Jan. 17, 2002

GAME BACKDROP: The Seawolves, who have not suffered a loss since Dec. 7 at Georgia State, hope to keep it that way as Stony Brook plays host to America East foe and intrastate rival Binghamton today at the SBU Sports Complex. SBU has reeled off six straight wins and is the only undefeated team remaining in the conference, while Binghamton comes off a victory over Northeastern last weekend.

THE SERIES: Binghamton leads the overall series 5-4, with the two teams splitting last season. The Bearcats handed Stony Brook a 74-47 loss on Jan. 20. In that game, the Bearcats raced out to an 11-0 advantage and never looked back, handing the Seawolves their third straight loss while Binghamton registered its fifth straight victory. However, Stony Brook avenged the loss with a 64-57 victory at home three weeks later. Theresa LoParrino scored 31 points and the Seawolves held off a late Binghamton rally to snap the Bearcats' 11-game winning streak, while the Seawolves earned their fifth victory in six games. Stony Brook led from start to finish and extended the lead to as many as 18 points with 13:18 remaining.

ABOUT THE BEARCATS: Binghamton (11-3, 2-1 America East) defeated Northeastern 63-49 on Sunday, but unfortunately the win came at a price. Second-leading scorer Leah Truncale suffered a torn ACL, sidelining her for the rest of the season. Four players tallied double-figures for the Bearcats, as Sarah Cartmill scored 15 points while Truncale had 14. Senior Brooke Kelly and sophomore Leala Wegwerth chipped in with 12 points apiece. Cartmill has led the Bearcats in scoring in all three of their conference games, averaging a team-high 22.3 points in America East competition.

LAST TIME OUT: Stony Brook used a 17-5 run in the second half and clutch free-throw shooting to defeat America East Conference foe Boston University, 67-60, last Sunday afternoon at the SBU Sports Complex. The first half was close with six lead changes and four tied scores. The Terriers had the largest lead of the half at five points, when a pair of Alison Argentieri free throws gave BU a 25-20 lead with 3:11 remaining. The Terries led 27-24 at the break. But during a five-minute spurt in the second half, the Seawolves outscored BU 17-5 to take a 42-36 advantage, as SBU's Erika Shipley scored nine of her game-high 21 points during the stretch. Stony Brook built the lead to as many as nine points on two occasions before the Terriers began to chip away. Argentieri nailed a three-pointer and Adrienne Norris added another with just 41 seconds left to cut the lead to 61-59. But the Seawolves hit 6-of-10 free throws during the remaining seconds to hold on for the win.

SEAWOLVES STREAK: After opening the season with a 1-3 start, Stony Brook has bounced back in a big way, winning eight of its last nine games. The Seawolves' current six-game winning streak marks the most consecutive victories since an eight-game span during the 1999-2000 season, SBU's first in Division I. During that year, head coach Trish Roberts' first at Stony Brook, the Seawolves started the season 0-3 but won 10 of their next 11, finishing 18-10 overall.

SHIP SAILS: Coming into this season, senior Erika Shipley had averaged just 4.1 points during her three-year career, and last season she started just twice in 27 games. This season has been an entirely different story, and last weekend's game against Boston University serves as a perfect example. Shipley scored a career-best 21 points, the second time this season she has set a new career-high. Not only did Shipley lead all scorers, but she was a stellar 12-of-13 from the free throw line in a game which came down to free-throw shooting. She also added six rebounds. Shipley has started all 13 games, averaging 9.6 points, 3.3 rebounds and 2.5 assists.

BY GEORGE: Senior Jill George has stepped it up since the team returned from Christmas break. In the past four games, the captain has averaged 11.8 points and 11.8 rebounds, improving her season averages to 10.0 and 10.4, respectively. During that four-game span, George has recorded a current streak of three straight double-doubles, and she set a new career-high of 16 rebounds against Maine on Jan. 6. She has done all that while playing 152 out of a possible 160 minutes, including two 40-minute games.

TAKING CHARITY: Once again free throw shooting was the difference in Stony Brook's win over BU. The Terriers nailed 8-of-12 free throws during the first half, while the Seawolves got just five chances, converting three. But the second half would be a much different story. It was the Seawolves who converted 24-of-33 free throws (73 percent) compared to just 8-of-16 from the charity stripe for the Terriers. Stony Brook's 27-of-38 outing at the line marked the most free throws made and attempted all season. The Seawolves are hitting nearly 70 percent from the charity stripe each game.

MOVING ON UP: Jill George's 10 rebounds against Boston University gives her 567 in her career, moving her up one spot to No. 7 all-time. She needs 13 rebounds to move past No. 6 Donna Lundy, who recorded 580 rebounds from 1982-86.

NEXT HOME GAME: The Seawolves hit the road to face Vermont next Thursday, Jan. 24. The Seawolves then return to the Sports Complex to face Hartford on Jan. 26 and non-conference foe Princeton on Jan. 29. Stony Brook plays seven of nine games in February away from home.