Men's Basketball Falls on Last-Second Shot in 68-66 Loss to League-Leader Stony Brook

Albany, N.Y. - Muhammad El-Amin had 19 points and made the game-winning shot with 1.8 seconds remaining to lift Stony Brook past UAlbany, 68-66, in America East Conference play on Friday, Feb. 19 at SEFCU Arena. The Seawolves swept the season series and stayed in first place in the conference standings.

Stony Brook (20-7, AE 12-2) moved out to a 40-29 lead early in the second half when El-Amin canned a three-point field goal and Preye Preboye hit a layup off an inbounds pass. UAlbany (7-22, AE 2-12) came roaring back with 13 of the game's next 15 points. Will Harris made a rare four-point play when he was fouled on a long-range jumper and Logan Aronhalt's three-pointer from the left corner in transition tied the contest at 42 apiece.

The Seawolves, who have won nine in a row, their long streak at the Division I level, pushed out to a 49-44 margin when Dallis Joyner put back a fastbreak layup attempt. However, UAlbany worked its way back into the fray and went in front, 55-54, as Tim Ambrose followed a missed free throw. All of which set up a back-and-forth final eight minutes which featured five ties and four lead changes.

The Great Danes went ahead 66-64 when Ambrose converted a drive from the left side. Joyner drew his team even off an inbounds feed, before McRae misfired on a three-point field goal attempt. The Seawolves ran a clear out on their final possession for El-Amin and he drilled a 17-footer in the circle off the dribble.

"We are upset that we didn't get the win," said McRae, one of three senior who were honored in a pre-game ceremony. "They were one shot better than we were. We played good defense on (Muhammad) El-Amin and he made a tough shot."

In the first half, the Seawolves jumped out to a 14-2 lead by making four of their opening five 3-point field goal attempts. Chris Martin made a pair on long-range jumpers, including one from the top of the arc.

Stony Brook pushed out a 23-7 advantage on a Preboye's tip-in and Bryan Dougher's driving layup. The Seawolves still led 33-18 late in the half, but UAlbany responded with an 11-2 run to end the period. McRae scored six of his 16 points in that stretch, including a slam dunk with an offensive rebound. Harris nailed a three-pointer right before the intermission to close the gap to 35-29.

Dougher added 11 points for the Seawolves, who also won the first meeting between these teams, 67-61. UAlbany's Harris had 17 points and seven rebounds, while Ambrose finished with 12 points off the bench.

"It was emotional," said Harris, a 6-foot-5 senior who is in his second year with the program after transferring from Virgina. "We wanted to send everyone out on a good note. We kept fighting (when we were down) and left everything on the floor."

Paw Prints: UAlbany honored Brett Gifford, Will Harris, Scotty McRae, Louis Barraza and manager Chris Jennings as members of the senior class in a ceremony prior to the game ... Harris' scoring total was his highest since Jan. 13th ... McRae scored in double figures for the second straight contest after totaling a career-high 21 vs. UMBC ... Gifford, who had four points and six rebounds, tied a career-best with four blocked shots ... Gifford is seventh on the all-time blocks list with 73 ... the game was televised on MSG-Plus and seen on ESPN 360.

Courtesy: UAlbany Sports Information