Feb. 18, 2004

Stony Brook, N.Y. -

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Scouting the Great Danes

Albany has lost three straight entering Wednesday night's meeting with the Seawolves. The Great Danes dropped a 48-36 decision to Maine on Saturday as they fell to 4-19 on the season. Albany boasts one of the best newcomers to the conference in Jon Iati who averages 14.2 points per game. Levi Levine is a force at the forward spot, leading his team in scoring (14.5 ppg) and rebounding (6.1 rpg.).

About the Seawolves

Stony Brook lost a tough battle with conference leader Vermont on Wednesday night. The Seawolves trailed by two late in the game but the Catamounts spoiled SB's upset bid to post a 67-60 win. D.J. Munir had 18 points, five rebounds, five assists and four steals and Cori Spencer pulled down a team-high 12 rebounds. Mitchell Beauford added 13 points. The Seawolves have lost six in a row and eight of their last nine.

Albany Vs. Stony Brook

Albany holds a 25-12 edge in a series that dates back to 1968.

The First Meeting

Stony Brook let an 18-point halftime lead slip away and needed a three-point play by D.J. Munir with five seconds remaining in regulation to send the game to overtime. Cori Spencer scored four points in the overtime session as the Seawolves outlasted the Great Danes 65-61. Mike Konopka led all SB scorers with 13 points and eight boards and freshman Mike Popoko notched his first career double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds.

D.J. Inching Towards 1,500

Senior D.J. Munir enters Wednesday night's game with 1,483 career points, ranking No. 5 on SB's all-time scoring list after surpassing Wayne Wright (1,477) in his last outing. He is now 17 points away from becoming the fifth player in school history to score at least 1,500 career points.

Long Distance Dedications

Sophomore Hendrik Feist emerged at the key factor in Stony Brook's win over Hartford on Saturday. He came off the bench to play a season high 22 minutes, going 4-for-4 from three-point range to total a season-high 12 points. Three of his treys came during a second-half run that saw the Seawolves take a lead they would not relinquish.

Eight Is Enough

Feist's four treys helped Stony Brook equal a season high with eight 3-pointers against the Hawks. SB also had eight threes against Army on December 11.

Albany vs. Stony Brook

Since the move to Division I, SB holds a 5-3 series edge. A look at the matchups at the Division I level: 1/21/04 at Stony Brook 65, Albany 61 (ot) 1/19/03 at Stony Brook 92, Albany 87 (2 ot) 2/14/03 at Albany 82, Stony Brook 74 2/2/02 Albany 65, at Stony Brook 54 2/24/02 Stony Brook 48, at Albany 47 1/27/01 Stony Brook 67, at Albany 64 2/7/01 at Stony Brook 63, Albany 62 1/21/00 Albany 51, at Stony Brook 47

Close Calls

The Albany-Stony Brook matchups usually go right down to the wire. In six of the eight matchups at the Division I level, the margin of victory has been five or less points with two of the games being decided by one point. In the last two games at SB, the game has gone to overtime with Stony Brook winning both contests.

Pop Is A Top Rookie

Mike Popoko was also at the center of Stony Brook's comeback win on Saturday. The rookie scored 15 points, grabbed seven rebounds, had three assists and three steals in the win. He has led the team in rebounding seven times this season. He averaged 11.5 points and 7.5 rebounds per game last week which earned him America East Rookie of the Week honors for the second time this season.

Clamping Down

Stony Brook gave up eight 3-pointers to Hartford in the first half on Saturday as the Hawks shot 8-for-12 from downtown in the first half. Hartford finished the game 8-for-19.

Rookies Doing Well

Both Mike Popoko and Mitchell Beauford have earned America East Rookie of the Week honors twice this season.

Thou Shall Steal

Stony Brook recorded 12 steals in the win over Hartford. Mitchell Beauford led the way with four steals. He leads SB in that category with 41 for the season, an average of 1.78 per game which ranks sixth in the conference.

D.J. In the Record Books

In addition to his place on the all-time scoring list, Munir also ranks in the top-10 all time in several other categories: Category Rank Scoring 1,483 pts. 5th Assists 350 4th Field Goals 496 7th 3-pointers Made 170 3rd FTM 321 5th FTA 383 7th FT% .838 4th