Andrew Garcia shoots 9-for-9, sparks Stony Brook to 12th win

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa — Andrew Garcia scored 24 points and Stony Brook won its school-record 12th nonconference game, pulling away from Northern Iowa, 73-63, Saturday night in their final contest before opening America East play.

The Seawolves (12-3) already set the school’s record as a Division I school with 11 nonconference wins with a 76-73 victory over Quinnipiac.

Stony Brook (12-3) opens conference play Saturday at UMass Lowell.

Wyatt Lohaus scored as time expired in the first half to get Northern Iowa within two at 36-34.

Garcia drilled a three-pointer seconds into the second half and Jeff Otchere dunked to make it 41-34. Garcia hit the second of two free throws and followed it with a jumper seconds later to push Stony Brook’s lead into double figures, 56-46 midway through the second half, and Jules Moor hit a three to make it a 13-point bulge.

Garcia was 9-for-9 from the field, including 4-for-4 from distance. Moor added 14 points off the bench.

“I couldn’t be prouder of our guys," Seawolves coach Jeff Boals said. "Our guys have been battle-tested from day one. They came into a place where Northern Iowa plays really well. Our energy in the second half was phenomenal. Coming in we knew we had to win the rebounding battle, which our guys did [38-33]. We were able to get through early foul trouble and the guys really played well to get the win.”