Tommy Brenton, 24, leaps for a layup and two of his 11 points in Stony Brook's 93-39 victory over Mount Ida on Sunday, Nov. 13, 2011. Photo by Jordan Gibbons.
By Jordan Gibbons
Following up a 30-point loss on the road to Indiana in the season opener, the Seawolves ran away with their own blowout victory against Mount Ida, 93-39, on Sunday at Pritchard Gymnasium. Stony Brook dictated the tempo on both sides of the court with a fast-paced offense and a suffocating defense.
“I liked the way we played unselfish basketball,” head coach Steve Pikiell said. “Our depth was ready to play where our starters, I don’t know if they were that ready right off the bat.”
The return of Tommy Brenton, who missed all of last year with a knee injury, and the introduction of transfer Ron Bracey were the driving force in the game which featured four players who scored in double figures.
Brenton contributed in all facets of the game scoring 11 points and recording 13 rebounds and eight assists. Bracey struggled from the field early, shooting 3-of-8 in the first half, but turned it on in the second half, shooting 4-of-5 from the field finishing with a team-high 16 points and seven rebounds.
“He [Brenton] just gives us a lot, he’s a real good I.Q. guy,” Pikiell said. “I was glad Ron Bracey got off to a good start too, cause he can score.”
The home crowd reminded Brenton how much of an advantage the Stony Brook fans can be.
“It feels good to get the love again, to just feed off their energy,” Brenton said. “I love those guys.”
Stony Brook’s ability to move the ball, 24 assists, and score in the paint, 44 points, allowed the Seawolves to turn out a dominating performance that prevented Mount Ida from posing any threat in the second half.
Early in the second half, Dave Coley (5-of-8 from the field, 11 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals) picked the pocket of Mount Ida’s Keith Jones, drove down the court, dished a no-look pass to Brenton, who rocked the crowd with an explosive slam dunk.
Coley led Stony Brook’s bench, which featured 40 points from the reserves, including a nine point, seven rebound performance from Al Rapier.
Bryan Dougher turned out another solid outing with 15 points (4-of-6 from 3-point range, 5-of-8 overall) and four steals. Despite his own success, he could not resist giving credit to the bench.
“Our best attribute as a team is our depth,” Dougher said. “We almost have interchangeable parts, so nobody needs to play 40 minutes a game.”
Stony Brook manhandled their opponents under the basket, pulling down 57 rebounds to Mount Ida’s 27, including 11 rebounds from Dallis Joyner, who also recorded a block and scored eight points.
Looking forward, Pikiell knows he has the right pieces to be successful. He just needs to make sure he puts them in the right place.
“I feel confident in these guys. There are guys that I can sub in that I feel real good about,” Pikiell said. “Everyone gets their opportunity here.”
Stony Brook will try and build on their success Tuesday in Connecticut when they take on Sacred Heart. They will return home on Nov. 22 to face Columbia.
