Jan. 7, 2012
• 2011-12 Virtual Guide
2011-12 Stony Brook Men's Basketball
Game #14: Albany Great Danes (10-6) at Stony Brook Seawolves (7-6)
Sun., Jan. 8 • Pritchard Gymnasium • Stony Brook, N.Y. • 2 p.m.
On Television
Optimum Local Channel 118 with Carl Reuter & Rob Pavinelli
On the Radio
WUSB 90.1 FM & GoSeawolves.org with Mike Solano
LIVE: STATS | AUDIO | VIDEO | TWITTER
INFO: GAME NOTES (PDF)
Stony Brook Seawolves (7-6, 2-0 America East)
Head Coach: Steve Pikiell, seventh season
Overall Record: 85-132
Record at SBU: 80-114
Albany Great Danes (10-6, 2-0 America East)
Head Coach: Will Brown, 11th season
Overall Record: 139-171
Record at Albany: same
About the Game: First place in the early going of the America East schedule is on the line Sunday as Stony Brook hosts Albany in a SUNY rivalry game. Both teams are 2-0, and the Seawolves are looking to be 3-0 in the league for just the second time ever. This is the 56th all-time meeting between the two teams, Stony Brook's most frequent opponent, and Albany leads the series 34-21, but the series is tied 13-13 during the Div. I era.
Scouting Albany: The Great Danes are enjoying a terrific season, playing a high-octane offense that is averaging 74.3 points per game, 76th best in the nation. The team won eight non-conference games, most in the program's Div. I history, and started conference play off with double-digit victories over Hartford and UMBC. The offense has been led by junior college transfer Gerardo Suero, who is fourth in the nation in scoring at 22.1 PPG. He is a 6-4 guard with abilities to shoot from the outside and slash to the basket. He is averaging 8.9 free throw attempts per game and is also the team's leading rebounder (5.8 RPG). Against UMBC Thursday, Suero, Logan Aronhalt and Mike Black each scored 22 points. As good as the offense is, the defense is allowing opponents to shoot 45.4%.
Last Time Out: Stony Brook got 17 points and 13 rebounds from Tommy Brenton, who spurred a 10-0, second-half run that rallied the Seawolves past Binghamton 60-54 Thursday night. Brenton's assist on Bryan Dougher's three-pointer with 8:39 to go gave the Seawolves a 46-44 lead and started the run. Brenton then had a big slam dunk on a putback with 1:37 left to play and hit three of four free throws at the end to seal the game. Dave Coley (12), Dougher (11) and Al Rapier (10) also scored in double figures for the Seawolves.
A Stony Brook win...
- Makes the Seawolves 3-0 in America East for just the second time ever (2009-10).
- Extends Stony Brook's home winning streak to eight games.
- Will give the Seawolves their longest overall winning streak in nearly two years.
Heated Rivalry: Stony Brook and Albany are SUNY rivals and have been playing each other for decades. The Great Danes are SBU's most frequent opponent, having played 55 times in their history. The first game came back on Jan. 31, 1968, a 64-52 Albany victory. Overall, Albany leads the series 31-24, but since both teams went to Div. I in 1999, the series is tied 13-13.
Balanced Team Efforts: Stony Brook has outstanding depth on its team, evidenced by the fact that eight different Seawolves have led the team in scoring on a particular night. Last season in 32 games, SBU had six different leading scorers.
Now That's Tommy: Tommy Brenton is rounding back into form at the right time after missing all of 2010-11 due to injury. Over his last five games, he is averaging 11.4 points, 10.8 rebounds and 3.2 assists. He is shooting 68% from the field during this run and averaging seven free throw attempts per game.
Camera Ready: Stony Brook appeared on television a school-record 11 times in 2010-11, including four broadcasts on the ESPN family of networks. This season, the Seawolves will appear on television at least 18 times, which will shatter the school record. The full schedule, released Nov. 30, includes three national television broadcasts. Stony Brook will host Boston University on Jan. 27 on ESPNU, and will host Maine on Feb. 26 on CBS Sports Network. The Seawolves will also be on CBS Sports Network Feb. 12 at Vermont.
Up Next: Stony Brook is heading on the road this week for two games, starting Wednesday at UMBC at 7 p.m.
