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On campus

News, thoughts and more from the world of college sports across the nation and Long Island.

Steve Pikiell’s NCAA quest continues

Stony Brook head coach Steve Pikiell looks on

Photo credit: Kathleen Malone-Van Dyke

Over the past four seasons, no one in America East has been better or more consistent in the regular season than Steve Pikiell’s Stony Brook Seawolves. You could look it up.

SBU and Vermont each are 49-15 in the conference during that span, but the Seawolves won three outright titles to one for the Catamounts. The conference tournament and the battle for the automatic NCAA bid, however, is...

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Stony Brook seniors celebrate winning tradition

Stony Brook guard Leonard Hayes drives the ball

Photo credit: Kathleen Malone-Van Dyke

Senior Day can be awkward at times because the starting lineup changes to accommodate everyone who dedicated themselves to the program in whatever role they were asked to play. So, Tommy Brenton, who is Stony Brook’s player of the year candidate in the America East, was joined by reserves Marcus Rouse, Lenny Hayes and Ron Bracey to start the game along with rookie of the year candidate Jameel Warney.

It...

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Stony Brook outnumbers UMBC

Stony Brook's Jameel Warney dunks off a pass

Photo credit: Joseph D. Sullivan

The world and the NCAA Selection Committee will little note nor long remember Stony Brook’s 83-39 victory over UMBC Tuesday night at Pritchard Gymnasium. The poor Retrievers (6-20, 4-9 America East) simply were outmanned by the Seawolves (20-6, 11-2).

But while the quality of opposition was low, the manner in which Stony Brook turned a nine-point deficit into a 44-point blowout spoke volumes...

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Jameel Warney KOs Vermont

Stony Brook forward Jameel Warney looks to drive

Photo credit: Kathleen Malone-Van Dyke

As double-doubles go, Jameel Warney’s 12-point, 10-rebound effort in Stony Brook’s 65-48 demolition of Vermont Friday night at Pritchard Gymnasium sounds rather modest. But make no mistake – it was the freshman who delivered the knockout punch with eight points in a 20-5 Seawolves run to open the second half.

With Marcus Rouse knocking down three-pointers in the first half, Warney managed...

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Steve Pikiell wants ‘Stony Brook defense’

Stony Brook men's basketball head coach Steve Pikiell

Photo credit: Joseph D. Sullivan

If there’s one thing that sticks in Steve Pikiell’s craw about Stony Brook’s loss earlier this season at Vermont, it’s the number 81 – as in the season-high number of points the Seawolves yielded. The Catamounts led by 18 points with 10 minutes left, and when SBU cut the deficit to four, Vermont managed to get to the rim for easy baskets down the stretch of its 81-73 win.

It hurt that Stony...

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Stony Brook-Vermont stage is set

Stony Brook's Scott King slams home the ball

Photo credit: Joseph D. Sullivan

It’s been a topsy-turvy year in college basketball, and the America East Conference is no exception. Stony Brook lost its grip on first place when it was upset Sunday at Hartford, but Vermont returned the favor with a loss Tuesday night at Boston University while the Seawolves were romping to a 73-47 win over last-place Binghamton.

That means Stony Brook (18-6, 9-2 America East) has a half-game...

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Seawolves look forward to huge homestand

Stony Brook's Jameel Warney dunks the ball. (Dec.

Photo credit: Patrick E. McCarthy

Now, it’s about holding serve for Stony Brook, defending the home hardwood. A rough stretch of 11 road games in the past 15 contests ended with a 60-55 upset loss Sunday afternoon at Hartford, a result that dropped the Seawolves into second place in the America East half a game behind Vermont.

Stony Brook leads the nation in true road wins with 10, but this was the one that got away thanks...

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Eric McAlister: Stony Brook’s X factor?

Stony Brook's Eric McAllister dunks off an alley

Photo credit: Joseph D. Sullivan

Without a doubt, defense and rebounding have been the trademark of Steve Pikiell’s Stony Brook basketball teams, but this season, Pikiell has his deepest and most diverse offense ever. In the Seawolves’ 79-69 victory over Maine on Saturday afternoon at Pritchard Gym, 6-8 starting forward Eric McAlister, who is averaging 4.7 points, demonstrated his potential with a career-high 22 points.

Perhaps...

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Seawolves’ Anthony Jackson out indefinitely

Stony Brook's Carson Puriefoy drives around Boston's Maurice

Photo credit: Joseph D. Sullivan

For the second straight game, Stony Brook was without point guard Anthony Jackson, and following the Seawolves’ 75-48 blowout of Boston University Tuesday night at Pritchard Gymnasium, coach Steve Pikiell said there is no timetable for Jackson’s return.

Losing Jackson, SBU’s second-leading scorer (11.7) and leader in three-point field goals made (30), for an extended period is no small thing....

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Jameel Warney’s learning process

Stony Brook's Jameel Warney dunks the ball. (Dec.

Photo credit: Patrick E. McCarthy

Freshman Jameel Warney only had eight points in Stony Brook’s 50-44 win over Manhattan Tuesday afternoon at Draddy Gym, but when the Seawolves absolutely had to have it, Warney’s inside presence led to consecutive layups for a 45-40 lead with 2:01 left to play.

That was the decisive sequence and undoubtedly is the sort of thing Seawolves fans are hoping to see when America East play begins...

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