Dec. 5, 2002
BACKDROP: Stony Brook enters this weekend still searching for its first victory. Winners of the last two Holiday Inn Express Tournaments, the Seawolves take on Fairleigh Dickinson in the first round.
LET IT SNOW: Thursday's snowstorm caused a change of schedule in this weekend's tournament. Friday's games, originally set to tip off at 5 and 7 p.m., were changed to 6 and 8 p.m. to accommodate late arrivals.
ABOUT THE KNIGHTS: Fairleigh Dickinson enters this weekend looking for its first win of the season, as the Knights have dropped their first three contests. Seton Hall defeated FDU, 69-56, in the opener, and Cornell recorded a 71-49 victory over the Knights. Lafayette handed FDU a 68-62 setback on Monday, as four players scored in double figures to snap a three-game losing skid for the Leopards. Down by 14 at the 8:46 mark of the first half, the Knights went on a 12-3 run and closed within four at the break. FDU earned its first lead of the game on junior guard Natallia Marchanka's three-pointer with nine minutes remaining, but nine unanswered points by the Leopards put the game away. Marchanka scored all of her 20 points in the second half to lead all scorers, while freshman guard Krissy Suckow chipped in with nine points and six rebounds. Junior guard Natallia Marchanka leads FDU in the scoring column this season with a 20.7 per game clip. Sophomore guard Erin Mills chips in with 7.3 points per game, while sophomore guard/forward Kay Odenwaelder grabs a team-high 5.0 rebounds per game.
ABOUT THE BRAVES: After falling behind early to Western Illinois on Monday, Bradley came back to defeat Westerwinds, 63-53. Both teams started out cold, as Bradley missed its first 10 shots and Western Illinois built a 14-4 lead. But the Braves rallied behind the play of seniors Mandy Sides and Rasheeda Love to hit 7-of-16 shots to close the half and take a 25-20 lead at the break. The Westerwinds climbed within one with just under 15 minutes remaining but could get no closer. The only loss the Braves have suffered so far was at the hands of Missouri, who squeaked by with a 77-76 victory. Bradley won its season opener against Butler, 72-65, and defeated Loyola-Chicago by a score of 83-59. Senior guard Sara Bailey averages 13.0 points per game, while sophomore center Dana Williams isn't far behind with a 12.5 per game average. Williams also leads the team with 8.0 boards per game. Bradley has been solid from the floor, shooting 43 percent (109-251). The Braves' defensive tenacity is also reflected in their 14.0 steals per game.
ABOUT THE GOLDEN PANTHERS: Florida International comes into this weekend with a 2-2 overall record. FIU returns three starters from last year's squad that finished 27-6 and received an NCAA Tournament berth. The Golden Panthers fell to third-ranked LSU in the championship game of their FIU/Herald Classic last weekend. After LSU scored the first 10 points of the game, FIU battled back and got to within five with 11 minutes remaining but could get no closer. Four players scored in double figures, led by sophomore center Dace Cinite's 12 points and eight rebounds. A 79-70 victory over Virigina Tech in the first round allowed the Panthers to advance to the championship. Six players recorded double figures in that contest, with Cinite scoring a game-high 19 points to go along with 10 boards. Freshman guard/forward Kim Smith was impressive off the bench, scoring 10 poitns and dishing 10 assists. Four Panthers average in double figures, led by senior guard/forward Mandy Shafer's 13.0 points per game. Cinite is FIU's best rebounder at 8.3 per game, while also averaging 10.3 points. FIU is especially tough off the glass, hauling down an average of 44.2 rebounds compared to just 35.0 for its opponents.
SERIES HISTORY: The Seawolves have never played any of this weekend's teams.
INJURY UPDATE: Stony Brook continues to struggle with injuries and illness during the early part of this season. Theresa LoParrino is still out after missing the final six games in 2001-02 with an ACL injury. This year she has been sidelined with a hamstring strain. Freshman Meghan Barrett battled ankle problems throughout preseason and is awaiting results of an MRI she had last week, but she has played in all three of Stony Brook's games.
