STONY BROOK, N.Y. – Stony Brook men’s basketball team secured a 69-59 come-from-behind victory over North Carolina A&T on Saturday at Island Federal Arena.
Stony Brook’s offense was paced by graduate center Keenan Fitzmorris and senior guard Tyler Stephenson-Moore scoring 14 points each. Forward Frankie Policelli scored 12 points and hauled in a team-high 11 rebounds. He tallied his team-leading tenth double-double of the season. Junior Tanahj Pettway contributed 12 points and grabbed six rebounds in the victory for Stony Brook.
After falling behind, 23-10, with just over nine minutes left in the first half, the Seawolves stormed back on a 13-2 run over the next five minutes to cut the deficit to just two points. The Stony Brook big men led the charge for the team, as Fitzmorris and freshman Leon Nahar combined for eight of the 13 points.
Following an Aggie 3-pointer that gave North Carolina A&T a five-point lead with 5:15 left in the half, the Seawolves went on an 11-3 run to end the half and give the squad a 34-31 lead. Pettway provided the energy for the squad after a block on the defensive end that led to a Fitzmorris dunk which tied the contest at 28-28 with 2:52 left. Freshman guard Toby Onyekonwu and sophomore guard Kaine Roberts drilled back-to-back three-pointers, giving Stony Brook the three-point lead heading into the break.
The Aggies brought the pressure on the Seawolves out of the half, as the team from North Carolina scored the first four points of the half. But, Fitzmorris, Stephenson-Moore and Policelli settled the storm by leading the squad on a 12-0 run and giving them their biggest lead at 46-35.
Just over three minutes later, Pettway sealed the victory for the squad after dropping back-to-back three pointers to extend Stony Brook’s lead to their largest of the game at 14 points and ultimately the 69-59 victory.
Courtesy: Stony Brook Athletics
