March 5, 2002
BACKDROP: Stony Brook advances to its first-ever postseason appearance at the Division I level despite losing its final two regular season games. The Seawolves have been on a skid since the beginning of February, dropping seven of their last 10 games.
ABOUT THE TERRIERS: The Terriers are enjoying their most successful season in seven years, finishing the regular season with 17 victories, the most since 1994-95. It also marks the first winning season for head coach Margaret McKeon since she took the helm three seasons ago. BU outlasted New Hampshire 68-64 in overtime to grab the No. 2 seed in the conference tournament.
THE SERIES: Stony Brook and BU met for the first time this season and the two teams each captured a victory. The Seawolves claimed a 67-60 win over the Terriers on Jan. 13, a win that capped off a six-game winning streak for Stony Brook. BU returned the favor on Feb. 21, defeating SBU 62-48.
INJURY UPDATE: Stony Brook heads into the America East Tournament without key guard Theresa LoParrino, who suffered a season-ending ACL injury in the BU game on Feb. 21. MRI results to determine the full extent of the injury are pending. Freshman Danyelle Ingram, who dislocated her shoulder on Nov. 30, and sophomore Danielle Mosley, who also suffered an ACL injury, continue to recuperate from surgery.
GEORGE NAMED THIRD-TEAM: In addition to Jordan's honors, senior center Jill George was named third-team all-conference. George has remained at the top of the league statistics all season long in rebounds (9.3 per game), blocks (1.48) and offensive rebounds (4.15). Her 49.7 percent shooting ranks fourth-best.
LAST MEETING: Sophomore forward Marisa Moseley had game-highs with 15 points and six rebounds as BU defeated Stony Brook, 62-48, on Feb. 21. The Terriers traded baskets with Stony Brook for the opening minutes before taking a 14-13 lead at 10:20 off a fast-break lay-up from Marisa Moseley. BU led the rest of the way. Senior guard Annie Tomasini hit two free throws and a three-pointer from the far right corner in the final two minutes of the first half to give the Terriers a 35-23 lead going into the break. Stony Brook inched back into the game midway through the second half, with Sherry Jordan scoring seven of her team-high 14 points after the intermission to cut the lead to 49-42 at 6:12. But Moseley quieted the Seawolves with seven straight points, and the Terriers outscored Stony Brook 13-5 to close out the game. The Seawolves had the advantage on the glass, outrebounding the Terriers 33-28, but BU forced Stony Brook into 26 turnovers. Jordan also finished with six rebounds and Sarah Burkett pitched in with seven points and six boards.
JORDAN VS. TERHUNE: SBU forward Sherry Jordan and BU guard Katie Terhune have been among the top three scorers in the conference all season long, and the outcome could depend on who has the better game. Despite holding Terhune to just eight points, one of only two games this year she failed to score in double figures, the Terriers posted a 62-48 win over the Seawolves two weeks ago. In that game, Jordan scored a team-high 14 points. It was Terhune scoring a team-high 15 points in the Seawolves' 67-60 win in January, while Jordan tallied 14. Terhune averages a league-leading 18.9 poitns per game, which Jordan leads the Seawolves with 16.8 per game.
OFF THE BENCH: Productivity from the bench could have a bearing on today's outcome. Despite losing 67-60 in January, the Terriers got 24 points off the bench, including 13 by Adrienne Norris. The Seawolves managed just 8 points from its two reserves. That trend helped BU to a 62-48 victory two weeks ago. The BU bench outscored Stony Brook's 37-13, as Larissa Parr and Marisa Moseley combined to score 27 points. Six of SBU's points came from an injured Theresa LoParrino, who went down in the second half of that game with a torn ACL.
ON THE BOARDS: How the Seawolves perform in the post could also be a key factor against BU. Stony Brook boasts the America East's best rebounder and shot-blocker in senior Jill George, who averages 9.3 boards and 1.5 rejections per game. However, BU's Marisa Moseley isn't far behind, averaging 1.3 blocks for second-best. Meanwhile, freshman forward Adrienne Norris leads the Terriers with 6.4 rebounds per game. Moseley was clutch in BU's win two weeks ago, posting game-highs of 15 points and six boards.
