Stony Brook Outlasts Drexel in Double Overtime Thriller
Rob Washburn
CHAMP CENTRAL | BOX SCORE | HIGHLIGHTS | PHOTO GALLERY | STONY BROOK PRESSER | DREXEL PRESSER | SIGHTS & SOUNDS
WASHINGTON, D.C. (March 10, 2024) – Guard Aaron Clarke’s three-point play with 18.5 seconds left in double overtime lifted 7
th-seeded Stony Brook to a thrilling 91-88 victory over 2
nd-seeded Drexel in the quarterfinals of the Jersey Mike’s CAA Men’s Basketball Championship on Sunday night at the Entertainment & Sports Arena.
Stony Brook (19-14) advances to the semifinals of the CAA Tournament for the first time, where it will meet either Hofstra or Delaware at 8:30 p.m. on Monday. The Seawolves are the first #7 seed to make the semifinals since 2020. It was the first double overtime game in the tournament since 2015.
Clarke led the Seawolves with a career-high 27 points, while SBU forward Chris Maidoh also set a new career best with 25 points on 12-of-17 FG shooting and added nine rebounds and three blocks. Keenan Fitzmorris chipped in 16 points off the bench.
Drexel got a career-high 28 points from graduate guard Luke House, who drained 7-of-11 from 3-point range. Lucas Monroe added 13 points and Garfield Turner had 12 points and a team-high nine rebounds.
With the score knotted at 88-88, Clarke banked in a short jump shot and was fouled. After Clarke made the free throw, the Dragons missed a game-tying 3-point attempt and then suffered a turnover as time expired.
Drexel took a 13-point lead on a Mate Okros three with 14:49 left in regulation and was still up by five after a House jumper in the paint with 1:38 on the clock. The Seawolves charged back behind Maidoh, who delivered a driving layup and two dunks down the stretch, tying the game at 71-71 with 13 seconds to play and forcing overtime.
In the first extra session, Drexel went ahead 80-78 following a Garfield Turner free throw with 19.8 seconds remaining. However, Clarke came up big again, hitting a pullup jumper with nine seconds on the clock to even the game at 80-80 and send the contest into a second extra period.
A Clarke step back jumper to open the second overtime gave SBU its first lead since the 17:06 mark of the first half. Drexel tied the game at 88-88 on a Monroe rebound bucket with 38 seconds left, setting the stage for Clarke’s late-game heroics.
Drexel led for the majority of the first half and used an 11-1 run to go ahead 28-18 with 6:37 left in the period. Stony Brook responded with six straight points, including a couple of buckets from Clarke, to close within four. Three-pointers from House and Justin Moore along with a Jamie Bergens jumper gave the Dragons a 36-28 halftime advantage.
Stony Brook shot 50% from the floor for the game, while Drexel hit just 41.3% but knocked down 10 three-pointers.
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