It may be a special season for Stony Brook men’s basketball, but it didn’t start out that way. The Seawolves fell to host George Mason, 74-52, in their season opener in Fairfax, Virginia.
Jahlil Jenkins led Stony Brook with 13 points, only one of two Seawolves scorers to reach double figures. The other, Anthony Roberts, scored 10 points. Tykei Greene (five points) grabbed six rebounds to lead Stony Brook on the boards.
George Mason had four players in double figures. Josh Oduro led all scorers with 16 points.
Stony Brook shot 34.4 percent from the field and 21.4 percent from beyond the three-point arc. They lost the defensive rebound battle 36-23. George Mason shot 52.5 percent from the field and 28 percent from three-point range.
Stony Brook kept it close for most of the game. They trailed by seven points at halftime and eight with 12:14 left in the second half. But then it fell apart. George Mason went on a 21-5 run late in the second half to open up a 71-47 lead with 3:29 left.
Stony Brook is primed for a good season — at least that’s what those in the know believe. They were picked to finish first in the America East preseason poll. It’s the first time since 2015-16 that they’ve been ranked that high. That year, they lost to Kentucky in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament.
The Seawolves now have more than a week to prepare for a date with one of college basketball’s most storied programs. They will play at third-ranked Kansas at 8 p.m. on Nov. 18.
