April 10, 2003
STONY BROOK FALLS TO UNH: Junior center Maren Matthias tallied game-highs of 23 points and 12 rebounds, as No. 4 seed New Hampshire defeated No. 5 seed Stony Brook, 70-57, in the quarterfinals of the Friendship Cottage Cheese America East Championship. The Wildcats, who led for nearly the entire game, maintained a double-digit lead for the final 23 minutes of the contest and stretched the margin to as many as 22 points in the opening minutes of the second half. New Hampshire connected on 49 percent of its shots from the field, drained eight three-pointers, and outrebounded the Seawolves 41-33 in advancing to the semifinals for the second straight season. Matthias led four Wildcats in double figures. Lindsay Adams had 19 points and eight rebounds, Colleen Mullen had 11 points and seven assists, and Geneva Livingston added 10 points and six assists. Danyelle Ingram led Stony Brook with 18 points and Sherry Jordan produced a double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds.
JORDAN REPEATS AS FIRST-TEAM AWARD-WINNER: Junior forward Sherry Jordan was named to the America East Conference First Team for the second straight year, the conference announced at the tournament banquet. Jordan led the Seawolves in both scoring and rebounding, with averages of 15.3 points and 9.6 rebounds. She did even better in conference competition, with 15.8 points and 10.4 rebounds per game. Those totals ranked Jordan first in the league in rebounding and fifth in scoring. Jordan also made her mark on the defensive end, leading the conference in steals (2.87 per game) and collecting a seventh-best 0.93 blocks per game. After joining the team on Dec. 28, she was the Seawolves' leading scorer 11 times and leading rebounder 15 times. Jordan also went down in Stony Brook women's basketball history this season by becoming the 11th player to score 1,000 career points. She currently ranks seventh all-time with 1,283.
INGRAM NAMED ALL-ROOKIE: Redshirt freshman Danyelle Ingram received America East All-Rookie honors after a solid 2002-03 campaign. After missing 2001-02 with a shoulder injury, Ingram became a key player for the Seawolves in 2002-03, playing in all 28 games with 23 starts. She ended the season as the Seawolves' second-leading scorer with 10.2 points per game and also averaged a team-high 2.7 assists per game. Her 10.8 points per game against America East competition was 11th-highest in the league. Ingram received Rookie of the Week honors after the final week of regular season play.
DOUBLE TROUBLE: The Seawolves' quarterfinal loss to New Hampshire continued an impressive trend between Sherry Jordan and UNH's Maren Matthias. In the three meetings between the two teams, fellow first-team members Sherry Jordan and Maren Matthias recorded a double-double in all three games. In a 90-72 Stony Brook victory on Feb. 2, Matthias hit 12-of-20 field goals, scoring 27 points and collecting 11 boards. Meanwhile, Jordan led four Seawolves in double figures with 24 points and 11 rebounds. In the rematch in Durham on March 1, Matthias was part of a balanced scoring attack, finishing with 13 points and 11 rebounds. Meanwhile, Jordan had a career day, recorded a career-best 20 rebounds to go along with 22 points. In the teams' meeting at the tournament, Matthias finished with 23 points and 12 rebounds, while Jordan had 14 points and 10 boards. In three meetings combined, Matthias averaged 21 points and 10.7 rebounds, while Jordan collected 20 points and 15.0 rebounds.
TOURNAMENT DEJA VU: Stony Brook and New Hampshire also faced each other in the 2001-02 America East Tournament, but the matchup came in the semifinal round and the Seawolves were victorious. After losing the two regular-season meetings, the Seawolves upset the Wildcats to advance to the championship game. Stony Brook trailed just twice in the game, both by one point, and went on to win, 65-54. Sherry Jordan led the Seawolves with 21 points and 12 rebounds, while Maren Matthias enjoyed an almost identical performance with 20 points and 10 rebounds.
ONCE BITTEN TWICE SHY: Stony Brook did not win more than two games in a row all season long, and the Seawolves enjoyed back-to-back victories only once. Stony Brook defeated New Hampshire 90-72 on Feb. 2 and then enjoyed a 57-55 triumph over Northeastern on Jan. 5. The Seawolves opened the season with four straight setbacks, the longest skid of the season. Stony Brook's 19 losses were the most since the Seawolves joined the ranks of Division I and the first time SBU finished under .500 since head coach Trish Roberts took over the program in 1999. The Seawolves had recorded three consecutive winning seasons before this year.
