Jan. 27, 2006

Stony Brook, N.Y. -

Game 18
Stony Brook (11-6, 4-2) America East)
vs. UMBC (9-8, 1-5 America East)
January 29, 2006 • 2:00 p.m.
Indoor Sports Complex • Stony Brook, N.Y.

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Today's Matchup
Stony Brook (11-6, 4-2 America East) is aiming for its seventh straight home win when the Seawolves host UMBC (9-8, 1-5 America East) this afternoon. The Seawolves have won all four games in the series, including a 71-62 victory in Baltimore when the teams last met a year ago.

Scouting the Retrievers
UMBC enters today's coming off a 48-41 win over Albany on Thursday, snapping the Retrievers five game losing streak and earning their first conference win of the season.

The Retrievers are led by Matea Pender's 13.4 points per game, while Sharri Rohde (10.2 ppg) and Brittnie Hughes (10.1 ppg) are also scoring in double figures.

Last Time Out
Stony Brook took a 14-point halftime lead and never looked back as the Seawolves snapped a seven game losing streak to Maine with a 65-49 victory on Wednesday.

Mykeema Ford paced SB with 16 points and five assists, while Jessie Boylan netted 12 points and Jessica Smith pulled down 13 rebounds in the win.

The Seawolves began to pull away late in the first half, using a 10-2 run fueled by a pair of baskets by Morgan Patrick to take a 34-20 lead at the break.

Boylan opened the second half on fire, connecting on a pair of three's and sinking three free throws as part of a 12-1 run and SB led 46-21 just under four minutes in. The Seawolves would stretch that lead to as many as 28 and Maine could get no closer than 16 points the rest of the way.

Home Sweet Home
Stony Brook has been outstanding at home so far this season, racking up a 7-1 overall record and a 3-0 league mark at the Indoor Sports Complex.

The Seawolves have won six straight at home, including three convincing America East victories, to post their best record at the Sports Complex since going 8-0 back in 2000-01.

Seawolves Earn Highest RPI Ranking in Among AE Teams
Behind several strong wins to open the season, Stony Brook has earned an America East and program-best RPI ranking of 26 as of January 26.

The Seawolves, who earned a previous best of 28th earlier this season, topped 19th-ranked Temple while also earning impressive wins over defending Ivy League Champion Dartmouth and the Sunbelt Conference's Arkansas State.

America East boasts three teams with RPIs in the top 100 and, as a conference, ranks 12th in the nation in The Collegiate Basketball News Women's RPI Report. More importantly, AE is fourth among I-AA conferences with only the Colonial (eighth), Missouri Valley (11th) and A-10 (10th) posting higher rankings among I-AA leagues.

Ferraro, Ford Among NCAA Leaders
Dana Ferraro and Mykeema Ford rank among NCAA Division I leaders in games played through January 23. Ferraro jumped to fourth in the nation with 12.2 rebounds, while Ford stands 21th with 5.6 assists.

Ford, Smith Reach 1000 Career Point Mark
Stony Brook's Mykeema Ford and Jessica Smith both reached the 1000-point mark for their careers, marking the first time in program history two Seawolves reached the milestone in the same season.

Ford reached the 1000-point mark on January 7th vs. Vermont, while Smith notched her 1000th point just two games later at New Hampshire on January 14.

Double Your Pleasure
Stony Brook has come to rely on the duo of Jessica Smith and Mykeema Ford to score in double-figures, while Dana Ferraro has consistently provided the same effort on the boards.

Through 17 games this season, Smith has reached double-figures 13 times and Ford 16, while Ferraro has pulled down double-figures rebounds in 14 contests.

For their careers, Smith has scored in double-digits in 57-of-73 games and Ford in 57-of-71, while Ferraro has reached double-figures boards in 25-of-45 outings.

Noting the Seawolves
The Seawolves have won 11 games so far this season, their highest overall win total since 2002-03... at 11-6 SB is off to its best start through 17 games since the 2001-02 season, when the Seawolves also went 11-6... the win over Vermont on January 7 kept the Seawolves perfect in America East openers, as SB has gone 5-0 since joining the league that same year... SB defeated a pair of conference champions this year, knocking off A-10 champ Temple on December 7 before downing Ivy League champion Dartmouth on December 13... SB has faced five teams that have either been ranked or received votes in the national polls this season, going 1-4 in those games.

Milestones Approaching
Several Seawolves are approaching milestones during the 2005-06 season.

Here is a look at a few of the milestones that could be reached this season:

Points
500 - Kelly Watson (497)
1100 - Jessica Smith (1053)
1200 - Mykeema Ford (1114)
Rebounds
500 - Dana Ferraro (430)
600 - Jessica Smith (595)
Assists
300 - Mykeema Ford (270)

Paw Prints
Jessica Smith is averaging 20.0 ppg in two home games vs. UMBC during her career... Mykeema Ford moved into 60th place all-time in America East history with 1,114 career points... she needs just 80 points to break into the top 50... Dana Ferraro has posted double figures rebounds in eight of the last 10 games... Ford has scored 20 or more points in four of the last seven games... Stony Brook has not had much help from its bench this season, as non-starters are averaging a combined 14.5 of the Seawolves 67.4 points per game as opposed to 52.8 from the starting five.