Articles

Cats Drop America East Opener to Stony Brook in Men's Hoops

Details: Created on Tuesday, 03 January 2012 03:59; Written by George Commo

Seawolves earn a 65-59 victory over Vermont

Courtesy Vermont Sports Information

STONY BROOK, N.Y. – Al Rapier led three Seawolves in double figures with 17 points as Stony Brook earned a 65-59 victory over the Vermont men's basketball team on Monday night in the America East opener for both squads. Sophomore Luke Apfeld paced the Catamounts with 18 points, as they fall to 6-9 overall and 0-1 in league play.

Vermont shot only 30.8 percent in the second half and went without a field goal for a stretch of 12:53 in the deciding frame. Stony Brook (6-6, 1-0 America East) remains perfect at home, improving to 6-0, as Dave Coley (15) and Bryan Dougher (14) also reached double figures for the Seawolves.

“We did a great job battling back and getting into the game and got up by two, but it was a combination of missing some shots and Stony Brook playing well and executing down the stretch,” said Vermont head coach John Becker. “We just couldn't find the basket and get enough stops. Shots, you are going to make some and you are going to miss some, but we need to do a better job as a team of staying with things, executing and not turning the ball over, things that cost us tonight.”

Vermont led 5-3 early on, but Stony Brook scored the next five and would not trail for the remainder of the half. With the game tied 10-10 the Seawolves used a 9-3 run to extend their lead to 19-13 with 7:04 left. The Catamounts stayed within striking distance early by hitting four 3-pointers, compared to making only two of their first nine attempts inside the arc.

A 3-pointer from Dougher with 21 seconds left gave the Seawolves their biggest lead of the half at 32-23. Sophomore Sandro Carissimo hit a tough jump shot in the lane with 3.3 ticks on the clock to cut it to 32-25 at the half. The Cats shot only 37 percent from the floor in the first half and were outrebounded 19-11. Carissimo paced UVM with 11 points on 5-for-6 shooting, while Dougher (12) and Rapier (11) netted 23 of SB's 32 points.

Vermont started the second half on a 12-4 run to take a 37-36 lead after a 3-pointer from sophomore Clancy Rugg with 15:45 to play. It marked the Cats' first lead since it was 5-3. Senior Matt Glass recorded the first five points in the push and Apfeld added the next four. UVM would not record another made field goal until Apfeld hit a 3-pointer with 2:55 remaining in the contest.

With the Catamounts going cold from the floor, Stony Brook took advantage and used a 10-2 run to push its lead back to 50-42 with 6:55 to go. The Seawolves would push their lead to as many as 12 (56-44), before UVM took advantage of some missed free throws and cut it to 61-57 after a 3-pointer from Carissimo with 22 seconds left. Stony Brook hit its next four straight from the line to hold off the Cats.

Apfeld went a perfect 4-for-4 from the floor and 8-for-11 from the line to lead UVM after missing the previous game. Carissimo chipped in with a season-high 16 points on 7-for-12 shooting and added a game-high five assists. While Apfeld and Carissimo combined to go 11-for-16, the rest of the team went only 7-for-37.

Tommy Brenton added a game-high nine rebounds to go with eight points and four assists for Stony Brook, as the Seawolves controlled the glass 37-29.

Vermont returns to action on Thursday when it hosts Boston U at 7 p.m. in a game that will be televised on WCAXtra. Tickets are still available and can be purchased online at www.UVMathletics.com. Live video of the game is available for free via CatamounTV on www.UVMathletics.com.

NOTES: Apfeld has now made his last 15 straight shots … Stony Brook entered the game leading the America East in rebounding margin (+5.5) … UVM's bench outscored Stony Brook's 36-6 … Monday's game was televised on Cablevision in Long Island … Rugg finished with a career-high seven points and his first career 3-pointer … Carissimo is the ninth different Catamount to reach double figures this season in a game … This year marks the second straight season that Vermont has opened up America East play at Stony Brook … Stony Brook upset the Catamounts in the America East Semifinals last season.