HIGHS AND LOWS: Stony Brook experienced wins and losses at both ends of the spectrum this season. The Seawolves won their games by an average of just under 10 points, but lost their games by an average of over 20 points. In its nine victories, Stony Brook hit 45 percent from the field, outrebounded its opponents by almost five and and scored 68.4 points. In contrast, the Seawolves managed just 36 percent shooting and 55 points while being outrebounded by 7.5 in their losses.
AND A CHILD SHALL LEAD THEM: Unlike last season's senior-laden team and experienced starting five, this year's Seawolves entered the season with just three players (Danielle DeGiorgio, Sherry Jordan, Theresa LoParrino) returning with more than one year of experience. On top of that, LoParrino missed 14 of the first 15 games with an injury while Jordan was absent for the first eight contests due to a suspension. In the Seawolves' season opener against SMU, four ol the five starters had seen practically no collegiate experience. Starting guard Stephanie Barlett played only 108 minutes as a freshman, while starting forward Malica Jibowu had played in just six games during an injury-riddled junior campaign. Kelly McManus and Danyelle Ingram, both freshmen, also started against the Mustangs. However, throughout the year every player saw a substantial amount of playing time.
HOME STREAK SNAPPED: Stony Brook's loss to Vermont in the regular season finale ended a streak of five straight victories for Stony Brook at the SBU Sports Complex. After winning just one of its first eight home games, Stony Brook bounced back to win five straight. Stony Brook finished the year with a 6-8 record at the Complex. The Seawolves were 3-8 away from home and 0-3 at neutral sites.
UVM SPOILS SENIOR DAY, AGAIN: For the second straight season, the Seawolves closed their regular season against Vermont, and for the second straight year, the Catamounts easily came out on top. Last year, UVM captured a 61-43 victory, the first time in four seasons the Seawolves had failed to win their home finale.
INGRAM NAMED ROOKIE OF THE WEEK: Danyelle Ingram's effort during the final week of regular season play earned her Rookie of the Week honors. In the two games combined, Ingram hit 71 percent (17-of-24) from the field and averaged 19 points per contest. Against Albany, Ingram scored a career-high 29 points on 13-of-15 shooting and also added five rebounds and had four assists. In the loss to Vermont, Ingram contributed eight points and five assists.
JORDAN WATCH: Sherry Jordan finished the year ranked No. 7 on the all-time scoring list with her 12 points against Vermont. Her 14 points against New Hampshire in the tournament give her 1,283 career points. Jordan now needs 49 points to pass No. 6 Joan Gandolf, who tallied 1,331 points from 1990-94.
BATTLE OF THE BOARDS: The Seawolves struggled on the boards in the last several games of the season. Stony Brook won the battle in 12 games this year but only twice in the final nine games. UVM recorded a 35-27 edge in the regular season finale and New Hampshire outrebounded Stony Brook 41-33. Six of the Seawolves' nine victories came when Stony Brook collected more caroms than its opponent. The Seawolves' most decisive performance came against Hartford on Jan. 8. SBU finished with 48 rebounds compared to just 28 for the Hawks, as Sherry Jordan collected a game-high 15 to lead the way.
UNLUCKY 13: Danyelle Ingram had an outstanding game against Albany on March 5 and nearly went down in history for her perfomance. She nailed her first 13 shots--just one short of qualifying for the NCAA's all-time list of best shooting performance. The record belongs to Kelly Mago of Southwest Missouri State, who went 16-of-16 against Bradley on Feb. 18, 1988. One record Ingram did achieve was the best shooting performance in Stony Brook women's basketball history.
DANYELLE DOMINATES: Ingram took over for the Seawolves against Albany, helping Stony Brook lead by as many as 22 points in the first half. Ingram scored 18 points in the first half alone and ended up with 29 for the game, a new career-high. She also grabbed five rebounds and had four assists.
MORE LIKE RODMAN THAN JORDAN: Sherry Jordan's rebounding performance has been nothing short of remarkable this season. In one two-game stretch, she pulled down a combined 39 rebounds. The junior collected a career-high 20 rebounds against New Hampshire on March 1 and followed that up with a 19-rebound outing against Albany on March 5. Jordan had 11 boards by halftime against the Great Danes. Jordan also recorded 15- and 17-rebound performances this year and averaged a team-high 9.6 rebounds per game.
