Nov. 30, 2001

Stony Brook, N.Y. - Stony Brook at Harvard Game Notes - Saturday, Dec. 1, 2:00 p.m.

Game Backdrop: * Stony Brook is off to a 0-5 start following a road loss to Rutgers on Wednesday night. The Seawolves could not find the scoring touch against the Scarlet Knights, hitting only 20.4 percent (10-49) of their shots for the entire game.

* The Seawolves continue the six-game road swing that begins the 2001-02 season. It is the most games away from home to begin a season since the 1971-72 season where SB played is first seven games on the road.

* Harvard is the second of three Ivy League teams on the 2001-02 schedule. Stony Brook lost to Yale, 82-62, last weekend and will take on Brown on December 22.

* The Seawolves will be without starting shooting guard Larry Jennings due to a broken left foot. The former St. John's Prep star broke a small bone near the ankle of his left foot back on November 2. He is expected to be out another four weeks.

Versus Harvard and the Ivy League: This is the first meeting between these two teams. Stony Brook is 5-3 all-time versus teams from the Ivy League

Macarchuk vs. Harvard: This is also the first time that coach Macarchuk has faced Harvard in his 25-year career.

About Harvard: The Crimson have won three of their first four outings, including their last two. They are coming off a 68-61 win over America East member Northeastern on Tuesday night. Patrick Harvey scored a game-high 24 points in the win. Harvey leads the team in scoring at a 21.3 points per game clip. Tim Coleman is the team's top rebounder at 8.8 per game.

Last Time Out: Stony Brook shot 20.4 percent from the field in Wednesday night's loss to Rutgers. The Seawolves hit only one of 13 three-point attempts and made only 10 field goals for the entire game. Stony Brook has averaged 44.0 points in their last two outings.

Seawolves In December: The Seawolves are 6-12 in the month of December since moving to the Division I level.

D.J. Pouring It On: D.J. Munir continues to emerge as a major offensive force for the Brook. After averaging just over 10 points per game last year, Munir has exploded through the first five games, scoring points at a 20.8 per game clip. He has led the team in scoring in all five games. He entered the week ranked second in the America East in scoring behind only UNH's Austin Ganly.

Power Outage: Stony Brook's 37-point effort versus Rutgers was its lowest point total since moving to the Division I level and lowest number of points scored in a single game since the Division II era. On January 28, 1996, the Seawolves fell to Franklin Pierce by the score of 52-30.

Ice Cold: The Seawolves have had trouble hitting their shots over the last two games. Against Binghamton last Saturday, SB shot 29.2 percent (16-47 ) from the field and then posted a season low 20.4 percent (10-49) against the Scarlet Knights, including an anemic 14.3 percent (4-28) in the second half, on Wednesday. The Seawolves have made 26 of their last 96 shot attempts (27.1 percent).

Twenty Somethings: The D.J. Munir-Patrick Harvey matchup is one of the keys to the outcome of tonight's game. Each player is averaging over 20 points per game - Harvey has scored 20 or more in his last three outings. Munir was held to a season-low 12 on Wednesday night.

JPK: Freshman JonPaul Kobryn has been a steady contributor in the early going. Kobryn, a 6-9 center, has come off the bench to average 5.0 points and 3.6 rebounds per game in 17 minutes of action. Kobryn matched his career high in rebounds with six in his last outing versus Rutgers.

Streaks: Munir has scored in double figures in seven straight games dating back to last season . . . the Seawolves have lost seven consecutive games away from home . . . walk-on Lamar Johnson has started the last two games . . .

Off The Bench: The Seawolves have been outscored by the opponents' bench in all five games this season. This is due in part to the injury to starting shooting guard Larry Jennings and Joakim Eriksson missing the first three games which left the Seawolves with a small rotation. Stony Brook's bench has been outscored 113-56 so far this season

To Be Or Not To J.B.: Sophomore J.B. Bennett truly has made his mark as one of Stony Brook's most improved players this year. Although it is early, it is evident that Bennett has stepped up his game. Last year, J.B. averaged 1.0 points and 1.8 rebounds per game in 21 appearances, averaging just over six minutes per contest. What's the difference? This year, Bennett has logged an average of 28.0 minutes, averaging 6.2 points and 7.0 rebounds per game. He has emerged as SB's top rebounder and 14 of his 32 rebounds have come on the offensive end. Bennett currently ranks fourth in the conference in rebounds per game.

Joakim's Return: Joakim Eriksson has returned to the starting lineup in the last two games after missing the first three games. In those two outings he has averaged 4.0 points and 5.0 rebounds.

Struggling On "D": Stony Brook has been sluggish on the defensive end this year. Last year, the Seawolves held opponents to 42.9 percent shooting from the field, 32.8 percent from beyond the three-point arc. This year, Seawolves' opponents have connected on 45.8 percent of their shots and a robust 41.5 percent from three-point range.

Team Notes: Trevor Bryant left the team for personal reasons on Monday . . . with Bryant's departure, Weldon McWilliams will now travel with the team . . . six of the nine teams in the America East are still without a win this season . . . tonight marks SB's first game in the state of Massachusetts since February 17, 1999 when SB fell to UMass-Lowell, 79-72.

Slow Starts: Stony Brook has lost its first five games, the first time it has done that since the inaugural Division I campaign two years ago when the season began with seven straight losses. The worst start in the program's history took place in 1974-75 when the then Patriots lost their first 14 games.

Konopka Looks For Range: Sophomore Mike Konopka has yet to find his shooting touch this season. After shooting over 49 percent from the field last year, Konopka has connected on only 30.2 percent (13-43) of his shots in the first five games. On Wednesday, he shot 1-11 from the field against Rutgers.

From the Stripe: The Seawolves are shooting 70.6 percent from the free throw line, led by Munir who has hit 32 of 37 (.865) free throws.

A Good Sign . . . : In the early going, sophomore Jairus McCollum has struggled to find his scoring touch. Although its only one season, a good indicator of the Seawolves' success seems to be how well McCollum plays. Last year, McCollum scored in double figures 12 times - SB was 11-1 when he scored in double figures - the only loss came in the season finale to Army. McCollum has yet to score in double figures this year and the Seawolves are 0-5.

Road Facts: The Seawolves have lost all five games away from home this season for two main reasons - poor shooting and turnovers. Through the first five games SB is averaging 19.3 turnovers per game and are only shooting 35 percent from the field.

Home...Finally: The Seawolves play their home opener Tuesday night against Cleveland State.