Men's Basketball Comes Up Short In Conference Matchup

Courtesy: UAlbany Sports Information

Albany, N.Y. -- Muhammad El-Amin scored 11 of his 17 points in the second half to propel Stony Brook to a 58-45 victory over UAlbany in America East Conference action on Friday, Jan. 23 at SEFCU Arena. The Seawvolves, who were coming off a four-overtime loss in their last outing, ended a six-game skid in the series.

Stony Brook (10-9, AE 2-4) led 40-39 midway through the second half, but then pulled away with nine of the game’s next 11 points. Chris Martin made two free throws, before El-Amin drillied a left baseline jumper. El-Amin, a transfer from Lansing Community College in Michigan, later drilled a 23-foot shot from the top of the three-point arc. Demetrius Young’s tip-in off a missed 3-point attempt gave his club a 49-41 advantage with 8:55 remaining.

UAlbany (11-8, AE 3-3) closed within 49-45 on a tip-in by Will Harris, a junior forward who totaled 14 points and eight rebounds despite battling flu symptons. The Great Danes, who shot less than 40 percent for the 11th time this season, failed to score the rest of the way. Tommy Brenton, a 6-foot-5 freshman who had 10 points, hit a basket after collecting an offensive rebound and then converted a slam dunk after his steal to push SBU’s margin to 55-45 with 1:39 to play.

“Our defense keeps us in games,” said Stony Brook coach Steve Pikiell, whose squad held the Great Danes to 7-of-21 from the field in the final period. “We changed up enough (on defense) to be effective. Marques Cox did a good job of guarding Harris and (Tim) Ambrose. We moved the ball, made some big three’s and made our free throws down the stretch.”

In the opening stanza, UAlbany wiped out a 10-7 deficit with 12 unanswered. Tim Ambrose scored off a lob pass from Harris to put his team in front. Jerel Hastings later tipped in Scotty McRae’s missed jumper in the lane. Ambrose nailed a three-pointer from left of the key to end that run. The Great Danes led by as much as 11 points in the period before settling for a 26-21 halftime margin.

The Seawolves helped to end UAlbany’s seven-game home win streak by reeling off 11 straight points early in the second half. Freshman guard Bryan Dougher, who netted 12 points, delivered a 3-pointer to put his team ahead, 30-28. Stony Brook extended that margin to six twice, including 40-34 when Martin connected in the lane.

“We did nothing to help ourselves the last twenty minutes,” explained UAlbany coach Will Brown, whose team was held to its lowest point total in regular-season conference play since Feb. 26, 2004. “We didn’t value the basketball and blew some defensive assignments. I firmly believe you get what you deserve. We have not made any progress the last two games.”

UAlbany’s Anthony Raffa, a freshman guard, had nine points, while Ambrose added seven. Ambrose, the team’s top scorer, played just 15 minutes and fouled out with less than five minutes remaining.