by Kenneth Fermin
Stony Brook Men’s Basketball knew the non-conference slate was going to be challenging — The Seawolves planned it that way. Stony Brook entered the 2019-20 season eager for competition against two ranked-opponents, after only facing two in total in the past three regular seasons. The No.9-ranked Virginia Cavaliers, the 2019 NCAA National Champions and the Seawolves second ranked opponent this season, were going to provide the biggest challenge of the year.
Stony Brook needed to play flawlessly in order to win and learn from their losses against No.12-ranked Seton Hall on Saturday, Nov. 9th and Big East foe Providence on Saturday, Dec. 14th. While Stony Brook adjusted to the tempo and style of the reigning champions, the Cavaliers proved why the NCAA runs through them. Virginia showcased stellar defense in order to pick up the 56-44 victory on Tuesday, Dec. 18 in Charlottesville, Va.
Virginia’s incredible defense set the tempo for the game. The team, which has led the NCAA surrendering the least amount of points per game for five of the past six seasons, punished Stony Brook inside for 31 total rebounds. The Cavaliers suffocated the Seawolves from the opening tip, playing tight full court defense and smoothly transitioning between man and 2-3 zone inside.
The Seawolves struggled keeping the ball and surrendered 17 total turnovers–11 in the first half– which the Cavaliers converted to 13 points for the game. Stony Brook committed more turnovers than points scored halfway through the first, 6-5. Redshirt-senior forward Mamadi Diakite capitalized off the turnover from redshirt-junior forward Andrew Garcia’s errant pass with a mid-range jumper, giving Virginia the 18-9 lead with 7:15 left to go in the half.
Although Stony Brook started the game behind by double-digits, the team fought back with scoring inside the paint and tightentend the gap 28-21 at halftime. Both teams traded scores coming out of halftime before turning to its big men for impactful production.
Junior forwards Jay Huff and Mo Gueye led the charge in the second half for their teams, respectively. A massive slam dunk by Huff was countered with a resounding three-point splash by Gueye, cutting the deficit to 37-33 with 11 minutes remaining. The big men dominated both sides of the court, with Gueye finishing the contest with nine points, two steals, and a collegiate- high six blocks.
The Cavaliers turned to Huff inside and retained their lead for the remainder of the game. The forward finished with 12 points, earning ten in the second half, and grabbed seven boards. Stony Brook head coach Geno Ford noted his team’s inability to stop the 7-1 foot forward cost it a shot at finishing the comeback.
“It’s funny, watching film, to me, he looks like an NBA prospect– He’s big, he has good touch, he has a decent jump hook and can shoot from the perimeter,” Ford said. “He was a big concern coming in. We didn’t block him out in the zone, which hurt us.”
Huff’s consecutive baskets sparked an 11-2 run and capped off the game with a jumper inside for the 12-point victory.
“For some reason we were a little on our heels early. At that point it could have gotten bad, because you get down 10 to these guys, that’s like 15 or 17 in a normal game for us,” Stony Brook head coach Geno Ford said in a press release. “We responded. We got back in the game. With six [minutes] to go, we were right there. You have to play really perfect in that situation.”
Stony Brook finished with more successful stats over some of Virginia’s other opponents, despite being a mid-major. The Seawolves shot better than the North Carolina Tar Heels (.378-.370), outrebounded the Syracuse Orange (29-28), and lead all teams with seven blocks against the Cavaliers. The team also impressed the three time National Coach of the Year, Virginia head coach Tony Bennett.
“Stony Brook is very capable,” Bennett said. “Watching them play against Providence, and some other teams, they have experienced guards that will pull up off the dribble, they can shoot the ball.”
The Seawolves will wrap up their four-game road trip by traveling to the nation’s capital. They will take on the American Eagles on Saturday, Dec. 21 at 2 p.m. in Washington D.C.