ON THE OFFENSIVE: Stony Brook's 55.2 percent shooting performance against Albany on March 5 marked the Seawolves' second-best offensive performance of the season. SBU connected on 32-of-58 field goals for the game. The Seawolves were just a little bit better on Feb. 19 against Hartford, hitting 55.3 percent (26-of-47) of their field goals. The Seawolves were especially lethal in the first half, drilling 14-of-24 shots (58.3 percent). On the season, Stony Brook shot 50 percent or better five times, winning four of those contests. The Seawolves also shot 40 percent or better on six occasions.
T-LO IGNITES: Theresa LoParrino enjoyed her best outing of the season against New Hampshire on March 1, playing a huge role in Stony Brook's second-half comeback. All of her season-high 16 points came after halftime and she hit 4-of-9 three-pointers. Down 51-46 at the 7:10 mark, LoParrino drained back-to-back threes to give the Seawolves a 52-51 edge, their first lead since Danielle DeGiorgio's game-opening basket. It was also LoParrino who hit a layup to tied the game at 62-62 and force overtime.
FIRST TIME OVERTIME: Stony Brook's game against New Hampshire on March 1 marked the first overtime contest in the Seawolves' four years at the Division I level. The last time Stony Brook was forced into an extra period was during the 1997-98 season, when they overcame Bridgeport in overtime, 64-63. The head coach at the time was Bill Zatulskis.
SHUTTING DOWN THE BEARCATS: The 47 points scored by Binghamton on Feb. 25 equaled the lowest total by a Seawolves opponent this season. Morgan State also tallied just 47 points in a 61-47 Seawolves victory on Dec. 14.
JORDAN RECEIVES HONORS AGAIN: Sherry Jordan was named the America East Co-Player of the Week for the second time on Feb. 3 after a stellar performance against New Hampshire. The junior recorded her third double-double of the season with 24 points and 11 rebounds, both team-highs.
SWEET SIXTEEN: Stony Brook recorded a season-high 16 steals against both Northeastern (Feb. 5) and Brown (Jan. 5). The Seawolves averaged 9.6 steals per game, led by Sherry Jordan's 2.7. On the season, Stony Brook collected double-digit steals on 18 occasions.
MAGIC NUMBER 22: Stephanie Barlett equaled her career-high of 22 points against New Hampshire on Feb. 2, the third time this season she recorded that total. Barlett joined the hot-shooting Seawolves with a 9-of-14 (4-of-7) performance.
RED-HOT SEAWOLVES: After a somewhat sluggish first half against New Hampshire on Feb. 2, the Seawolves blistered the nets in the second stanza, connecting on 20-of-31 field goals (64.5 percent). Stony Brook also drilled 5-of-6 three-pointers after managing just 1-of-8 in the first half. The Seawolves hit 51 percent for the game.
NIFTY NINETY: The Seawolves exploded for 90 points against New Hampshire on Feb. 2, by far their best performance this season. Fifty-two of those points came in the second half on 20 field goals. That total is also the most points a Stony Brook team has scored since the 1993-94 season, when the Seawolves recorded a 90-66 win over Elmira. Not only that, Stony Brook more than doubled its output from its previous game, when the Seawolves scored just 41 points in a loss to Maine. The Seawolves also made 36 field goals against UNH, bettering their previous season-high of 30 which came on two occasions.
JORDAN EARNS HONORS: Sherry Jordan was named Co-Player of the Week in the America East on Jan. 20, after a week in which she averaged 23 points, 13 rebounds, four assists and 3.5 steals in two games. In a win over Albany, Jordan was phenomenal in recording her second double-double of the season. She scored 31 points, just one short of her career-high, shooting 12-of-18 from the floor, and grabbed a then career-high 17 rebounds against the Great Danes. She also had three assists and three steals, playing all 40 minutes. Earlier in the week, Jordan led five players in double figures with 15 points in an 88-76 setback to Boston University. She also added nine rebounds, five assists and four steals.
BOBO'S CAREER-HIGH: Bojana Bogetic scored a career-high 21 points on 10-of-17 shooting against Albany on Jan. 18. She also played a season-high 38 minutes.
