Jan. 17, 2003

Albany Game Notes in PDF Format
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Stony Brook, N.Y. - The Stony Brook men's basketball team aims to end its six-game losing streak on Sunday when it plays host to the Albany Great Danes (4-10, 1-3). The Seawolves (5-9, 0-4) make their second appearance on television this season as the game will be televised live on the Madison Square Garden Network. Tip-off is 4 p.m.

WHAT: Stony Brook vs. Albany Men's Basketball
WHEN: Sunday, January 19, 2003 4 p.m.
WHERE: Indoor Sports Complex, Stony Brook University
TV: Live on the Madison Square Garden Network, NESN N. England,
Empire Sports Network (NY State)
RADIO: WUSB 90.1 FM,
INTERNET: www.goseawolves.org

BACKDROP: Stony Brook losing skid hit six with a loss to Boston University on Wednesday night. The Seawolves are hoping to earn their first conference win.

RADIO INFORMATION: The game will be broadcast on the internet at www.goseawolves.org and on the air at WUSB 90.1.

HEAD-TO-HEAD: Albany holds a 24-10 series advantage all-time and the series stands at 3-3 since both teams moved to the Division I level in 1999.

VERSUS THE AMERICA EAST: Stony Brook posted a 5-11 record last year in its inaugural season of America East play. SB is 6-20 all time against America East teams.

LAST TIME OUT: Boston University shot a blistering 63.3 percent from the field to hand SB its sixth straight loss on Wenesday night. BU's Paul Seymour hit two threes in the last two minutes to build a 38-28 halftime advantage for the Terriers. A pair of Bobby Santiago free throws cut the lead to nine with 10:29 to go but then BU went on a 7-0 run to put the game out of reach. Cori Spencer led all Seawolves with 17 points and four rebounds. Jairus McCollum added 14 and Santiago totaled 10.

JPK OUT OF ACTION: JonPaul Kobryn sat out Wednesday night's game against BU due to an illness. It is the only game that he has missed this year. He will be ready to play on Sunday.

SCOUTING ALBANY: The Great Danes head into the game with a 4-10 overall record, 1-3 in conference play. Jamar Wilson (15.9 ppg.) leads the team in scoring and is one of four Great Danes who average in double figures. The Great Danes like to shoot the three, averaging 22 attempts per game. Albany has lost three of its last four outings, its only win a 61-58 conference victory over New Hampshire.

THE ZOOPERSTARS ARE HERE: The Zooperstars will be performing at the SBU Sports Complex on Sunday. In attendance will be Shaquille O'Seal, Mackerel Jordan, Dennis Frogman, Dick Flytale and Stallion Iverson for crazy antics and awesome fan interaction.

LAST YEAR: The two teams split the season series with each team winning on the road. Albany earned a 65-54 win at SB last season - Antoine Johnson led the way for the Great Danes with 16 points. D.J. Munir had a game-high 28 points for Stony Brook. At Albany, Mike Konopka hit a pair of free throws with no time on the clock to give SB a 48-47 road win.

ON THE ROAD: Stony Brook is 1-6 on the road this season and has lost five straight. The lone road victory was at Columbia on December 4.

NO DEFENSE: Stony Brook's 0-4 conference mark is due in part to a lack of defense in those games. Opponents are shooting 50.5 percent from the field, 42.3 percent from three-point range. The Seawolves are being outscored 69.8 - 58.2 in four conference matchups. On Wednesday night, BU shot 68 percent from the field in the first half, 63 percent for the game. The Seawolves have yielded 38 points in the first half in each of the last two games.

TAKING CENTER STAGE: Sophomore center Cori Spencer is starting to feel comfortable and the numbers show just that. Since joining the Seawolves lineup on December 21, he is averaging 10.1 points and six rebounds per game. He is coming off a 17-point effort against BU and has averaged 13 points per game in his last three outings.

DEFENDING YOUR TURF: Stony Brook has lost two straight games at home after winning four of its first five at the Indoor Sports Complex.

J HAS BEEN STEADY: Junior forward Jairus McCollum has been one of the most consistent Seawolves this season. He has scored in double figures in three straight games and leads the team in rebounding at 6.1 per game. McCollum has heated up in conference action, shooting a team-best 58.6 percent (17-29) from the field in those games.

FINDING THE RANGE: Stony Brook seemed to find its offense again against BU as it shot 50 percent from the field for the game. It was SB's highest FG percentage since it shot 50 percent against Army on December 12.

GIVING TO CHARITY: Stony Brook put forth its best effort this season from the free throw line against BU, hitting 82.6 percent from the line (19-23).

DOUBLE-DIGIT BOBBY: Freshman point guard Bobby Santiago has reached double figures in four straight games and in nine of SB's 14 games this season. The steady guard is averaging 11.1 points per game, second on the team, and leads the team in assists with 55.

WHERE HAS THE SCORING GONE?: During Stony Brook's six-game losing streak, the offense has dipped considerably. Through the first eight games, the Seawolves scored 60 or more points six times. Over the last six games, SB has reached the 60-point barrier only twice and has failed to reach 50 points three times. As a result, the Seawolves have fallen to last place in conference play in scoring offense, scoring margin and field goal percentage. SB has shot less than 40 percent from the field in six of its last eight games.

SKIDDING: Stony Brook's six-game losing streak matches the longest losing skid from one year ago. The last time SB lost seven straight was to open the inaugural season of D-I, dropping the first seven games of the year.

LARRY PITCHES IN: Senior point guard Larry Jennings has come off the bench to play some valuable minutes for the Seawolves in the last two games. He has played 18 minutes against Binghamton and Boston University, spelling either Munir or Santiago.

TYRONE MAKES DEBUT: Guard Tyrone Stallings made his Seawolf debut against BU, scoring six points in six minutes. The Fordham transfer became eligible to play at the conclusion of the first semester.

THE NEWS FROM THREE: Stony Brook has hit 26 of its last 97 three-pointers (.268) -- all during the last seven games. Prior to that, the Seawolves were shooting over 40 percent from three-point land.

ON TV: The Seawolves are now 1-1 on America East telecasts after the Vermont on January 5. SB defeated Maine last year at home.