WASHINGTON - The 14-point halftime lead earned by American University men's basketball didn't hold up after a huge second half for visiting Stony Brook, as the Seawolves (8-6) defeated the Eagles (4-6) by a score of 77-74 on Saturday afternoon at Bender Arena.

BY THE NUMBERS

• Four players reached double figures in scoring for AU, led by Mark Gasperini and Jacob Boonyasith with 17 points apiece. The total was a season high for Gasperini, who also grabbed a team-best eight rebounds.
• Stacy Beckton Jr. made 6-of-7 field goals including 3-of-3 attempts from long range and scored a season-high 15 points.
• Leading AU in assists was Jamir Harris with a career-high seven of them. Sa'eed Nelson added five assists to 10 points.
• The Eagles shot 49 percent from the field to Stony Brook's 46 percent, but committed 16 turnovers including 11 in the second half. The Seawolves capitalized, finishing the second half with a 15-1 advantage in points off turnovers.
• Makale Foreman and Elijah Olaniyi scored a game-high 21 points apiece for Stony Brook, while Andrew Garcia led the team with a double-double of 13 points and 10 rebounds.

FIRST HALF

• The game was tied 9-9 at 15:52 before an 8-0 AU run gave the Eagles a solid lead, 17-9 at 13:58.
• AU's offense was well-balanced early, with five different players scoring in the run and Boonyasith later hitting his second trey of the game for a 20-12 lead at 12:27.
• It was Boonyasith who put the Eagles up by double digits with a fast break layup at the 8:26 mark (25-14) and AU led by at least 11 the rest of the half.
• AU led by 14 a total of four times, the last after two Marvin Bragg free throws just before the break that put the Eagles on top 43-29 at halftime.
• AU made 6-of-11 three-pointers in the opening period while Stony Brook went just 2-for-6. The Eagles also had a 13-2 advantage in fast break points.
• Both teams took a total of only four free throws in what was a very clean first half with just 10 fouls whistled overall.

SECOND HALF

• AU came out cold and hit its first bucket three and a half minutes in, after Stony Brook had cut its deficit to eight.
• The Eagles' lead was back to 10 points at 13:36 on another Boonyasith three-pointer, but the Seawolves went on a 9-0 run over the next two and half minutes to make it a one-point game, 51-50.
• American recovered and kept a slim lead for the next five minutes of action. Even after the game's first tie, 59-59 at 6:48, the Eagles got a bucket from Yilret Yiljep and maintained their lead for another few minutes.
• After two more ties, Stony Brook's momentum finally pushed the Seawolves into the lead at 3:31 (71-68) for the first time since the opening minutes.
• Nelson hit a three to answer, but with 1:24 remaining, Olaniyi put the Seawolves ahead for good with a layup. 
• The Eagles went over three minutes without a point, while Stony Brook pulled ahead at the free throw line. The Seawolves went just 4-of-8 from the stripe in the final 30 seconds, but AU was unable to take advantage and fell behind 77-71 until a buzzer-beater three-pointer for Beckton.

UP NEXT

• The Eagles finish the four-game city series portion of the schedule with their final non-conference game at Georgetown (Capital One Arena) on Saturday, Dec. 28 at noon.

MEN'S BASKETBALL HOLIDAY 3-PACK TICKET MINI-PLAN AVAILABLE THROUGH DEC. 31

• Treat yourself or give the gift of AU Hoops this December by purchasing the AU Men's Basketball's Holiday 3-Pack Ticket Mini-Plan!  For just $50 you get a sideline ticket to 3 great match-ups of your choice from all remaining home games. Shopping for Eagle fans on your holiday list has never been easier.  Purchase this special holiday season limited time offer at AUeagles.com/Tickets today!

INDIVIDUAL GAME TICKET INFO

• Great seats remain for all nine home Patriot League games beginning with the Jan. 5 PL home opener vs. Boston University in Bender Arena.  Secure your seats today by visiting AUeagles.com/Tickets or by calling (202) 885-TIXX (8499).  Group Tickets are available starting at just $5 each.
• AU students are admitted free of charge to home basketball games with a valid AU ID.

For the latest on American University Men's Basketball, stay tuned to AUEagles.com and follow the team on Twitter (@AU_MBasketball), Facebook (AU.MBasketball) and Instagram (@au_mbasketball).