Playing for the first time in Bender Arena in exactly one month, the AU men’s basketball recorded its second consecutive loss, falling to Stony Brook University 86-68. The Eagles now hold a 2-7 record, the team’s slowest start in the last five years. Here are some major takeaways from the game to consider as the Eagles prepare to take on University of Maryland-Eastern Shore on Sunday.
1. Struggles on defense
The Eagles struggled in every aspect defensively against the Seawolves from the opening tip-off to the final buzzer. AU gave up 86 points, the most the team has allowed in the the Mike Brennan era and the most since Dec. 29, 2012 against Kansas when the Eagles allowed 89 points. The Seawolves shot 60 percent from the field overall and 54 percent from three-point range. While Stony Brook is a good offensive team, the Eagles deserve most of the blame. The team struggled to run back on defense and let up numerous open shots. The Eagles also had tendencies to bite on pump fakes and overplay defenders, which led to easy baskets for their opponents.
2. AU’s offense is starting to take shape
While the defensive struggles stood out as the main storyline last night, the AU offense arguably played its most complete game this season. The Eagles 68 points tonight matched a season high against New Hampshire on Nov. 28, and the team also dished out a season-high 17 assists. AU executed numerous Princeton backdoor cuts that has helped this team become so successful over the past two years. While a good portion of the Eagle’s second half points came in garbage time, AU’s offensive rally will give the young team confidence in the effectiveness of the Princeton offense.
3. Brown and Tolksdorf emerge off bench
Down 29 points with 11 minutes left and the game essentially over, Brennan turned to junior forward Leon Tolksdorf and sophomore center Gabe Brown to see how they would fare. Brown, who had yet to play this season, and Tolksdorf, who had played just 14 minutes all season, provided a spark and boosted the team’s morale. Tolksdorf finished with eight points on 3-4 shooting to go along with two rebounds, a block and a steal in 11 minutes. Brown scored just two points, but they came on a strong “and-1” layup. He also had two smooth assists on backdoor cuts. Albeit against second and third stringers, AU’s second unit led by Brown and Tolksdorf outscored Stony Brook 23-12 the final 11 minutes. With freshman forward Andrija Matic struggling, picking up four fouls in just five minutes of play, it may be time to see what Brown and/or Tolksdorf can do in meaningful minutes.
4. Jameel Warney can play.
In Bender arena, you don’t typically see a lot of NBA potential. Last night, however, was a different story. Stony Brook senior forward Jameel Warney proved that he has the skills necessary to be an NBA player. The 6’8 senior posted a game-high 22 points, hitting his first ten shots. He also posterized Jesse Reed early in the second half and blocked two more shots. Despite only recording three rebounds last night, Warney ranks 6th in all of college basketball with 12.3 rebounds a game. With a match against LSU freshman forward phenom Ben Simmons five days away, AU benefited from playing against another future NBA prospect last night.
Number of the game: 9
The amount of consecutive possessions Stony Brook scored on to start the second half, jumping out to a 63-40 lead in less than five minutes of play.
