Frankie Policelli, Stony Brook break it open in first half to beat UMass Lowell

Frankie Policelli is a matchup nightmare.

The 6-7, 215-pound forward can knock down shots from beyond the three-point arc with the type of range of smaller, NBA-bound guards.

He shot 4-for-7 on threes on his way to 16 points Sunday in host Stony Brook’s 73-58 victory over UMass Lowell in America East men’s basketball action at Island Federal Credit Arena on Sunday afternoon.

One shot seemed farther away from the rim than the next, as he made three three-pointers during the Seawolves’ 16-3 run midway through the opening half, which led to a 24-10 advantage nine minutes into the contest. Stony Brook never trailed.

"You can’t give him space, and he’s 6-7, so he can get it off if you are tight to him," coach Geno Ford said. "He’s going to continue to fire them up and we are going to assume he’s going to keep making [them]."

Juan Felix Rodriguez added 13 points and seven assists for SBU, Omar Habwe had 11 points, and Tykei Greene and Jaden Sayles each had nine points in the win.

Stony Brook (5-4, 3-0) shot 46.4% from the field, including 58.3% en route to a season-high 43 points in the first half. The Seawolves made 7 of 11 three-pointers in the opening 20 minutes.

Policelli, who leads the conference with 24 made three-pointers, credited his teammates for finding him and others for open looks.

"They were able to find me in open spots and I was able to knock them down," he said. "That’s just how our team is. We can find an open guy. We’re unselfish, and it just feels good to contribute to the win."

Ford called Policelli one of the top standstill shooters he’s coached in more than 20 years in college basketball.

"I think he takes some deep ones," Ford said with a laugh. "He obviously has the green light to shoot them and he’s shown the ability to make them. But he’s done that at practice. It’s not like he comes into the game and tries to work on something we haven’t seen."

Obadiah Noel, the conference’s leading scorer, had 30 points for the River Hawks (2-5, 1-2). The two meet again at Stony Brook on Monday at 1 p.m. for the second of an America East back-to-back.

Stony Brook held UMass Lowell to 42.6% from the field, including 28.6% from beyond the arc. The Seawolves also forced 14 turnovers, and turned it over 11 times.

The Seawolves went cold from deep in the second half, missing all 11 three-point attempts. But the lead was never less than nine points.

"We knew it was going to be a tough game," Ford said. "We shot it so well early, we were able to get some separation and we kind of hung on in the second half."