March 4, 2012
• 2011-12 Virtual Guide
• Jackson, Coley, Brenton spark SBU comeback (Newsday.com)
• Dougher led Stony Brook's turnaround (Newsday.com)
• Pikiell on FOXCT
• America East On Campus Feature
• Pikiell and Brenton on News 12
2011-12 Stony Brook Men's Basketball
Game #30: Albany Great Danes (19-17) vs. Stony Brook Seawolves (21-8)
America East Championship Semifinals
Sun., March 4 • Chase Arena • West Hartford, Conn. • 5 p.m.
On the Web
ESPN3 with Eric Frede & Frank Sullivan
On the Radio
WUSB 90.1 FM & GoSeawolves.org with Mike Solano, Curt Hylton & Jeff Bernstein
LIVE: STATS | AUDIO | VIDEO | TWITTER
INFO: GAME NOTES (PDF)
Stony Brook Seawolves (21-8, 14-2 America East)
Head Coach: Steve Pikiell, seventh season
Overall Record: 99-134
Record at SBU: 94-116
Albany Great Danes (19-13, 9-7 America East)
Head Coach: Will Brown, 11th season
Overall Record: 148-178
Record at Albany: same
About the Game: Stony Brook looks to advance to the America East Championship final for the second straight season Sunday when it faces Albany in the semifinals. Yesterday, the Seawolves topped Binghamton 78-69 to advance while Albany defeated New Hampshire 63-45. The Seawolves are seeking their first-ever league championship and automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament. This is Stony Brook’s second go-around as the No. 1 seed; the team was 1-1 in 2010, defeating Albany and losing to Boston University. Stony Brook is 4-1 all-time in tournament games at Chase Arena, and including games against Hartford, the Seawolves are 8-1 in this building since 2009.
Scouting Albany: This is the 58th all-time meeting between the two teams and the third consecutive season they are facing off in the America East Championship. Albany finished the regular season 9-7 in the league to earn the No. 4 seed. Albany has the league’s best scoring offense at 72.5 points per game, but struggles on defense, allowing opponents to shoot 46% from the field and a league-worst 38% from three-point range. The Great Danes are led by first-team All-Conference guard Gerardo Suero, who is averaging a league-best 21.8 points per game. His achilles heel has been turnovers, averaging 4.2 per game. Other weapons include second-team guard Mike Black (13.5 PPG, 4.2 APG) and third-team guard Logan Aronhalt (13.8 PPG).
Season Series vs. Great Danes: Stony Brook swept the season series, and both games have been offensive slugfests. The Seawolves won at home on Jan. 8, 81-68, and up in Albany on Feb. 4, 76-69. Stony Brook shot 54% from the field and 59% from three-point range in the two games while outrebounding Albany by a +6 margin. Bryan Dougher averaged 16.5 points in the two games, including scoring 19 at home. Dave Coley was 8-for-9 from the field as part of a 17-point night at Albany. SBU couldn’t stop Gerardo Suero (24.5 PPG), but held Albany to only 41% shooting and 28% from three.
Rivalry with Albany: This is the 58th all-time meeting between Stony Brook and Albany, making the Great Danes SBU’s most frequent opponent of all-time. This is also the third consecutive season these two teams are meeting in the America East Championship and the first in the semifinals. Stony Brook is 15-13 against Albany in its Div. I history.
Tommy's Heating Up: Tommy Brenton put on a great performance against Binghamton yesterday, scoring a team-high 14 points to go with 11 rebounds, five steals and three assists. The five steals were an SBU America East Championship record. In two games this season at Chase Arena (including Feb. 21 vs. Hartford), Brenton is averaging 12.5 points and 11.5 rebounds while shooting 82% from the field (9-for-11).
America East Awards: Tommy Brenton was named America East Defensive Player of the Year, the first time an SBU player earned the distinction. He and Bryan Dougher were named first-team All-America East, and Dallis Joyner was named to the third team.
America East Championship History: This is Stony Brook’s 11th season in America East and thus the program’s 11th appearance in the America East Championship. The Seawolves are 8-10 in the tournament (including yesterday) and have advanced to the semifinals four times, including in each of the last three seasons. Stony Brook advanced to its first-ever final last season. This is SBU’s second go-around as the No. 1 seed; the team fell to BU in the 2010 semifinals. The Seawolves are 4-1 in tournament games held at Chase Arena.
King of the Mountain: Stony Brook finished the America East season with a 14-2 record, the best mark for any conference member since Vermont was 15-1 after the 2006-07 season. It is Stony Brook’s second regular season title in three seasons and gives the Seawolves the No. 1 seed. The No. 1 seed has gone on to reach has gone on to reach the finals of the America East Championship 22 times in the 29 years that the tournament has been seeded. The No. 1 seed has won the title 19 times.
Home Court Matters: Should Stony Brook win in the quarterfinals and semifinals, it will host the championship final on March 10. SBU will have the odds for winning the title on its side. In the 28 years that the final has been played on the court of the highest remaining seed, the home team has won 25 times.
Wire to Wire: Stony Brook has been in first place in America East every day during the regular season. The Seawolves are the first wire-to-wire regular season champion since Vermont went 15-1 during the 2006-07 season.
Senior Leadership: The season and careers of four Stony Brook seniors are winding down and they have been a part of a massive turnaround. Before Bryan Dougher, Danny Carter, Dallis Joyner and Al Rapier stepped on the court at SBU, the Seawolves had only won 84 games in eight seasons as a Div. I program. Since they got here, the Seawolves have won 74 games in just under four seasons and won their second regular season championship in three years.
The Offense is Flowing: Stony Brook has won 18 of its last 20 games and the offensive rhythm the team is in has played a large role. The Seawolves are shooting 45 percent from the field over the last 20 games while averaging 68.4 points. Seven times during the streak, SBU has shot better than 50 percent and seven times SBU has scored 75 points or more.
Don't Forget About the D: Not to be forgotten is SBU’s defensive run during this 20-game stretch. The team is only allowing opponents to score 57.3 points per game over the last 20. Eight of the last 13 opponents have not reached 60 points, and the highest point total allowed in the span is 69. For the season, Stony Brook is 17th in the nation in scoring defense (59.4/game).
Rebounding Machines: Stony Brook has done a nice job on the glass so far this season, outrebounding opponents by a 7.7 margin (37.1 to 29.4), which leads America East and is seventh in the nation. What’s more impressive is the work on the offensive end, grabbing a league-best average of 13.6 offensive rebounds per game. That is leading to an average of 14.2 second chance points per game.
D is the Key: The math is usually simple for Stony Brook and its defense: hold the opponent under 60 points and it’s a victory. The Seawolves are 15-0 this season when holding their opponent under 60 points.
Home Streaks: SBU has won a program Div. I record 14 consecutive home games, dating back to last season. The streak surpasses the program’s previous Div. I record of 13, which occurred between Dec. 2, 2000 and Dec. 4, 2001. The streak is the 13th longest active home winning streak in the nation, and the Seawolves are one of only 13 teams that’s undefeated at home this season. Since returning to Pritchard Gymnasium prior to the 2008-09 season, the Seawolves are 38-15 (.717) in the building.
Up Next: If SBU wins its semifinal game, the Seawolves will host the championship final on Saturday, March 10, at Stony Brook Arena at 11 a.m., live on ESPN2. If SBU loses, it will be guaranteed a berth in the NIT by virtue of winning the regular season crown.
