Feb. 11, 2005

Game 21
Stony Brook (6-14, 4-7 America East)
vs. Hartford (15-5, 9-2 America East)
February 12, 2005 • 1:00 p.m.
Indoor Sports Complex • Stony Brook, N.Y.™™

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Today's Match Up
Stony Brook (6-14, 4-7) continues its three-game home stand when the Seawolves host first place Hartford (15-5, 9-2) this afternoon.

The Hawks tied the all-time series at four wins a piece when they took the team's first meeting of the season, 62-51, back on Jan. 15.

Scouting the Hawks
Hartford enters today's contest having won four straight contests and 10 of its last 12, including an 83-58 win vs. Northeastern on Wednesday.

The Hawks are led by Erika Messam, who is averaging 11.7 points per game.

Last Time Out
Jessica Smith netted a career-high 30 points and Mykeema Ford added 20 as Stony Brook held off Vermont, 78-67, on Wednesday. Jessie Boylan drained a three pointer as part of a 13-0 run that stretched the Seawolves lead to 21 points at 62-41 with just under seven minutes to play. UVM rallied back, cutting the lead to just seven points after outscoring SB 23-9 over the next six minutes to make it 71-64 with 1:02 left on the clock. The Seawolves held off the surge by converting on 7-of-8 free throw attempts in the final minute. Smith's 30 points tied her for the 10th best single-game performance in school history. Ford finished with 20 points and game-highs of six assists and four steals. Dana Ferraro dominated the boards, collecting a career-best 13, while Danyelle Ingram chipped in with a season-high 11 points on 4-of-5 shooting.

Smith's Career Night
Jessica Smith was nearly unstoppable vs. Vermont on Feb. 9 on her way to a career-best shooting performance.

Smith nailed a career-high 13 field goals to finish with 30 points, seven more than her previous best of 23. The 30 points tied her for the 10th best single-game performance in school history.

Smith, Ford Continue to Lead
Despite some ups and downs, Jessica Smith and Mykeema Ford have been outstanding for the Seawolves during their sophomore campaigns. The pair has combined to lead the team in scoring in 15 of Stony Brook's 20 games while posting 33.1 of the Seawolves 66.9 points, nearly half of their scoring output.

Smith also leads the team in rebounding with 8.3 boards per game, while Ford is the leader with 5.1 assists per outing.

Smith Battles Back
After struggling with her shooting for the previous four games, Jessica Smith bounced back with a pair of outstanding performances vs. UMBC on Feb. 5 and Vermont on Feb. 9. Smith, who shot just .267 (12-for-45) in the four outings prior to the UMBC game, finished 8-for-10 from the field for 17 points vs. the Retrievers. She followed that game with a career-high 30 points, which ties her for the 10th best single-game performance in school history, after shooting 13-for-17 from the field vs. UVM.

In those two outings, Smith is averaging 23.5 points while shooting .778 (21-for-27) from the floor.

Injury Report
Sophomore Inbar Orion injured her lower leg in the Albany game on Feb. 2 and is day to day... senior center Bojana Bogetic, who's only appearance this season came in the Seawolves season opener, is out indefinitely with a back injury, while freshman Kerry O'Loughlin is also out with shin problems.

Wins vs. Losses
There has been a dramatic difference in Stony Brook's statistics in games it went on to win vs. lose. Below is a look at how the Seawolves have fared in several statistical categories in wins and losses.

Wins Stat Losses 72.2 Scoring Offense 64.7 62.8 Scoring Defense 80.6 +9.3 Scoring Margin -15.9 .444 Field Goal Pct. .387 .392 Opp. Field Goal Pct. .490

In the Seawolves' six wins, five players - Jessica Smith (18.5), Mykeema Ford (16.2), Kelly Watson (11.7), Jessie Boylan (10.3) and Inbar Orion (9.3) - have averaged over 9.0 points per game. In their 14 losses, only two players have scored more than 8.0 points - Ford (18.1) and Smith (14.5).

Seawolves TRIO Gets it Done
Jessie Boylan, Mykeema Ford and Jessica Smith played a huge part in Stony Brook's win at UMBC on Feb. 5.

The trio combined for 58 of the Seawolves 71 points in the contest, including 36 of their 39 first half points. In the first stanza, they combined to shoot .750 from the field, connecting on 15-of-20 field goal attempts.

Their play was key, as the Seawolves bench players shot just 0-for-5 in the game and did not score a single point.

