Feb. 8, 2005

Game 20
Stony Brook (5-14, 3-7 America East)
vs. Vermont (10-9, 6-4 America East)
February 9, 2005 • 7:00 p.m.
Indoor Sports Complex • Stony Brook, N.Y.™™

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Today's Match Up
Stony Brook (5-14, 3-7) opens up a three-game home stand when the Seawolves host Vermont (10-9, 6-4) this evening.

The Catamounts own a 6-1 all-time advantage after an 85-75 win on Jan. 12. The Seawolves only win vs. UVM came last year when SB earned a 87-71 victory Feb. 10.

Scouting the Catamounts
Vermont enters tonight's contest having lost three of its last four games, including a 75-59 loss at Northeastern on Saturday.

The Catamounts are led by Lani Boardman, who is averaging 15.7 points and 6.1 rebounds per game.

Last Time Out
Jessie Boylan netted a career-high 22 points to lead Stony Brook to a 71-62 win over UMBC Saturday. SB led 46-32 in the second half before UMBC went on a 13-2 run and closed the gap to one on two occasions, but the Seawolves' trio of Boylan, Jessica Smith and Mykeema Ford answered by scoring 15 of SB's final 17 points. Ford finished with 19 points and Smith netted 17.

Smith Battles Back
After struggling with her shooting for the previous four games, Jessica Smith bounced back with an outstanding performance vs. UMBC on Feb. 5. Smith, who shot just .267 (12-for-45) in the previous four outings, finished 8-for-10 from the field for 17 points.

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.

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 71.0 Scoring Offense 64.7 62.0 Scoring Defense 80.6 +9.0 Scoring Margin -15.9 .433 Field Goal Pct. .387 .393 Opp. Field Goal Pct. .490

In the Seawolves' five wins, five players - Jessica Smith (16.2), Mykeema Ford (15.4), Kelly Watson (13.6), Jessie Boylan (11.3) 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).

Notable
Stony Brook's win at UMBC on Feb. 5 was just its second road win this season and third away from the Sports Complex... in the contest, SB shot .500 for just the second time this season. The other was back on Dec. 4 vs. Pitt when the Seawolves shot a season-best .516 (32-for-62)... 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... SB improved to 5-1 when leading at halftime... it has yet to win a game this season when trailing at halftime... the Seawolves collected a season-high 15 steals while forcing 26 turnovers vs. Albany on Feb. 2... Jessica Smith has scored in double-figures in 17-of-19 games this season and 36-of-47 for her career, while Mykeema Ford has accomplished the feat in 15-of-17 and 33-of-45... Smith is tied for the conference lead along with Northeastern's Maralene Zwarich with 17 consecutive double-figures scoring games.

Boylan Heating Up
Junior Jessie Boylan has quietly made her presence felt so far this season. Boylan, who is averaging 7.3 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 nine games. Smith, who entered league play with just one double-double on the season, has racked up five in Stony Brook's 10 conference games so far. The sophomore is averaging 14.8 points and 9.8 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 5-1 mark.

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). ™™