LAST TIME OUT: A late rally by the Stony Brook women's basketball team (0-4) wasn't enough as St. John's University (3-2) defeated the Seawolves, 68-57, at the SBU Sports Complex on Monday night. After keeping the game close for much of the first half, the Red Storm used a 10-2 run to extend their lead to 41-25 heading into the lockerroom. St. John's blistered the nets with 64 percent shooting (16-of-25 field goals) and Danielle Rainey netted 14 of her game-high 23 points in the first 20 minutes to lead SJU to the 16-point advantage. Meanwhile, the Seawolves struggled from outside, connecting on just 36 percent of their shots (12-of-33). The Red Storm continued to pull away in the second half, building their lead to as many as 20. Rainey's fast-break layup gave St. John's a 63-43 edge with 7:29 remaining. Stony Brook managed to creep back into the game, outscoring the Red Storm 14-5 the rest of the way, including a 9-0 run in the final five minutes. Sophomore Stephanie Barlett nailed two of her three three-pointers during the stretch, but Stony Brook could get no closer than the final margin of 11.
SHOOTING IMPROVEMENT: Stony Brook has improved every night out on the offensive end, scoring more points each game. The Seawolves' total of 57 points against St. John's is the most they have scored all season. In addition, Stony Brook hit 25 field goals, the most the team has had all year.
RAISING THE BARLETT: Sophomore Stephanie Barlett enjoyed a career day against St. John's, scoring 22 points on a stellar 9-of-15 shooting. Barlett, who played all 40 minutes for the first time in her career, was an impressive 3-of-6 from three-point territory. She also chipped in with four rebounds and two steals.
DOUBLE-DOUBLE FOR BOBO: Sophomore Bojana Bogetic recorded her first career double-double against the Red Storm, scoring 10 points and grabbing a career-best 11 boards. Bogetic has been invaluable off the bench the past two outings, pitching in with 30 points and 19 rebounds in the two games combined.
NO CHARITY: Stony Brook struggled from the free throw line against St. John's, connecting on just 4-of-11 attempts. On the season, the Seawolves are hitting just 55 percent (28-of-51) of their foul shots.
GIVING IT AWAY: Stony Brook finally cut down on its turnovers against St. John's, committing just 20 miscues while the Red Storm piled up 23. However, Stony Brook is still averaging almost 30 turnovers a game (28.8), compared to 20.5 for its opponents.
ON THE BOARDS: Despite their losing skid, the Seawolves have outrebounded their last two opponents. Stony Brook recorded a 44-36 edge against Wright State and grabbed a total of 38 boards to St. John's 35.
PLAYING CATCH-UP: For the second straight game Stony Brook came up short despite a late rally. Against Wright State, the Seawolves scored the final nine points of the game but fell by 16 points to the Raiders. Stony Brook outscored St. John's 14-5 over the final 7:29 of the contest to draw within 11, the closest the Seawolves had been the entire second half.
WARMING UP: Stony Brook enjoyed its best shooting performance so far this season against Wright State, as the Seawolves connected on 21-of-50 field goals for 42 percent.
BOBO BREAKS OUT: Sophomore Bojana Bogetic enjoyed a career-best day against Wright State last week, recording a career-high 20 points along with eight rebounds. Bogetic shot an impressive 9-of-12 from the field and also had two blocks.
CAUGHT STEALING: Stony Brook showed a glimpse of its defensive tenacity in the Hoops for the Cure Classic at SMU, with 11 steals against La Salle and 13 against SMU. Last season, the Seawolves collected 10 or more steals on 13 occasions, winning 11 of those contests.
BOOK 'EM: Junior transfer Akia Booker provided a bright spot for Stony Brook despite its loss to SMU in the opener. Booker came off the bench to score a team-high nine points, grab six rebounds and record a game-high seven steals.
MAGNIFICENT MALICA: Senior Malica Jibowu narrowly missed recording a double-double in her first collegiate start against SMU. Jibowu scored nine points and grabbed nine boards, both team-highs. The forward leads Stony Brook in rebounds with 5.8 per game.