IT'S BEEN AWHILE: The Seawolves have not advanced to the postseason since the 1996-97 campaign, when Stony Brook played in the New England Collegiate Conference Quarterfinals at the Division II level. Franklin Pierce posted a 50-48 victory over the Seawolves in that game. Stony Brook was not won a postseason game since 1994, when the Seawolves advanced to the second round of the New York State Women's Collegiate Athletic Association (NYSWCAA) with a 67-41 win over Albany.
LAST TIME OUT: Vermont held Stony Brook to just 11 second-half points as the Catamounts defeated SBU, 61-43, in the Seawolves' regular season finale on Saturday. Stony Brook led by as many as seven points in the first half after trailing early. Aaron Yantzi's lay-up gave the Catamounts a 15-10 edge five minutes into the game, but the Seawolves countered with a 10-2 run to earn a 20-17 edge midway through the half. Stony Brook stretched its lead to 32-25 with 3:26 remaining, but the Catamounts scored the final five points of the half to pull within 32-30 at the break. Sherry Jordan opened the second half with a jumper to give SBU a 34-30 advantage at the 18:33 mark, but from then on it was all Catamounts. The Seawolves went scoreless for the next 12 minutes, while Vermont reeled off 19 straight points. The Seawolves did not manage a field goal in 15 attempts during the stretch, and Vermont went ahead 49-34 with 6:21 to go. Jordan's layup finally ended the 12-minute drought, but UVM scored eight of the game's next 11 points to earn its largest lead of the day at 59-38. The win marked the 12th-straight for Vermont, a streak that began with UVM's 61-50 win over the Seawolves in January.
BREAKING A TREND: For one of the few times this season, Stony Brook lost to Vermont despite turning the ball over fewer times. The Seawolves committed just 13 miscues compared to 15 for UVM. The Seawolves are 12-5 this season when committing fewer turnovers than their opponent.
SEAWOLVES IN HOME FINALES: Saturday's loss was the first for Stony Brook in its last four home season finales.
AIR JORDAN: Sherry Jordan has scored 454 points this season, the 10th-best single-season performance in Stony Brook history. Jordan needs only 66 points to reach 1,000 career points, which will be tough unless the Seawolves advance to the championship game. If Jordan were to join the club this season, she would be only the second sophomore to tally 1,000 or more points. Michelle White, who scored her 1,000th point in February of her sophomore season, is Stony Brook's all-time leading scorer with 2,183 points during her four years.
JORDAN LEADS THE WAY: Sophomore forward Sherry Jordan has certainly been the go-to player for the Seawolves the past three games. In Saturday's game against UVM, Jordan scored three of just four SBU field goals in the second half, and eight of the Seawolves' 11 second-half points. In the previous game, a 63-50 loss to Binghamton, Jordan was the only Seawolf who scored for the first 11 minutes of the second half. She scored the Seawolves' first 11 points and finished the game with seven of SBU's nine field goals in the second stanza. Jordan ended up with a game-high 25 points on 11-of-24 shooting and 11 rebounds. Against Albany on Feb. 24, Jordan led all scorers with 23 points, including eight in a key 14-0 run in the first half that gave the Seawolves the lead for good. Jordan has led Stony Brook in scoring for the past six games and has posted double-figures in all but two outings this season.
LOOKING FOR AN OASIS: The Seawolves have averaged just 54 points in their last six games, totaling 50 points or less in three of those games. Stony Brook has reached 70 points just once during that span with a 70-58 victory over Albany on Feb. 24. The second half has been especially unkind to the Seawolves in their last two games. Against BU, Stony Brook went for 12 minutes without scoring, making only four second-half field goals for a chilly 14 percent. SBU's second half performance against Binghamton in its previous outing wasn't much better, as the Seawolves made just nine second-half shots from the floor, seven of which were scored by Sherry Jordan. In the past six games, Stony Brook has averaged 35 percent shooting from the field (118-of-335).
NOT BORN TO RUN: The Seawolves have given up back-breaking second-half runs to lead to their past two losses. A 12-minute drought in the second half against Vermont turned a 34-30 Stony Brook lead into a 49-34 Catamounts lead with just over six minutes left. In much the same fashion in the previous game, the Seawolves were down just 39-37 to Binghamton with 11:30 to go. However, the Bearcats then outscored SBU 20-5 over the next eight minutes for a 17-point advantage, their largest of the game.
