Dec. 31, 2002

Box Score

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. - Andre Barrett scored 21 points and Marcus Toney-El had 16 points and nine rebounds to lead Seton Hall to a 71-48 win over Stony Brook at Continental Airlines Arena on New Year's Eve.

Freshman Kelly Whitney added 14 points and tied his season-high with nine rebounds. Toney-El also tied his season-high in rebounding as the Pirates held a commanding 41-27 edge on the boards. For Barrett, it marked his third 20-plus point game of the season.

Although Stony Brook jumped out to a quick 5-0 lead, Seton Hall scored six straight to take its first lead, 6-5, at 16:21. The Pirates would never trail again, and held a 36-21 edge at halftime.

In the second half, the Pirates led by as much as 22 points. Stony Brook went on a 10-2 run to cut its deficit to 55-41, but consecutive fast break layups by Barrett and Donald Copeland built the lead back up to 59-41.

With both teams shooting under 40 percent in the first half, Seton Hall heated up in the second half, hitting 15-of-27 (55.6 percent). The Pirate defense was solid, limiting the visitors to just 9-for-27 (33.3 percent) shooting from the field.

"I was very happy with the effort and intensity that the team gave today, especially on the defensive end. I think we took the good from the DePaul game, which was the defense, and we built on that. The leadership by Andre Barrett and Marcus Toney-El was very good. They did an excellent job of leading us and keeping us focused," said Seton Hall coach Louis Orr. "Overall, it was a great effort and we were able to sustain it for the full 40 minutes. Our players did a great job today."

D.J. Munir led Stony Brook with 20 points as he hit 7-of-14 from the floor.

The win snaps a three-game losing for the Pirates and evens their record at 4-4 while Stony Brook moves to 5-5.

Seton Hall plays its second game in three days when the Pirates host Rider on Thursday, January 2. Game time is 7:30 p.m. at Continental Airlines Arena.