After strong wins in each team’s season opener, Northwestern and Stony Brook will square off in Evanston, Ill., on Friday night, looking to continue their success.
Northwestern began its campaign with an 86-60 home victory over Binghamton on Monday in a game in which the Wildcats never trailed and led by double digits for the final 26 minutes.
Northwestern’s Jack Karasinski led all scorers with 24 points, tallying seven 3-pointers. Jake West and Angelo Ciaravino recorded double-doubles, with West notching 20 points and 12 assists, while Ciaravino had 13 points and 10 rebounds.
West, who set a career high in points and was one assist shy of his personal best, said postgame that much of the offensive success came because of team chemistry.
“I have the utmost confidence in all the guys, just because I know how much hard work they put in,” he said. “You know, these guys are great guys, great character. They’re in the gym all the time, and in practice they make all those shots.”
Northwestern shot 55.8% from the floor in the contest while holding the Bearcats to 40.4% shooting. The Wildcats took advantage of Binghamton’s 12 turnovers, scoring 18 points off those opportunities.
“If we get long rebounds, if we get turnovers, let’s be opportunistic: Let’s get out in the open floor and attack,” Northwestern coach Chris Collins said postgame. “If not, let’s run good offense.”
Stony Brook arrives in Evanston after a 97-47 thrashing of visiting Old Westbury. The Seawolves were led by Bryan Ndjonga and Leonardo Van Elswyk, who scored 18 and 17 points, respectively.
After trailing 10-9 through eight minutes of play, Stony Brook surged and took a 42-18 lead at halftime.
At the team’s preseason media day, coach Geno Ford mentioned Ndjonga — who transferred to Stony Brook from Canisius ahead of this season — as one of the “most consistent newcomers.”
Ford also discussed the importance of non-league play, as it provides the opportunity for game reps for his new arrivals.
“There’s no free wins. … Losing’s easy, winning’s difficult,” he said. “So hopefully we can build some minutes and some rotation, some trust with some guys in the non-conference.”