Lack of three-point shooting trips Stony Brook in loss to Vermont
Stony Brook Seawolves head coach Geno Ford talks to his team during a timeout against the UMBC Retrievers in the second half of an NCAA America East men's basketball game at Island Federal Arena on Sunday, Feb. 7, 2021. Credit: Kathleen Malone-Van Dyke
Failure from beyond the arc continues to hamper the Stony Brook men’s basketball team.
The Seawolves rank last in the America East in three-point percentage, and their struggles from deep again were a key issue in their 61-57 road loss to Vermont on Sunday afternoon.
Stony Brook shot 5-for-21 (23.8%) from beyond the arc, including a miss by Frankie Policelli on a potential tying three-pointer with seven seconds remaining. The Seawolves had called a timeout with 14 seconds left, and because Vermont’s guards are strong free-throw shooters, coach Geno Ford opted to try to tie the score with a three-pointer rather than try for a quick two-pointer and foul.
"We got our best shooter a shot, it was a hard shot, they covered it well," Ford said. "It was not an easy look."
Vermont (9-3, 9-3) shot 10-for-26 (38.5%) from three-point range and leads the conference at 35.1% from beyond the arc. Stony Brook is shooting 29.6% from three-point range.
"At one point, they were 6-for-9 and we were 2-for-9 from three late in the first half, and you look up at the scoreboard and we’re down two," Ford said. "Well, it sure would be nice to have 4-for-9 from three both ways. That’s a 12-point swing right there. So we’re getting beat at the three-point line."
Ford said Sunday’s loss felt like a "stomach punch" because he thought the Seawolves played well enough to win. He added that they "poured their hearts and souls out."
"Today, we deserved to win against a really good team on the road," Ford said, "but came up one possession short."
Juan Felix Rodriguez had 24 points for Stony Brook (8-12, 6-8).
The Seawolves trailed 28-26 at halftime. Vermont opened a 50-37 lead midway through the second half before Stony Brook brought the score to within one possession in the final seconds.
The Seawolves enter the final weekend of the season knowing they likely won’t have home matchups in the America East Tournament. But after dropping four straight, Stony Brook hopes to enter the conference tournament off a victory or two after a back-to-back at Albany on Saturday and Sunday.
"We are doing everything well enough to make a run in the tournament except shooting threes," Ford said. "We can’t keep shooting [5-for-21], but it’s kind of what we are doing."