STREAKS: Stony Brook's wins and losses this season have seemed to come in bunches. SBU opened the season 1-4, but then the Seawolves won eight of their next nine games. Since then, SBU has gone 5-9, including five setbacks on the road.
UNLUCKY 13: Stony Brook's 13 losses this season are the most since the Seawolves joined the ranks of Division I in the 1999-2000 season. SBU posted an 18-10 finish in its first year and a 16-12 overall record last year, the first time the program has posted back-to-back winning seasons since 1992-93/1993-94. The combined 34 wins is also the most over a two-year stretch since the 1989-90 and 1990-91 seasons (10 seasons) when Stony Brook combined to win 37 games.
ON THE ROAD: The Seawolves hope to be successful at this week's tournament that despite playing away from the friendly confines of the Stony Brook Sports Complex. The Seawolves are 9-4 at home this season, but have won just four road games (4-8). Stony Brook has split at neutral sites (1-1).
CENTER OF ATTENTION: Senior Jill George has been the Seawolves' only steady contributor at the center position this season. George, who currently has 114 career blocks, became the program's all-time blocks leader this season, breaking the old mark of 98. She also ranks among the program's top five in career rebounds (No. 5, 696) and field goal percentage (No. 2, .493). George will also finish among the program's top 10 in single-season records in three categories: rebounds (currently No. 7, 251), blocked shots (No. 2, 40), and field goal percentage (No. 7, 497). George has started all but one game the past two seasons and leads the team in rebounds with a 9.3 per game average. She set a new single-game career-high this season with 16 rebounds on two occasions, which ties the second-best single-game performance in Stony Brook history. She also set new single-game career-highs in assists (5) and blocks (5) this year. The two-year team captain has recorded double-digits in rebounds on 11 occasions this season and has recorded 15 career double-doubles, eight of which she earned this year.
BY GEORGE SHE'S GOT IT: Senior Jill George swatted five shots against Binghamton on Feb. 28 to tie her single-game career-high. George, who registered all five blocks in the first half of play, became Stony Brook's all-time blocks leader against Maine on Feb. 9, collecting three rejections to give her 100 in her career. George bested the old record of 98, held by Erika Bascom who recorded that total from 1991-95.
STEALING AWAY: The Seawolves recorded 11 steals in the first half against Albany on Feb. 24 en route to a season-high 16 in the game. The Seawolves have registered 10 or more steals in 11 games this season, winning nine of those contests.
MAKING A COMEBACK: The Seawolves mounted their biggest comeback of the season (14 points) against Northeastern on Feb. 17. The Huskies led by as many as 14 in the first half and held a 34-24 lead at halftime. But the Seawolves outscored NU 44-24 in the second stanza, including a 17-2 spurt, for their 13th win on the season.
DOWN TO THE WIRE: The Seawolves' three-point loss against New Hampshire on Feb. 12 was the narrowest margin of defeat for Stony Brook this season. All of Stony Brook's other losses have been by eight points or more. On the other hand, the Seawolves have won all their games by at least seven points.
SWEET SIXTEEN: Jill George equaled her career-high of 16 rebounds in a losing effort against New Hampshire on Feb. 1. George also had 16, the Stony Brook single-game record, against Maine on Jan. 6. The senior was also the Seawolves' only double-digit scorer against the Wildcats with 11 points. The totals marked George's second straight double-double and seventh overall this season.
HIGH FIVE: A season-high five players out of the six who saw action against Princeton on Jan. 29 scored in double figures. Theresa LoParrino's 6-of-7 shooting from the line helped her tally a team-high 16 points. Danielle DeGiorgio continued her stellar play, finishing with 15 points on 7-of-11 shooting from the field. Jill George earned her sixth double-double of the season with 14 points and a game-high 12 rebounds, while Sherry Jordan had 13 points, five rebounds, five assists and three steals. Sarah Burkett also got in on the action, scoring a season-high 11 points.