TAKING CHARITY: Despite Stony Brook's loss to BU on Jan. 15, the Seawolves enjoyed their best performance of the season at the free throw line, hitting 18-of-19 for 94.7 percent.
HIGH FIVE: A season-high five players recorded double figures against BU on Jan. 15, led by 15 each from Sherry Jordan and Kelly McManus. Stephanie Barlett and Bojana Bogetic added 13 points apiece, while Danyelle Ingram chipped in with 12.
DeGIORGIO STEPS UP: Danielle DeGiorgio came up big for the Seawolves against Hartford in the America East opener on Jan. 8. After the Hawks had whittled the Stony Brook lead to just three by scoring seven straight points, DeGiorgio's three-point play put the Seawolves back in front by six with 9:01 remaining. But the pesky Hawks wouldn't go away, tying the game at 52-52 with just under five minutes left. DeGiorgio responded with a jumper to give Stony Brook the lead for good. She finished with 19 points, her second-best effort of the season, and grabbed six boards. Her 9-of-15 shooting marked a season-best performance.
McMANUS EARNS HONORS: Freshman Kelly McManus was named Stony Brook's Athlete of the Week on Jan.6 after a stellar performance against Brown. McManus scorched the Bears for 18 points, 16 in the first half alone. McManus drilled 4-of-5 three-point shots, all in the first half, to lead the Seawolves to an early lead. Her six field goals, six boards and 18 points all marked career-highs.
JORDAN HITS 1,000: Sherry Jordan, who finished last season just eight points short of achieving the 1,000-point milestone, finally got over the hump with 12 points against Colorado State on Ded. 28. Jordan became only the 11th player in school history to reach the 1,000-point plateau and the first since Donna Fennessy reached the mark in 1998.
SCORING EXPLOSION: Colorado State's 110 points against the Seawolves on Dec. 28 marked the most ever given up by a Stony Brook women's basketball team. The Rams also had seven players tally double figures for the first time in the history of their program.
EDGE ON THE BOARDS: Stony Brook hauled down an astonishing 57 boards against Morgan State on Dec. 16, the Seawolves' highest total this season.
BARLETT MAKES HER MARK: Stephanie Barlett came up big for the Seawolves against Fairleigh Dickinson on Dec. 6, scoring 19 of her 22 points in the second half as Stony Brook rallied from an 11-point second half deficit. Barlett was named to the All-Tournament Team for her efforts.
DANDY DANIELLE: Danielle DeGiorgio was key for the Seawolves in the HIE Tournament, scoring 33 points and grabbing 19 rebounds in the two games combined. DeGiorgio had not scored in double figures this season prior to the HIE Tournament.
SEAWOLVES RALLY: The Seawolves rallied from an 11-point second half deficit against FDU in the HIE Tournament, sparked by Stephanie Barlett's three-point shooting. Barlett drilled four threes down the stretch as Stony Brook knotted the game at 68-68 after being down 11 with 11 minutes remaining. FDU responded with a trey of its own to take the lead with under a minute to go, but Barlett connected again from behind the arc and was fouled. The sophomore converted the four-point play to give Stony Brook the lead for good.
STELLAR STEPH: Stephanie Barlett was outstanding in Stony Brook's three-game span against St. John's, Fairleigh Dickinson and Florida International. She connected on 10-of-21 three-pointers in the three games combined and recorded double figures against St. John's and FDU. Her 22 points in each game marked a career-high. Her six treys on just nine attempts against FDU also marked a career-best performance.
DOUBLE-DOUBLE FOR BOBO: Sophomore Bojana Bogetic recorded her first career double-double against St. John's on Dec. 2, scoring 10 points and grabbing a career-best 11 boards.
BOBO BREAKS OUT: Bojana Bogetic enjoyed a career-best day against Wright State on Nov. 26, recording a then career-high of 20 points to go along with eight rebounds. Bogetic shot an impressive 9-of-12 from the field and also had two blocks.
LEADERSHIP BY COMMITTEE: Juniors Danielle DeGiorgio and Theresa LoParrino, along with senior Malica Jibowu, were selected as team captains in 2002-03. DeGiorgio and LoParrino were two of just three returning players with more than one year of experience. Jibowu was the Seawolves' lone senior.
