STONY BROOK, N.Y. (Interstat) — Facing a daunting 22-point halftime deficit, the UNC Wilmington Seahawks staged a furious second-half comeback, outscoring Stony Brook by 26 points after the break to escape with a 75-71 victory in a Colonial Athletic Association men’s basketball game Saturday at Island Federal Credit Union Arena.

The game turned on a breathtaking 24-2 run by the Seahawks to open the second half, completely erasing Stony Brook’s commanding 43-21 lead in under seven minutes. The surge transformed a lopsided affair into a tense battle that saw 10 lead changes and five ties the rest of the way.

UNC Wilmington, which entered the game with a national ELO projection favoring it by nearly 89 percent, improved to 16-2 overall and 4-0 in the CAA. Stony Brook fell to 9-9 and 1-3.

The first half belonged entirely to the Seawolves, who shot 50 percent from the field and built their large lead behind the scoring duo of Rob Brown and Erik Pratt. Each had 13 points at intermission as Stony Brook dominated the paint and capitalized on nine Seahawk turnovers.

The second half was a stark reversal. UNC Wilmington’s offense, stagnant and inefficient before halftime, exploded. The Seahawks hit their first six shots after the break, including three 3-pointers from Nolan Hodge, to ignite the game-altering run. A Hodge 3-pointer from the wing at the 13:54 mark gave UNC Wilmington its first lead at 45-43, capping the surge.

From there, the teams traded blows. Stony Brook’ Brown, who finished with a game-high 24 points, and Pratt, who also scored 24, hit big shots to keep the Seawolves close. A Pratt 3-pointer with 11.1 seconds left cut the Seahawks’ lead to 73-71.

After UNC Wilmington’s Madison Durr missed two free throws with 10 seconds remaining, Stony Brook had a final chance to tie or win. But Erik Pratt’s driving layup attempt was blocked by Noah Ross with 31 seconds left, and after securing the defensive rebound, UNC Wilmington’s Greedy Williams sank two clutch free throws with 29 seconds left to provide the final margin. A desperation 3-point attempt by Stony Brook’s Toby Onyekonwu at the buzzer missed.

Hodge led the Seahawks with 22 points, all but two coming in the second half, including five 3-pointers. His back-to-back triples early in the half were the catalyst for the comeback. Patrick Wessler added 14 points and nine rebounds, while Greedy Williams orchestrated the offense with seven assists to go with 10 points.

The statistical story mirrored the tale of two halves. UNC Wilmington shot a blistering 54 percent in the second half, including 8 of 15 from 3-point range, after a frigid 28 percent first-half performance. The Seahawks also won the rebounding battle, particularly on the offensive glass with a 9-4 advantage, leading to 12 second-chance points.

Stony Brook, which had seven blocks led by Quin Gorman’s four, cooled off considerably after halftime, shooting just 33 percent from the field. The Seawolves also committed eight of their nine turnovers in the second half, which UNC Wilmington converted into 11 points.

A crowd of 1,845 watched the dramatic swing. The Seahawks now prepare to host Campbell next Saturday, while Stony Brook looks to regroup before hosting Hofstra on Thursday.