-straight points for Stony Brook.

The Seawolves finished the game with five-straight made shots from the floor and behind crucial free-throw shooting and stifling defense down the stretch, they were able to pull out the win and improve to 4-8 on the season and 4-1 at home.

Next up, the team will travel to Morgantown to take on the West Virginia Mountaineers on Dec. 22. Tip-off is set for 6 p.m. and the game will be broadcast live on ESPN+. 

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.

#14 Tyler Stephenson-Moore takes a shot during last Saturday evening's game. Photo from Stony Brook Athletics

The Stony Brook men’s basketball team went toe-to-toe with Yale in front of an energized crowd inside Island Federal Arena on Dec. 3. The Seawolves put forth a valiant effort as they were led by senior guard Tyler Stephenson-Moore and graduate guard Aaron Clarke, who each posted 20-point outings. Despite the Seawolves’ efforts, the Bulldogs were able to narrowly pull away, 77-72, to improve to 8-1 on the season. 

Clarke made his Stony Brook debut and gave the Seawolves a lift off the bench as he scored 20 points in 22 minutes. The graduate checked into the game with 15:44 to play in the first half and scored his first points as a Seawolf at the 13:29 mark when he knocked down a three-pointer.

Stephenson-Moore led the way offensively for Stony Brook as he scored 21 points and grabbed seven rebounds. Stephenson-Moore helped fuel an 8-0 run in the second half as he drilled a three to cut Yale’s lead to 67-62 with 8:04 to play. 

The Seawolves and Bulldogs traded blows down the stretch. Stony Brook was able to get within two points of the lead three times over the final eight minutes of the game, but Yale came up with an answer on each occasion. With 1:06 to play in the contest, Clarke converted a pair of free-throws to make it 72-70. Yale returned the favor by cashing in on two free-throws on the ensuing possession with 43 seconds to play to go up, 74-70. A second-chance layup by graduate forward Frankie Policelli cut the Bulldog’s lead to two points, 74-72, as he cleaned up a missed three by Stephenson-Moore with 15 seconds to go. 

Yale was able to convert its free-throws down the stretch and go on to win by the final score of 77-72. The five-point margin of victory was the second-smallest of the season for Yale, its smallest margin of victory was three points when it defeated Hawaii, 62-59, in overtime earlier this season. 

“This [experience] is something we can build on,” said head coach Geno Ford after the game. “Tonight we played hard and we played well — it just wasn’t quite well enough to beat a really, really good Yale team From a coach perspective, I’m disappointed we lost … but we took a huge step forward and this is by far the best we’ve looked.”

Up next, the team will travel to Rhode Island to take on Brown on Dec.9. A quick turnaround finds the Seawolves back at Island Federal Arena on Dec. 12, for a 6:30 p.m. tip-off against Sacred Heart.

Photo from Stony Brook Athletics

The Stony Brook men’s basketball team was led by a pair of scorers who reached double figures on Nov. 25, but the Seawolves ultimately fell to Eastern Washington, 81-52, at the Florida International Tournament.

Graduate center Keenan Fitzmorris tied his season-high with 14 points, as he shot 4-of-5 from the field and 6-of-10 from the free-throw line. Fitzmorris grabbed two rebounds and dished out two assists. He was extremely efficient down in the post on offense.

 Senior guard Tyler Stephenson-Moore followed Fitzmorris with 10 points on 3-of-9 from the field, 2-of-5 from three-point range and 2-of-2 from the stripe. Stephenson-Moore also contributed nicely on the defensive end, totaling two of the team’s four steals. He drained two three-pointers, which tied for the team lead with junior forward Kenan Sarvan.

“We were down 13 with seven minutes to go and we desperately needed to make a run to give ourselves a chance to win it late.  We had a total meltdown the final seven minutes.  While we haven’t been able to practice 5v5 live since prior to the Florida game, tonight was really disappointing. We have to be better than we were,” said head coach Geno Ford.

 “Fitz and Rocco played well but it is hard to find any other guys who played up to their capabilities tonight.  We need to be tougher. The second half has been a real challenge for us all season. Our short rotation doesn’t help but point blank we weren’t tough enough or good enough in either game down the stretch,” he added.

#22 Keenan Sarvan was on fire Friday night, scoring 29 points for the team. Photos from Stony Brook Athletics

The Stony Brook men’s basketball team found their way to an 86-65 win over Miami Hamilton as they opened at home at Island Federal Arena on Nov. 11. 

Junior forward Kenan Sarvan led the offensive effort, finishing the game with a career-high 29 points and a career-high four assists, while also adding three rebounds. Sarvan exploded in the second half, registering 19 of his 29 points in the second half. 

Graduate forward Frankie Policelli led the team in rebounds, totaling 10 on the night. The New Hartford, N.Y. native went 5-of-10 from the field and 3-of-6 from three-point range. Graduate center Keenan Fitzmorris was a force on the offense, marking a career-high 10 points and shooting 5-of-6 from the field. 

Stony Brook took control with nine minutes left in the first half, going on a 10-0 run that started with Sarvan dishing the ball to senior guard Tanahj Pettway who then finished the driving layup. The Seawolves biggest lead came in the final 27 seconds of the contest when they increased the deficit to 24. The 21-point win is the first 20-point win since the Seawolves defeated Farmingdale State, 87-57, on December 29, 2021. 

The team headed to Rhode Island to take on both Rhode Island and Brown over the course of three days, facing-off with Rhode Island on Nov. 15 and Brown on Nov. 17. 

#15 Anthony Roberts takes a shot at last Sunday's game. Photo from Stony Brook Athletics

In a scoring performance not seen since Jameel Warney’s 2016 America East Championship output, Anthony Roberts lit up the scoreboard to help the Seawolves to a second consecutive win on Feb. 13 in Bangor, Maine.

He hit nine 3-pointers, the most by any player in Seawolves program history, as Stony Brook cruised to an 85-74 victory at the Cross Insurance Center. He finished the day with 40 points, the seventh time that milestone has been hit by a men’s basketball player.

A 10-3 run in the first half help the Seawolves seize the lead, with Tykei Greene chipping in half during that stretch. Maine would pull ahead as much as four in that stanza at 26-22, but the Seawolves responded again with a 13-3 run, during which 11 of the points came from Roberts, to take the lead for good.

The Seawolves were able to gradually extend their lead as large as 16 in the second half, keeping Maine at bay with the lead being double figures for the majority of the final ten minutes.

“It was a big road win for us. I’m really proud of our guys for rallying shorthanded and with all of the stuff they’ve been forced to deal with. It has been a very difficult couple of weeks for us. Tykei was able to play a really nice game for us and Anthony Roberts played at an extremely high level,” said head coach Geno Ford.

The team headed from the northern-most league opponent to the southern-most, heading to UMBC on Wednesday night in Baltimore, Md. Results were not available as of press time.