How those Seawolves have grown.
Facing St. Francis of Brooklyn for the first time since playing its first basketball game as a Division I program, on Nov. 20, 1999, Stony Brook captured its third straight win Tuesday night, defeating the Terriers, 77-61, at the Pope Physical Education Center in Brooklyn.
The Seawolves (7-2) are off to their best start since joining Division I, having won four of five road games, while St. Francis (2-6) suffered its fourth straight loss.
“We were on a nice roll before we came here and we had a 10-day break, so I was nervous about that,” said Stony Brook coach Steve Pikiell. “I was very nervous how we were going to play, but we jumped out and played real well.”
Stony Brook displayed its standard defensive prowess, holding the Terriers to 38.5 percent shooting, as Seawolves junior guard Dave Coley led an uptempo attack with a game-high 19 points, along with eight rebounds and two steals.
Stony Brook displayed a pace it hasn’t played with in recent years, adding a dangerous dimension to a team that was already considered to be in contention for another America East crown coming into the season.
“Last year, we were a walk-up team, which didn’t hurt us, but we got a lot of fast guys,” said Coley, a Brooklyn native. “We want to be able to push the pace. Our defense is always gonna be there. That’s what we built our program around. Defense wins championships, but I think it’s good that we changed the pace from last year.”
The Seawolves trailed 17-16 with 10:32 left in the first half, but shot 60 percent from the field in the half and went on a 24-7 run, capped by a Coley 3-pointer with time expiring, to take a 40-24 lead at the break. The Terriers scored the first six points of the second half but never cut the deficit lower than nine, as Stony Brook sank 17 of 20 second-half free throws.
Senior Tommy Brenton became Stony Brook’s all-time leading rebounder after grabbing seven boards, along with four points and five assists, while freshman Jameel Warney was a force in the paint, totaling 13 points, on 6-of-8 shooting, with nine rebounds, one block and two steals.
“At the start of the season I was nervous, but these guys, they’re so composed so it forces me to be composed about everything I do,” said Warney. “After the first game, I said that I’m going to be a contributor to this team. Even though I’m a freshman, I can help in big ways.”
Jalen Cannon and Kevin Douglas shared the Terriers’ team high with 14 points, shooting a combined 12-for-19 from the field, but the rest of the team combined to shoot 12 of 42, with only eight points coming off the bench.