Warney, Stony Brook off to NCAA after 80-74 America East win

The Seawolves had been so close to winning this championship and earning an NCAA bid before, they clearly wanted to savor the accomplishment.

Nobody was more responsible than Warney, who scored 43 points to match an America East Tournament record and lead Stony Brook to an 80-74 victory against Vermont on Saturday.

Top-seeded Stony Brook (26-6) had reached the tournament final four times in the last five seasons, including the last two years, and lost each time — each defeat seemingly more excruciating than the last.

Stony Brook's 4,100-seat on-campus arena still has the smell of new plastic seats two years after a major renovation, and it was jammed with red-clad fans.

The Long Island school has invested heavily in athletics in recent years and residents of the suburbs that surround this campus, 60 miles east of Manhattan, have mostly embraced the attempt to bring big-time college sports to Suffolk County.

The Seawolves and their fans, so desperate to finally break through and play the main stage of March Madness, would have to endure another nervous finish.

The 6-foot-8 Payen landed on his side and back, stayed down for a couple minutes but walked off slowly without assistance.