NEW HAVEN, Conn. – Yale nearly pulled off a big comeback Sunday vs. Stony Brook. The Bulldogs fell behind early, used a very strong second half to get back in the game, but ultimately dropped an 85-81 decision to Stony Brook at Lee Amphitheater.
Azar Swain scored 22 points to lead five Bulldogs in double figures.
Matthue Cotton added 17 points, 11 of which came in the second half,
Jalen Gabbidon had 14 points,
EJ Jarvis scored 13 and
Eze Dike contributed 10.
Frankie Policelli paced the Seawolves with 22 points, and Anthony Roberts added 19 off the bench.
Stony Brook, the preseason favorite in America East, shot 53.7 percent from the field in the game.
"Our defensive intensity wasn't there," said
James Jones, The Joel E. Smilow, Class of 1954 Head Coach of the Bulldogs.
The Bulldogs, meanwhile, struggled from the field in the opening 20 minutes, shooting just 31 percent (9-of-29). That allowed Stony Brook to build a 42-27 advantage at the break.
Cotton's layup five minutes into the second half pulled Yale within 51-44. Stony Brook built the lead back to 10, but the Bulldogs again rallied and cut the deficit to five, 61-56, with 9:08 left.
The Seawolves, though, hit some big shots down the stretch to hold on for the victory.
The Bulldogs scored 54 points and shot 54 percent in the second half.
"We're learning and growing," said Swain, who has now scored 20 or more points in four of the last five games. "We have a lot of confidence in each other."
Jarvis's 13 points were a career high, surpassing the 10 he scored in Yale's win over Milwaukee on Wednesday.
The loss snapped the Bulldogs' 10-game home, non-conference winning streak. The last home loss to a non-Ivy opponent came against Monmouth on Dec. 22, 2017.
Yale is right back at Lee Amphitheater on Wednesday, hosting Lehigh at 7 p.m.
