BALTIMORE- Visiting Stony Brook hit 16-of-26 shots in the second half and got past a determined UMBC squad, 73-61, in America East Conference action at the RAC Arena.

UMBC (3-21, 1-10 AE) junior post Cody Joyce (Churchton, Md./Southern) led the Retrievers with 24 points, scoring 20 or more for the third time this season. But Stony Brook (16-10, 7-4 AE) junior guard Carson Puriefoy led all scorers with 26 points, hitting 9-of-12 shots from the floor.

For the undermanned Retrievers, sophomore wing Will Darley (Timonium, Md./Dulaney) returned after missing 11 games due to injury and contributed 10 points in 21 minutes off the bench. 

The first half featured a pair of big runs by each side. After the Retrievers took an early 10-8 advantage, Stony Brook went on a 17-2 run to take a 25-12 advantage with 7:52 to play in the stanza. But sparked by a pair of treys by sophomore guard Ben Grace (Baltimore, Md./The Gilman School), UMBC outscored the visitors, 18-6 to end the half, including a driving layup by Darley with six seconds to play in the half. Stony Brook went into the break leading, 31-30.

UMBC extended the run to 22-6 and took a 35-31 lead early in the second half on back-to-back field goals by freshman guard Malcolm Brent (Silver Spring, Md./Northwood). But Stony Brook regrouped and scored the next nine points of the game to reclaim a 40-35 lead at the 17:28 mark. They would continue the surge and extend the run to 24-7 to lead 55-42 with 10:31 remaining.

The Retrievers had one last gasp, trimming a 14-point deficit down to 65-57 with six straight points, capped by a Joyce layup with 4:32 remaining. But they could come no closer down the stretch as Puriefoy scored SBU's final six points of the game.

Stony Brook converted 28-of-51 shots for the game (54.9%), while UMBC hit the 40 percent mark with 22-of-55 made. The Seawolves outrebounded UMBC, 41-20, and outscored the hosts, 15-7, on second-chance opportunities.

UMBC hits the road for a contest at red-hot Vermont in Burlington on Saturday afternoon.