AIR JORDAN: The America East named Sherry Jordan its Player of the Week for the second time this season on Jan. 28. Jordan had an exceptional week to receive the honor, averaging 23.5 points, 9.5 rebounds and 2.0 steals in two games during the week. In a 71-59 loss to Vermont, Jordan scored a game-high 22 points on 10-of-23 shooting, her second-best effort from the floor this season. She also collected seven rebounds and had two steals against the Catamounts. Jordan followed that up with a game-high 25-point performance against Hartford. Jordan also grabbed 12 rebounds for her sixth double-double of the season and shot a season-best 12-of-14 from the free throw line to help Stony Brook seal its fourth conference win.
DOUBLE TROUBLE: Senior Jill George and sophomore Danielle DeGiorgio teamed up to lead Stony Brook to a win over Northeastern on Jan. 11. George grabbed 11 boards and scored 20 points on 7-of-10 shooting against the Huskies. The center's 20 points led all scorers and marked a season-high while she recorded her second straight double-double and fifth overall this year. Meanwhile, DeGiorgio scored 12 points on 5-of-7 shooting while earning 10 rebounds, the forward's second double-double this year.
SBU SIGNS FOUR: Four players signed national letters of intent to play basketball at Stony Brook next year. Asia Dowling, Mykeema Ford, Frani Geiger and Kelly McManus all committed to the Seawolves during the fall signing period. Dowling and Ford, teammates at Trenton Central High School in New Jersey, have led their team to a No. 1 ranking in the state and a perfect 7-0 record so far this season. Dowling averaged 13.5 points and 6.8 rebounds last year, while Ford averaged 20.5 points and 5.4 rebounds. Ford was named to the All-State second team in 2001. Frani Geiger entered this season with 990 career points, playing at both Rye Country Day School and Blind Brook High School. Kelly McManus was named to the New York State Sportswriters Association third team after her junior season at Pearl River (N.Y.) High School.
CRASHING THE BOARDS: The Seawolves outrebounded St. John's 45-26, the largest margin Stony Brook has recorded on the boards this season. The Seawolves collected 30 caroms on the defensive glass alone, compared to just 15 for the Red Storm. Stony Brook has outrebounded its opponents three times this season.
REPEAT PERFORMANCE: Sherry Jordan equaled her career-high of 15 rebounds against the Red Storm on Dec. 16, the second straight game she collected 15 boards. The sophomore has posted double-digit rebound totals in five games this season.
JORDAN REPEATS: Sherry Jordan received All-Tournament Team honors for the second straight weekend at the Hyatt Regency Invitational. Jordan's 22-point, 15-rebound performance in the consolation game against Hampton was highlighted by her 17 first-half points, including 3-of-5 three-point shooting. The sophomore was named MVP of the Holiday Inn Express Invitational the previous weekend.
SETTING NEW MARKS: Stony Brook achieved several season-highs against Hampton. The Seawolves' 49 first-half points are the most they've scored in the first 20 minutes this season. Stony Brook totaled 52 points in the second half against UPenn on Nov. 30. The 28-point halftime margin also marks the Seawolves' largest lead all season. Stony Brook's 51 rebounds, 21 assists and 11 blocks are also season-highs.
T. LO IN TOURNAMENTS: Theresa LoParrino has played some of her best games this season in Stony Brook's tournament games. At the Hyatt Regency Invitational, LoParrino connected on a career-high six threes on just 11 attempts against Georgia State en route to a team-high 26 points. She followed that up with a 19-point, 7-assist performance against Hampton in the consolation matchup. The previous weekend at the Holiday Inn Express Tournament, LoParrino torched the Quakers for 22 points on 6-of-12 shooting, including 5-of-8 from three-point range. LoParrino lit up LMU for 19 points to lead all scorers in the title game.
JORDAN NAMED PLAYER OF WEEK: Sherry Jordan was named America East Conference Player of the Week on Dec. 3 after her MVP performance in the Seawolves' HIE Tournament. Jordan had 30 points against UPenn and 15 in the title game against Loyola Marymount.
JORDAN ADDS RECORD: Sherry Jordan's 30-point performance against Penn tied the sixth-best individual game effort in Stony Brook women's basketball history. Jordan already holds single-game records for the fourth- and fifth-most points in a game with 32 and 31, respectively, both set last season.
THE LIONS' ROAR: Stony Brook's victory over Loyola Marymount in the HIE championship game came against a team that received votes in the Top 25 poll the previous two weeks. Not only that, LMU defeated 25th-ranked Arizona State earlier this year.
