Dec. 26, 2004

Stony Brook, N.Y. -

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The Stony Brook men's basketball team will host Long Island rival Hofstra on Monday night. Hofstra (8-0) enters the game unbeaten while Stony Brook (4-4) looks for its third straight win over the Pride. The game will be carried live on WLIE 540 AM. Tip-off is 7 p.m.

About the Seawolves: Stony Brook owns a 4-4 record after a 75-69 setback to Northeastern last Tuesday in the America East opener for both teams. The Seawolves wrap up the non-conference slate this week with games against Hofstra and Wagner before resuming conference play on Jan. 2 against Maine.

Last Time Out: Stony Brook rallied from a 32-27 halftime deficit to take a 47-39 lead, but Northeastern answered with a 19-3 run of its own to retake the lead. The Seawolves tied the game at 60 on a Cori Spencer layup with just over four minutes to go but the Huskies held off the Seawolves down the stretch to eke out a 75-69 win. Spencer led all Stony Brook scorers with 15 points and six rebounds.

Versus Hofstra: Hofstra leads the all-time series 14-3. Stony Brook lost 11 consecutive games to Hofstra before putting together back-to-back wins over the last two years. The Seawolves began the run with a 65-52 home win over the Pride on December 21, 2002 and followed that with a 70-69 triumph at Hofstra last season.

Last Year: D.J. Munir scored a game-high 27 points to lead Stony Brook to a 70-69 win at Hofstra. He had 13 of his 27 points during a 21-8 surge in the second half after Stony Brook trailed, 53-44, with 13:35 to play.

The Hardy Boy: Stepping in for the injured Mitchell Beauford, Antwan Hardy has shown plenty of promise. In his first collegiate start, he scored a team-high 19 points to lead SB past Navy and then followed that with a 14-point, five-rebound effort against Northeastern. He is averaging 16.5 points per game in two starts and has one America East Rookie of the Week honor to his credit.

Spreading The Wealth: With leading scorer Mitchell Beauford sidelined with an injury, the Seawolves have spread the wealth on offense. Against Navy, the Seawolves had five players score in double figures and last Tuesday saw four players reach double digits.

Hitting The Boards: Stony Brook has been a force on the boards this season, outrebounding its opponents 36.8-35.2 so far this season. In the last two games, Stony Brook has been prolific on the offensive glass, totaling 39 offensive rebounds. For the season, SB has outrebounded its opponents on the offensive end 97-82.

Snap, Crackle, Pop: Sophomore Mike Popoko has averaged 12 points and 7.5 rebounds in his last two outings to push his team leading rebound average to 6.3 per game.

Not So Charitable: Free throw shooting, which has been a strength all season long, failed the Seawolves against Northeastern on Tuesday night. Stony Brook shot 9-for-17 (.529) from the free throw line after entering the game ranked second in the conference with a .699 free throw percentage.

Second Half News: The Seawolves have played better in the second half throughout the early part of the season. The Seawolves have trailed at the half in seven of its first eight games. Over the first eight games, Stony Brook's field goal percentage in the first half is .375 (89-237) in contrast to the second half which is .457 (95-208).