Notable
The Seawolves have won back-to-back games for the first time since their four-game winning streak Feb. 4-14 of last year... SB improved to 6-1 when leading at halftime... it has yet to win a game this season when trailing at halftime... Jessica Smith has scored in double-figures in 18-of-20 games this season and 37-of-48 for her career, while Mykeema Ford has accomplished the feat in 16-of-18 and 34-of-46... Smith is tied for the conference lead along with Northeastern's Maralene Zwarich with 18 consecutive double-figures scoring games... Stony Brook's win at UMBC on Feb. 5 was just its second road win this season and third away from the Sports Complex... SB made all 10 of its free throw attempts vs. the Retrievers, marking the first time the Seawolves have shot over 90 percent from the line since shooting 94.7 percent (18-for-19) on January 15, 2003 vs. Boston University... the Seawolves bench players shot a combined 0-for-5 and did not score in the contest... the Seawolves collected a season-high 15 steals while forcing 26 turnovers vs. Albany on Feb. 2.

Boylan Heating Up
Junior Jessie Boylan has quietly made her presence felt so far this season. Boylan, who is averaging 7.2 points per game, nearly double her career average of 3.8, has scored in double figures six times so far, a feat she had not accomplished once before this year.

Boylan posted the best outing of her career vs. UMBC on Feb. 5, shooting 8-for-11 from the field while knocking down 6-of-8 three point attempts for a career-high 22 points.

Double Threat
Jessica Smith has picked up her play in conference action, posting double-doubles in five of the Seawolves last 10 games.

Smith, who entered league play with just one double-double on the season, has racked up five in Stony Brook's 11 conference games so far. The sophomore is averaging 16.2 points and 9.5 rebounds in conference play.

Need To Lead
Stony Brook has been unable to come back from a first half deficit all season, losing all 13 contests when trailing at the break. The Seawolves have fared much better in the six games in which they lead at halftime, posting a 6-1 mark.

League Leaders
Several Seawolves rank among the America East leaders in games through Feb. 5.

Jessica Smith ranks second in the league with 8.4 rebounds per game, fourth with a .512 field goal percentage and fifth with 14.9 points. Mykeema Ford is second in scoring (17.3 ppg) and assists (5.0 apg) and sixth in steals (1.9 spg). Dana Ferraro is tied for ninth in rebounding (6.9 rpg), while Inbar Orion stands fifth in field goal percentage (.508).

Solid Return for Ford
Mykeema Ford made a huge impact in her return to the Seawolves lineup on Jan. 26 vs. Northeastern. The sophomore point guard, who missed a pair of games after returning home to tend to a family emergency, netted a team-high 24 points while adding seven assists and six rebounds. Ford's performance helped spark Stony Brook to a 77-66 victory over Northeastern and snap a five-game losing streak.

Shooting Struggles
Despite scoring over 66 points a game, Stony Brook has not shot well from the field most of this season. The Seawolves struggled with their shooting even more so in their nine games between Dec. 28 and Jan. 22, posting a .358 (196-for-548) field goal percentage. Included in those games were eight contests where SB shot under .375.

In games played through Jan. 22, SB shot .397 (363-for-914), while only three players-Jessica Smith (.544), Inbar Orion (.500) and Dana Ferraro (.410)-shot over .400.

Defensive Struggles Haunt SB
Stony Brook has struggled defensively so far this season, allowing a conference-worst 74.2 points per game. SB has been unable to take advantage of their scoring average of 62.9 points per outing, which ranks third best in the league.

In 12 of the Seawolves 14 losses this season, they have allowed 74 or more points, including eight games with 83 or more.

In its four victories, Stony Brook has held its opponents to 66 or fewer points.

Smith's Shooting Struggles
Jessica Smith struggled from the field in Stony Brook's four outings between Jan. 22 and Feb. 2. Smith, who led the league with a .567 (85-for-150) field goal percentage after the Binghamton game back on Jan. 18, shot just .267 (12-for-45) in SB's next four outings, which lowered her season shooting percentage to .497 (97-for-195).

That's More Like It
After struggling with their shooting for the last several games, the Seawolves had one of their best outings of the season on Jan. 26 vs. Northeastern. Stony Brook, which entered the contest shooting .397 from the field, shot .467 from the floor (28-for-60) and .556 (5-for-9) from three point range to snap a five-game losing streak.

Inbar Orion, who entered the game shooting just .308 (4-for-13) over SB's previous three outings, shot .889 (8-for-9) from the field and finished with 18 points. ™™