Feb. 8, 2006

Game 20
Stony Brook (12-7, 5-3) America East)
vs. Vermont (7-12, 3-6 America East)
February 9, 2006 • 7:00 p.m.
Patrick Gymnasium • Burlington, Vt.

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Tonight's Matchup
Stony Brook (12-7, 5-3 America East) returns to action after a week off to take on Vermont (7-12, 3-6 America East) this evening. The Seawolves have won two straight in the series, including a 67-57 victory back on January 7, while the Catamounts still hold a 6-3 all-time advantage.

Scouting the Catamounts
Vermont enters tonight's contest having lost four straight, including a 66-52 loss at Hartford last time out. The Catamounts are led by Alexis Castro's 16.4 points and 7.0 rebounds per game, while Brittney Cross is averaging 9.7 points per outing.

Last Time Out
Jessica Smith notched game-highs of 20 points and seven steals as Stony Brook used a solid second half to pull away from Albany to earn a 68-46 victory on Wednesday.

The Seawolves stretched a one-point halftime lead to eight just under seven minutes into the second as Smith converted on a three point play and added another free throw to make it 43-35. A three and a jumper by Kelly Watson and back-to-back baskets by Smith in the midst of a 4:22 scoreless drought by Albany pushed the Stony Brook lead to 11 points at 52-41 with 7:44 on the clock and put the game away.

Sidney Orndorff netted 12 points and Dana Ferraro pulled down a game-high 13 rebounds, while Watson had another solid effort off the bench, netting nine points in the win.

Smith Earns League Honors for Fourth Time in 2005-06
Jessica Smith was named the America East co-Player of the Week for the week ending February 5. The junior, who earned the award for the fourth time this season, bounced back from three tough outings with a solid performance in a big road win over Albany on February 1.

Smith netted a game-high 20 points to go with seven rebounds and seven steals, which tied her for the 10th best single-game total in program history.

Seawolves Earn Highest RPI Ranking in Among League Teams
Behind several strong wins to open the season, Stony Brook has earned an America East best RPI ranking of 36 as of February 6.

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 moved up one spot this week to 11th in The Collegiate Basketball News Women's RPI Report and now ranks third among I-AA conferences. Only the Colonial (eighth) and Atlantic 10 (10th) are higher ranking I-AA leagues. America East has never finished as high as 11th in the final RPI for a season and never as high as third among I-AA Conferences. America East boasts three teams with RPIs in the top 100 with Hartford (40) and Boston University (78) just behind the Seawolves.

Home Sweet Home
Stony Brook has been outstanding at home so far this season, racking up a 7-2 overall record and a 3-1 league mark at the Indoor Sports Complex.

The Seawolves have won six of their last seven games at home, including three convincing America East victories, to post their best record at the Sports Complex since going 8-1 back in 2000-01.

Ferraro Among NCAA Leaders
Dana Ferraro ranks among NCAA Division I leaders in games played through February 6. Ferraro, who leads America East in rebounding, remained at fourth in the nation with 11.7 rebounds per game.

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 19 games this season, Smith has reached double-figures 14 times and Ford 16, while Ferraro has pulled down double-figures rebounds in 15 contests.

For their careers, Smith has scored in double-digits in 58-of-75 games and Ford in 57-of-73, while Ferraro has reached double-figures boards in 26-of-47 outings.

McHugh to be Featured on Upcoming America East on Campus
Stony Brook head coach Maura McHugh will be featured on the upcoming "America East On Campus" show, the conference's feature-oriented, half-hour television show.

The third installment of the program will showcase McHugh's travels from the WNBA to the rebuilding of the Stony Brook women's basketball program as well as features on Boston University and Hartford women's basketball and Albany and Hartford men's basketball.

The show will debut on New England Sports Network (NESN) on February 12 at 4:30 p.m., followed by NESN re-broadcasts on February 15 (3 p.m), 26 (7:30 p.m.) and 27 (3 p.m.).

Noting the Seawolves
The Seawolves' 12 win equal their highest overall win total since 2001-02... 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.

Ingram Moves to Sidelines
Redshirt senior Danyelle Ingram, who has missed all of this season along with nine games last year due to injuries, has been certified as injured to the point that she no longer can compete. The guard, who entered her final season averaging 8.0 points per game, will remain with the team as a student assistant coach for the 2005-06 season while working towards her master's degree at SB's School of Professional Development.