Dec. 3, 2002

Stony Brook, N.Y. - The Stony Brook heads to Manhattan on Wednesday night to take on Columbia in a non-conference matchup beginning at 7 p.m. It is Stony Brook's second meeting with an Ivy League foe this season as it looks to climb over the .500 mark for the second time this season.

MEDIA: WUSB 901. FM, Internet- www.goseawolves.org

BACKDROP: Stony Brook aims to push its record back over the .500 mark in a non-conference matchup with Columbia.

HEAD-TO-HEAD: Stony Brook owns a 2-1 edge in the series between the two teams, having won the last two matchups. In Stony Brook's last visit to Levien Gym, Leon Brisport scored 35 points to lead SB to 67-63 overtime win on December 9, 2000.

LAST TIME OUT: Bobby Santiago scored a game-high 23 points and handed out four assists to propel Stony Brook to a 95-51 win over Rhode Island College on Monday night. Santiago nailed five three-pointers to lead the way. Mike Konopka pitched in with 16 points and J.B. Bennett came off the bench to grab 10 rebounds.

SCOUTING COLUMBIA: The Lions are winless through five games after dropping a pair of games last weekend to Bucknell and Mt. St. Mary's at the Red Auerbach Colonial Classic. Columbia is led by Jeremiah Boswell who averages a team-best 9.2 points per game. Marco McCottry has been a force for CU as well, averaging 7.2 points and 8.8 rebounds per game.

VERSUS THE IVY LEAGUE: Stony Brook is 5-6 versus the Ivy League all-time. The Seawolves dropped under the .500 mark after a loss to Harvard on November 30. The last win over an Ivy League opponent came on January 29, 2000, a 91-84 win over Cornell.

CONVINCING FASHION: Stony Brook's 44-point win was its most decisive victory since a 107-45 win over New England College in November of 2000.

SANTIAGO FINDS THE MARK: Freshman Bobby Santiago exploded for a season-high 23 points in Tuesday's win. He connected on 7 of 10 shots from the field and stroked five threes. The rookie out of All Hallows HS in the Bronx leads the team in scoring (15.0 ppg.) and assists (3.7 apg.).

4 x 4: Last season, only D.J. Munir averaged in double figures for Stony Brook. Through four games this season, SB has four players averaging more than double figures in scoring. In addition to Santiago, Mike Konopka (12.3 ppg.), JonPaul Kobryn (11.5 ppg.) and Jairus McCollum (10.3 ppg.) have been double figure guys so far this season.

SAY HEY JAY: Junior forward Jairus McCollum has been a major force in four games this season. He is scoring over 10 points per game and leads the team in rebounding at an 8.8 clip. McCollum's improved play is evident in the numbers -- entering this season he had averaged 8.1 points and 3.6 rebounds in 54 games. McCollum currently ranks third in the America East in rebounding. McCollum has emerged as the X-factor for the Seawolves during his two plus years at the Brook. During that time, he has scored in double figures on 20 occasions and the Seawolves have gone 15-5 in those games.

DEJA VU?: A win against Columbia would up the Seawolves record to 3-2, the same record SB held after five games during the 2000-01 season. The Seawolves went on to win 17 games that year.

SPECIAL K: Junior Mike Konopka has begun to find his scoring touch. He has averaged 14.5 ppg. in his last two outings and is second on the team in scoring.

JPK: Sophomore center JonPaul Kobryn added 25 pounds to his frame in the offseason and the hard work has paid off. He is third on the team in scoring and has hit 21 of his 38 shots so far this season for a .553 shooting percentage. Kobryn finished second in the America East in field goal percentage last year.

FROM WAY DOWNTOWN: Stony Brook found the target from three-point range against Rhode Island College. The Seawolves drilled 13 treys in 25 attempts led by Santiago's five.

J.B. HITS THE BOARDS: Reserve center J.B. Bennett has been in the middle of the action in his last two outings. After recording eight rebounds against Harvard, Bennett grabbed a team-best 10 versus Rhode Island College.

A GERMAN SHOOTER: Rookie Hendrik Feist has started to emerge as a three-point threat for SB as well. He nailed three three-pointers against RIC on Tuesday night.

SECOND COMES EASIER: The win on Tuesday night was Stony Brook's second of the year. SB did not get is second win last season until January 6.

PROTECTING THE BALL: Both teams are averaging over 20 turnovers per game entering Wednesday night's tilt.

SEVENTY IS PLENTY: There are more early signs that things may be different for Stony Brook this season. Stony Brook has scored seventy or more points in two of the four games this season -- winning both of those contests. SB scored 70 or more points only four times all of last year.

FORMER SEAWOLF: Former Seawolf Chris Balliro is currently playing professional basketball in Italy for. H is averaging 4.9 ppg. in 18 minutes of action. He currently is the backup for former Golden State Warrior and Auburn star Chris Porter.