Carter’s Seawolves Go 1-1 Against MM & MK

Danny Carter’s Stony Brook Seawolves left England with a 1-1 record, being defeated by the Midnight Madness Select team, before securing a victory against the Milton Keynes Lions.

Midnight Madness Select vs Stony Brook

On Wednesday, the Midnight Madness Select side, featuring some of the UK’s top talent, including Marcus Knight, Mike Martin, Olu Babalola and Ibrahim Gariba, got a 79-75 victory over the NCAA Division 1 side.

Former Reading Rocket Carter received more than just a warm welcome from 500 strong crowd. Both teams came out looking to play a fast paced game, and being fairly evenly matched for athleticism, it came down to strength in the paint.

Ibrahim Gariba was the first to put points on the board for the Madness squad with and easy deuce inside, but the Seawolves’ Dave Coley came right back with a deep 3. That initial exchanged seemed to be the blueprint for the first half, as they went into the halftime break tied at 38.

Both teams came out a little cold in the second half, but it wasn’t long before they warmed up as Midnight Madness caught fire from deep. Three’s from David Ajumobi, Adam Thoseby and Olu Babalola thrust Madness firmly into the lead.

The MM defense went into prison lockdown and it was Olu Babalola and Marcus Knight who were the prison wardens closing the lane like a cell door at lights out. Tips and long rebounds allowed the athletic Adam Thoseby and Mike Martin to get out into the open court.

The Stony Brook Seawolves, with a team comprised of only 4 seniors, showed a surprising amount of resilience and mental fortitude to bring the score back to 78-75 with 12.9 seconds to go in the game. Stony Brook had possession but failed to execute on their play, turning it over which led to Mike Martin going to the charity strip for 2 free throws and sealing the victory.

The unstoppable force that was Olu Babalola won the MVP, finishing with 24 points. Brit Danny Carter finished with 11 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists and a steal.

Stony Brook vs Milton Keynes Lions

On Thursday, the Seawolves took on a short-handed Milton Keynes Lions side, winning 84-60 in front of more than 700 fans at the Lions Arena.

Stefan Gill was the most notable player suiting up for the Lions, while new additions Carl Josey and Nathan Schall got game time – as did coach Mike New and his son Micheal junior, who is just 15 years old.

Josey finished with 12 points and 12 rebounds in his Lions debut, with Nathan Schall adding 11. Danny Carter finished with 11 points 4 rebounds 3 assists, 2 steals and a block.

*Big thanks to Tope Alli-Balogun for his coverage of the Midnight Madness-Stony Brook game.

Image Credit: Stony Brook Seawolves Facebook