Jan. 2, 2005
Game 9
Stony Brook (2-6) vs. Harvard (7-5)
January 3, 2005 • 7:00 p.m.
Lavietes Pavillion • Cambridge, Mass.™™
Complete Release in PDF Format
Download Free Acrobat Reader
Today's Match Up
Stony Brook (2-6) caps off its five-game road swing when the Seawolves take on Harvard (7-5) this evening. The contest will mark the second all-time meeting between the teams, with the Crimson earning a 72-64 win last year.
Scouting the Crimson
Harvard enters tonight's contest having won two of its last three games, including a 66-63 come back victory over Binghamton on Thursday.
The Crimson is led by Reka Cserny, who is averaging 19.9 points and 8.3 rebounds per outing.
Last Time Out
Stony Brook bounced back from a bad loss vs. FIU to top Brown 70-54 in the consolation game of the FIU Sun and Fun Classic on Wednesday. SB used a 24-7 run to open up a 21-point lead at 58-37 with under eight minutes to go to put the game away. Mykeema Ford, who was named to the all-tournament team, led all scorers with 20 points to go with six assists, while Jessica Smith added 13 points. Jessie Boylan finished with career-highs of 12 points and nine rebounds, while Kelly Watson chipped in with 11 points. Dana Ferraro also set a career-best with a game-high four blocks.
Ford, Smith Top Scoring Duo in America East
Sophomores Mykeema Ford and Jessica Smith are once again the top scoring duo in America East so far this season.
The pair, which finished their freshman campaign as the top scoring duo after averaging a combined 25.0 points per game, have teamed up to score 32.3 points per outing. The next closest pair is Northeastern's Maralene Zwarich and Shaleyse Smallwood at 29.7 points per game.
Ford Earns All-Tourney Honors
Mykeema Ford was named to the FIU Sun and Fun Classic All-Tournament Team after averaging 18.0 points in the two-day tournament. Ford, who netted 16 points in the Seawolves loss to FIU, was key in SB's win over Brown in the consolation game, posting game-highs of 20 points, six assists and four steals.
Smith Breaking Through
After netting just 13 points combined in SB's first two contests, Jessica Smith finally broke through in the Holiday Inn Express Invitational.
In the tourney opener vs. Pittsburgh, Smith netted 22 points after shooting 7-for-10 from the field and 8-for-9 from the free throw line. She followed that performance by recording 21 points, 14 rebounds and four assists vs. Long Beach State.
In the Seawolves last four outings, Smith is averaging 21.5 points and 9.0 rebounds per game while shooting .700 (35-of-50) from the field and .842 (16-for-19) from the free throw line.
Inbar in the Mix
Inbar Orion has quietly become a key player in the Stony Brook lineup this season. The sophomore had a breakthrough performance at St. Bonaventure on Dec. 11, netting a career-high 20 points on 9-of-13 shooting from the field to go with nine boards.
Orion, who's previous best was 13 points vs. Charlotte a year ago, ranks second on the team and third in America East with a .556 field goal percentage and third on the team with 10.5 points per game, which is more than double her career average of 4.7.
Smith Can't Miss
Jessica Smith was nearly unstoppable at Providence on Dec. 7, tying a career-high with 23 points in the victory.
The sophomore set a school record after shooting 11-for-11 from the field. That feat marked the first time in school history a player - men's or women's - has shot 100 percent from the floor with more than 10 attempts.
Watson's Not so Bad Either
Kelly Watson also had a career night at Providence on Dec. 7. The sophomore set new career-highs with 25 points, nine field goals made, five three point field goals made and a .500 (5-for-10) three point field goal percentage.
Boylan Heating Up
Junior Jessie Boylan has quietly made her presence felt off the Stony Brook bench in the Seawolves first eight outings this season. Boylan, who is averaging 6.8 points per game, more than double her career average of 2.7, has scored in double figures three times in eight games, a feat she had not accomplished once before this season. In the Seawolves win over Brown on Dec. 29, Boylan chipped in with career-highs of 12 points and nine rebounds.
Keep It Comin' Keema
Mykeema Ford was outstanding for the Seawolves in early December. The sophomore averaged 22.7 points after netting 26 points vs. Delaware, 24 vs. Pittsburgh and 18 vs. Long Beach State.
Ford, who started off the season shooting just .316 (12-for-38) in SB's first two outings, responded with her best shooting performance so far this year against Pitt, hitting 8-of-18 (.444) shots from the field.
Ferraro On the Boards
Dana Ferraro has made a huge impact on the boards for the Seawolves through their first eight games. The freshman forward, who ranks first on the team with 6.9 rebounds per game, pulled down a game-high 11 boards in SB's season opener at Bradley, while collecting a team-best nine rebounds at Delaware and a game-high 10 at Providence.
League Leaders
Several Seawolves rank among the America East leaders in games played through December 30.
Mykeema Ford leads the league with 17.0 points and 5.5 assists per game, while ranking second with 2.25 steals per game. Jessica Smith leads the conference with a .600 field goal percentage and stands fourth in scoring (15.2 ppg), and tenth in rebounding (6.6 rpg), while Inbar Orion is third in field goal percentage (.556) and Dana Ferraro is eighth in rebounding (6.9 rpg) and third in defensive rebounds (5.25 pg).
As a team, the Seawolves stand first in the league in scoring offense (68.1 ppg), second in assists (15.25 pg) and third in field goal percentage (.422).
Offensive Turn-Around
Stony Brook picked up its offensive output vs. Pittsburgh and Long Beach State in the Holiday Inn Express Invitational. The Seawolves entered the weekend averaging 59.0 points, 11.5 assists and 4.0 three point field goals per game, while shooting .389 from the field and .276 from the three point line. After its two contests vs. Pittsburgh and Long Beach State, however, SB is now averaging 71.5 points, 15.0 assists and 6.0 three point field goals while shooting .441 from the field and .333 from downtown.
The Seawolves, who were previously ranked last in America East in scoring offense, jumped to first place after netting 86 points vs. Pitt and 82 vs. Long Beach St.
Ford Named America East Co-Player of the Week
Mykeema Ford was named the Wilson Co-Player of the Week for the week ending Dec. 5. The sophomore guard averaged 22.7 points and 5.7 assists per game in three outings last week after collecting a season-high 26 points at Delaware, 24 points and seven assists vs. Pittsburgh and 18 points and eight assists vs. Long Beach State.
SB vs. Big East Teams
With their win over Providence on Dec. 7, the Seawolves improved to 2-6 all-time vs. Big East teams. Stony Brook, which lost to Big East member Pittsburgh on Dec. 4, picked up its first win over a Big East team in 2001 when it earned a 65-51 road victory at St. John's.
™™
