Feb. 7, 2003

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Stony Brook, N.Y. - The hottest team in the America East plays host to the second place Vermont Catamounts on Saturday. Winners of six straight, the Seawolves hope to make it seven with a win over a team that they haven't defeated in four previous meetings. Tip-off is 2 p.m.

BACKDROP: The Seawolves are the hottest team in the America East having won six straight games to run their record to 11-9 overall, 5-4 in America East play.

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

HEAD-TO-HEAD: Stony Brook has yet to defeat Vermont since it joined the America East last year, losing all four matchups.

EARLIER THIS YEAR: Vermont earned a 66-47 win over Stony Brook in Burlington to open the conference slate this season.

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

LAST TIME OUT: Stony Brook ran its win streak to six, its longest in two years, with a 78-60 win at Northeastern on Wednesday night. The Seawolves jumped out to a 16-2 advantage over the first 12 minutes of the game and went on to build an improbable 39-13 halftime lead. NU made an early run at the Seawolves in the second half, but Cori Spencer scored 13 of his team-high 17 in the second half to keep the Huskies at bay. He was one of four Seawolves in double figures - D.J. Munir (14), Hendrik Feist (14) and Bobby Santiago (12) also turned in fine efforts. Mike Konopka grabbed a team-high eight rebounds and Spencer finished with seven.

SCOUTING VERMONT: The second place Catamounts own a 6-3 mark heading into Saturday's game and are led by Player of the Year candidate Taylor Coppenrath. The 6-9 Coppenrath has been a handful for opponents this season, averaging a league-best 21.6 points and 6.9 rebounds per game. Last year's America East Rookie of the Year not only does damage on the inside but shoots 39 percent from three-point land as well. UVM is tough on the boards, outrebounding its opponents 40.0-32.4 per game. Grant Anderson leads UVM in that category at 7.4 per game.

A SCORING BLITZ: Stony Brook got off to an incredible start against the Huskies on Wednesday. With the scored tied at two early in the game, the Seawolves scored 14 unanswered points, holding NU to just two points over the first 11:48 of the game. SB went on to build what proved to be an insurmountable 39-13 halftime lead. The Seawolves shot 65.2 percent from the field in the first half, 59.5 percent for the game.

BIG MAN ON CAMPUS: The BMOC on Wednesday night was the 6-7, 245-pound Cori Spencer who totaled a team-high 17 points and seven rebounds, 13 of his points coming in the second half. It was his third straight double-digit scoring effort. He now ranks second on the team in scoring (11.1 ppg) and first in rebounding at 6.2 per game. SB is 4-1 when Spencer is in the starting lineup.

WILL THE REAL TEAM STAND UP?: Following a six-game losing streak, the Seawolves have managed to reel off six consecutive wins for their longest winning streak since winning seven straight in 2001.

SCORING SURGE: During SB's six-game losing streak, the Seawolves averaged only 54.8 points per game. In the last six victories, the Seawolves have averaged 81.5 points per game.

LUCKY SEVEN: The Seawolves go for their seventh straight win on Saturday against Vermont. A win would match the seven-game winning streak that took place two years ago.

D.J. SPINNING A GOOD TUNE: All-Conference guard D.J. Munir has regained the form that made him one of the best players in the America East. The 6-3 junior has displayed the talent and leadership ability to propel the Seawolves to a six-game streak, leading the team in scoring at a 14.6 points per game clip. In his last four games, he is averaging 18.3 ppg.

CLIMBING OVER .500: The Seawolves 5-4 mark in conference play is a first for SB -- the first time SB have been over the .500 mark in the America East since joining the league last season.

ROAD WARRIORS: With its win against Northeastern, the Seawolves won back-to-back road games for the first time since January of 2001.

ONE YEAR LATER: Last year, the Seawolves managed to win five conference games. With seven conference games remaining, SB is 5-4 and tied for fourth place. The fourth place ranking is the highest for SB since joining the America East.

THERE'S NO PLACE LIKE HOME: Stony Brook is 8-3 at home heading into Saturday's matchup and have won four in a row.

LIFE BEGINS AT 40: The win over Northeastern was coach Macarchuk's 40th in his tenure at Stony Brook.

INCHING TOWARDS 1,000: Munir is closing in on a scoring milestone. He now has 958 career points, 42 shy of becoming the 18th player in school history to score 1,000 points.

ABOUT THE THREE: Stony Brook's three-point prowess is an interesting story. Although Stony Brook ranks last in 3-point field goals made per game (5.16), it ranks first in the conference in 3-point field goal percentage (.370).

THE MARKSMAN: Rookie Hendrik Feist continues to impress with each and every outing. He notched a career-high 14 points on 5 of 6 shooting against Northeastern. He is now shooting 50 percent from the floor and a blistering 51 percent from three-point land (28-55).

PROTECTING A LEAD: Stony Brook has learned how to protect its lead down the stretch. SBU is a perfect 10-0 when leading with five minutes to go in the game.

A BALANCED ATTACK: When SB wins, it is often due to a balanced offensive attack. Against Northeastern and Centenary College, four Seawolves reached double figures in victory. SB has had four players score in double figures eight times this season -- it is 7-1 in those games, the only loss coming to Hartford on January 8.