Sports

Seawolves Outlast Binghamton in America East Quarterfinals

Stony Brook men's basketball team emerges the winner, 78-69.

Top-seeded Stony Brook found itself in a deficit midway through the second half against No. 9 Binghamton, a team that finished in last place in conference during the regular season but which defeated No. 8 UMBC in a conference tournament play-in game on Thursday.

But the Seawolves, not ready to see their season end, used a 23-6 run to erase that four-point deficit and regain the lead en route to a 78-69 win over Binghamton in the America East conference quarterfinals on Saturday at Chase Arena in Hartford.

"Our goal today was to win and advance, and we did it," head coach Steve Pikiell said. "Give credit to Binghamton, they played a great game and hit some big shots. I liked the way our guys played hard, stuck with the game plan and executed. We now have to get ready for another tough game tomorrow."

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Junior Tommy Brenton led the team with 14 points, 11 rebounds, 5 steals and 3 assists, and capped the team's 23-6 run with a dunk off a pass from Dave Coley that gave the Seawolves (21-8) their largest lead of the game at 66-53. Coley had 14 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists in the game.

Both teams shot 50 percent in the game, but the Seawolves outdid the Bearcats on offensive rebounds, 14-4, and totaled 17 second-chance points to Binghamton's 3.

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Ben Dickinson led all scorers with 20 points for Binghamton (2-29).

It's Stony Brook's third straight conference quarterfinal appearance as the Seawolves look to grab its first-ever NCAA tournament bid. A win on Sunday would tie the team's record for most wins in a Division I season, which stands at 22 wins set in the 2009-10 season. Senior Bryan Dougher is 18 points away from becoming the team's leading scorer in its Division I history.

Stony Brook will face No. 4 Albany (19-13) at 5 p.m. Sunday.


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