DURHAM — Iba Camara’s always been a rebounder.
In the final two minutes of a taut game at Lundholm Gym on Sunday, the 6-foot-9 senior showed just how well he’s developed the rest of his game.
On a night when he became the all-time leading rebounder at the University of New Hampshire, he scored several of his team-high 12 points late as the Wildcats overtook Stony Brook at the end, 53-51, to win for the fourth time in five games — and move into a tie for second place in America East.
“Man, it means a lot,” said Camara, who now has 901 for his career, four more than Dave Pemberton (Class of ‘72). “I’m just so blessed, and without my teammates, I wouldn’t have been able to accomplish that. I’m thankful, and it doesn’t stop here. There's a lot more to do.”
Tanner Leissner added a double-double (12 points, 11 rebounds) but the defense shined the brightest. Down 51-48 after Jaron Cornish (16 points) hit a free throw with 2:36 left, the ‘Cats (8-12, 4-2 AE) stiffened up and didn’t allow a point the rest of the way.
“We just really gutted that one out,” said UNH coach Bill Herrion. “Just a hard, hard-fought win. We had a couple of really big stops when we needed them in the last couple of minutes.”
Just like a year ago, when the two teams hooked up for a pair of games decided in the final minute, this one could have gone either way. The Seawolves (8-12, 3-3 AE) led 31-26 at halftime behind a pair of 11-0 runs, but were sluggish in the minutes after halftime and abysmal all day from the foul line (10-of-24).
“Very disappointing,” said Stony Brook coach Jeff Boals. “I think when you get this close, and have an opportunity to win a road game, you’ve got to capitalize.
“Ten-for-24. You’re not winning many basketball games when you’re shooting that percentage (from the line).”
If the Seawolves were crafting the runs in the first half, the ‘Cats grabbed momentum — and the lead — with a 12-0 run after halftime. Leissner powered in for a hoop and then hit a 3-pointer the next time down, and a free throw by Luke Rosinski put them ahead 42-35 with 10 minutes left.
But they were having trouble defending 6-foot-11, 272-pound center Jakub Petras (13 points), who was converting inside against any defender the ‘Cats threw at him and powered his team back into the lead.
“He’s a big boy,” said Camara. “He’s hard to go against. We just had to stand our ground and fight back.”
Down 51-48, Camara scored and was fouled with 1:28 to go. He missed the and-one, but got another chance the next time down, calmly making two free throws to put the ‘Cats up 52-51 in the final minute.
“This summer, I really focused on free throws, kept working at it really hard,” said Camara, who is shooting 75 percent from the line this season. “I knew it would help me a lot, especially in games like this.”
The ‘Cats needed three defensive stops to end it and got them. With Jacoby Armstrong (11 rebounds) guarding Seawolves leading scorer Akwasi Yeboah (six points), they forced an errant pass. After a held ball, Camara got his hand in the passing lane for a steal, was fouled, and made one at the other end.
In the final seconds, Cornish’s drive for a tying lay-up was blocked and his off-balance follow was errant as the horn sounded and the ‘Cats celebrated.
“Our defense was terrific,” said Herrion. “I wish we could play better offensively, but I think you have to credit (Stony Brook) for some of that.”
Junior Saintel added 10 points for the Seawolves, who looked to have a valuable road win in their grasp. Until they didn’t.
“This was a huge win for us,” said Leissner. "I think we just really dug in as a team. ... The seniors really stepped up in these last few minutes and we made the toughness plays we were lacking earlier this season."
NOTES: Jordan Reed, who sparked the team in the first half with eight points, looked to re-injure his ankle during hard foul in the second half. He was carried off the court by teammates and Herrion said he had no more info, other than it “didn’t look good.” … Pemberton’s rebounding mark stood for 46 years. Camara entered Sunday’s play ranked No. 2 in Division I in defensive rebounds per game (8.58). “It really is amazing,” said Herrion. “Dave Pemberton, I’ve had the honor of meeting. He was here in the fall for a football weekend and spoke to our team.” … ‘The Cats return to action on Wednesday when they play at Maine (4-17, 1-5 AE).