Feb. 25, 2004
Stony Brook, N.Y. -
Complete Release in PDF Format
Download Free Acrobat Reader
The Stony Brook men's basketball team hits the road to face conference leader Boston University on Thursday night. BU (21-4, 15-1) has won 10 straight games and won the first matchup of the season between the two teams back on January 28. Stony Brook (8-17, 5-11) goes for its second straight conference road victory. Tip-off is 7 p.m.
About BU: Conference leader Boston University has won 21 of its last 22 games and will likely earn the No. 1 seed heading into conference tournament action in early March. The Terriers are led by Chaz Carr who averages a team-best 13.3 points per game and is one of three Terriers who average in double figures. BU has committed 102 less turnovers than its opponents and holds its opponents to only 58.7 points per game on 39 percent shooting.
About the Seawolves: Stony Brook had its two-game winning streak snapped by Binghamton on Sunday as the Bearcats outlasted SB 64-57. Mitchell Beauford equalled a career high with 22 points and D.J. Munir added 14 but the Seawolves did not score a field goal over the final 6:20 of the game.
BU Vs. Stony Brook: BU holds a 4-1 series lead since SB joined the America East in 2000. The Terriers earned a 66-56 win earlier this season at the Indoor Sports Complex.
The First Meeting: BU overcame a 28-27 halftime deficit by using a 10-3 run to start the second half, sparked by a pair of Kevin Fitzgerald layups to grab a 37-31 lead. SB got within 39-37 but then BU held the Seawolves to only two points over the next 8:16 to take a 52-41 edge. SB could get no closer than eight points the rest of the way. Cori Spencer led SB with 19 points.
Playoff Push: With two regular season games remaining, Stony Brook sits as the No. 6 seed. If SB can hold on to the No. 6 seed by the end of next week, it will avoid the Friday afternoon play-in round will features the teams that finish 7-through-10.
D.J. Says Goodbye: Senior D.J. Munir scored 14 points in his final home appearance on Sunday to give him 1,528 career points which ranks him fifth on the school's all-time scoring list. He has scored 1,207 points since joining the America East which places him 63rd among the conference's all-time best scorers.
Catch-22: Freshman Mitchell Beauford equalled a career-high with 22 points against Binghamton. He also scored 22 points against Brown on December 30. In his last six games, he has averaged 12.0 points per game to raise his season average to 9.5 ppg.
Spencer For Hire: Cori Spencer likes to play the Terriers. In three meetings against BU, Spencer has averaged 17.6 points and 5.3 rebounds per game on 64.3 percent shooting. He had 19 points and six rebounds against BU earlier this season.
Freshmen Reviews: Beauford and Mike Popoko have put together good first seasons at the Brook. The duo has accounted for almost 30 percent of the team's scoring this season. Beauford leads the team in steals and is third in scoring while Popoko is the team's top rebounder.
Stealing The Spotlight: Beauford has also racked up five steals in the last two games and now averages 1.84 per game, good enough for fourth in the America East.
Up On The Roof: Stony Brook is 0-2 at Case Gymnasium since joining the America East. The two results:
1/15/03 at BU 81, Stony Brook 66
1/12/01 at BU 90, Stony Brook 54
