Stony Brook again struggles on offense in loss to UMBC
Stony Brook guard Akwasi Yeboah controls the ball against Binghamton at Island Federal Credit Union Arena on Jan. 9. Credit: Kathleen Malone-Van Dyke
While the rest of the country deals with the polar vortex, Stony Brook faced a cold streak of its own Wednesday night, falling, 57-49, at UMBC in the Seawolves’ worst offensive performance of the season.
The Seawolves (17-4, 5-2) trailed by as many as 13 points in the second half and shot just 30.9 percent (17 of 55) in their second straight America East loss.
Stony Brook was held below 50 points for the first time since a 57-48 loss to Vermont on Feb. 7, 2015.
The offensive woes started early, as Stony Brook went 8-for-23 in the first half and failed to connect on a single shot from behind the arc. UMBC (14-9, 6-2) held the rebounding edge in the opening 20 minutes, grabbing 10 offensive boards and sinking second-chance baskets to take a six-point lead into the break.
UMBC came out quickly in the second half, jumping out to a 35-24 lead with 16:24 left to play, but Stony Brook managed to rally midway through the period. The Seawolves made it a six-point game with 9:02 left, on a pair of Jordan McKenzie free throws, and looked primed for a late-game run after settling into their defense.
Stony Brook’s offense, however, continued to struggle. Akwasi Yeboah missed the front end of a one-and-one with 8:36 left and Miles Lattimer followed up with another miss from distance on the Seawolves’ next possession. UMBC grabbed the defensive rebound on the miss and Arkel Lamar scored on a three to give the Retrievers a 42-33 lead, effectively shutting down any Stony Brook comeback.
Yeboah finished with 14 points and 12 rebounds for Stony Brook, the only player to record double digits.
The Seawolves look to get back in the win column on Saturday, hosting Hartford at 7 p.m.
Stony Brook 57, UMBC 44: Jerell Matthews and Shania Johnson both scored 17 points to lead the Stony Brook women’s team. The host Seawolves (5-3) led wire-to-wire, holding UMBC (1-7) to 27.5 percent from the floor.
