Tykei Greene, Anthony Roberts, Jaden Sayles usher Stony Brook to a breezy win over Albany
Stony Brook Seawolves guard Tykei Greene puts up a shot against the Albany Great Danes during the second half of an NCAA America East men's basketball game at Island Federal Arena on Saturday. Credit: Kathleen Malone-Van Dyke
Tykei Greene had 18 points, Anthony Roberts and Jaden Sayles added 15 points apiece and the Stony Brook men’s basketball team cruised to a 66-50 conference victory over Albany at Island Federal Credit Union Arena on Saturday night.
The Seawolves entered halftime with a 31-24 advantage, as Roberts led the way with nine points. He also finished the night with a career-high eight assists.
"I feel like they were in the drop coverage on our ball screens," Roberts said. "So I just kept telling Jaden to look for the roll every time. They weren’t hedging like they normally do, so I told him ‘I’m going to find you.’"
Stony Brook (17-13, 9-8) entered the night on a two-game losing streak, but utilized a dominant second half to run away with the win.
A layup by Sayles about a minute into the second half put Stony Brook ahead 35-24, and the Seawolves maintained their double-digit advantage for all but 18 seconds from there.
A short turnaround jumper from Sayles with 9:55 remaining capped off a 9-0 run, giving Stony Brook a 19-point lead. The Seawolves led by no fewer than 13 the rest of the way.
"I was just doing what I do best," said Sayles, who also had seven rebounds and two blocks. "Just getting around the rim and finishing. I was doing my job."
Despite going just 3-for-15 from three-point range, Stony Brook controlled the paint throughout the night, outscoring Albany 36-12 on the interior and shooting 48% overall. Stony Brook held Albany to 29.7% from the field.
The Seawolves also overpowered the Great Danes on the glass, 48-26. Greene had 12 of those boards and Omar Habwe had 11.
"I think the rebounding played a big deal," Sayles said. "Sometimes we’ll play well defensively but not get the rebound and have to start over. I think it played a big part in us holding the lead."
Aaron Reddish, brother of Knicks forward Cam Reddish, scored 11 points and knocked down a three with 12:33 left in the first half to put Albany (13-16, 9-8) ahead 17-10.
Stony Brook responded with a 16-2 run to take a 26-19 lead with 4:18 to go before halftime.
Tyler Stephenson-Moore had eight points after scoring a career high of 20 in Stony Brook’s previous contest, a 67-50 loss at UMass Lowell on Wednesday.
Jamel Horton led Albany with 14 points.
The Seawolves will host NJIT in a regular-season finale marred by controversy on Tuesday at 7 p.m. Stony Brook was banned by the America East from competing in its conference tournament after the university announced in January that it will be leaving for the Colonial Athletic Association on July 1.
Likely requiring an automatic bid to qualify for the NCAA Tournament, Stony Brook requested reconsideration of the America East’s decision. The conference stated on Feb. 2, however, that the ruling would be upheld.
