Dec. 11, 2000
STONY BROOK MEN'S BASKETBALL REPORT
(4-3, 1-1 this week)
Brisport's 35 Points Leads Seawolves to Overtime Win
New York, N.Y. -- It was showtime in upper Manhattan on Saturday night, but it wasn't at the Apollo Theatre. Instead, it was the Leon Brisport (Brooklyn, N.Y.) show held at Levien Gymnasium on the campus of Columbia University. The senior center registered a career-high 35 points and 13 rebounds to lead Stony Brook to a 67-63 overtime win over Columbia. He did so on 7-10 shooting and connecting on an incredible 21-of-25 free throw attempts. His performance set a new standard as it was the most points ever scored and the most free throws ever attempted by a visiting player in Levien Gymnasium. The game started out slow for Stony Brook as the Seawolves shot only 27 percent from the field in the first half, knocking down only six baskets in the first 20 minutes. But it was Brisport who kept the Seawolves in it. Down 15-11, he scored five straight points to give the Seawolves the lead with 7:54 remaining in the first half. Later, he connected on two free throws to push Stony Brook's lead to 25-19 with over two minutes remaining. Columbia answered right back with two baskets by Chris Wiedemann to pull the Lions within 25-23 at the break. Brisport finished the half with 13 points, including 7-7 from the free throw line. The second half continued to be a see-saw battle that saw the game tied on seven occasions and the lead change hands four times. Stony Brook twice held a five-point lead, the latest coming with 6:00 remaining when D.J. Munir (Providence, R.I.) nailed a three-pointer to put SB ahead 47-42. Craig Austin answered right back with a three of his own to ignite a 5-0 Lions run that knotted the score at 47. With less than three minutes to go and Stony Brook clinging to a 51-50 lead, Columbia got a pair of free throws from Maurice Murphy and added another from Austin to surge ahead 53-51 with a minute remaining. On the next possession for Stony Brook, Munir drove the lane and was fouled. He calmly hit two free throws with 37 seconds left and the game was tied at 53. Columbia missed on the ensuing possession and Brisport pulled down the rebound, was fouled and went to the free throw line. He hit both attempts to give SB the lead 55-53 with 22 ticks on the clock. Columbia would not go away, however, and it was the Lions' Austin that continued to haunt the Seawolves. As the clock dwindled under 10 seconds, he drove the lane and hit a running layup with four seconds left that sent the game to overtime. In the overtime, Brisport took over. He scored Stony Brook's first eight points as the Seawolves took control in the extra session jumping out to a 63-58 advantage. A three-pointer by Murphy got the Lions with 63-61, but Chris Balliro's (Swampscott, Mass.) lay up with 28 seconds to go and a pair of free throws by Munir sealed Stony Brook's fourth win of the year. Brisport's 25 free throw attempts equalled the Stony Brook single-game record held by Emeka Smith. Smith hit 23-of-25 free throws against Lehman on December 7, 1991. With the victory, the Seawolves improve to 4-3 on the year. Last season, the Seawolves did not register their fourth victory until January 15. Stony Brook is back in action again on Wednesday night when they travel to Maryland-Eastern Shore. Tip-off is 7:30 p.m.
Men's Basketball Loses To Nationally-Ranked Maryland
College Park, Md. -- Lonny Baxter scored 15 of his 19 points in the first half as No. 19 Maryland built a 33-point lead and coasted to its 72nd straight nonconference home win, 107-59 over Stony Brook on Wednesday night. Byron Mouton and Juan Dixon also scored 19 for the Terrapins (4-3), who have won three straight. Maryland's nonconference home winning streak, which began in 1989, is the longest in the nation. The crowd of 13,206 was the largest that a Stony Brook team has ever played in front of, eclipsing the crowd of 12,059 at the University of Utah on November 29, 1999. Playing at Cole Field House for the first time after a six-game run through Hawaii, Wisconsin and Washington, the Terrapins made themselves right at home against the Seawolves (3-3). Baxter scored off the opening tip and went 6-for-7 from the field to help Maryland take a 53-20 halftime lead. The Seawolves, who start three freshmen, went the final 10:52 of the half without a basket while being outscored 25-2. The second half was noteworthy only in that Maryland coach Gary Williams received a technical foul with 15:06 left and the Terrapins leading 70-26. Leon Brisport led the Seawolves with 18 points. It was the third-worst defeat in the history of the program, which moved up to the Division I level last year. Baxter made his first four shots from the field and Dixon hit successive 3-pointers to cap a 8-0 spurt that 1put the Terrapins up 19-9. It was 24-16 before Baxter and Mouton both scored six points and Danny Miller connected from beyond the arc during a 16-2 run that provided Maryland with a 22-point cushion. With three minutes left in the half, Baxter had six field goals and five free throw attempts compared to seven baskets and four foul shots for the Seawolves. Maryland's Steve Blake added to the Seawolves' misery by sinking a desperation heave from just inside the midcourt line as the first half ended. Blake finished with a career-high 13 assists.
STONY BROOK WOMEN'S BASKETBALL REPORT
(5-2, 0-1 this week)
Culbertson Too Cumbersome For Seawolves
New Rochelle, N.Y. -- Karen Culbertson scored 26 points and had seven rebounds and Iona (3-4) led from start to finish in defeating Stony Brook (5-2), 75-65, Tuesday night at the Mulcahy Center. The win snapped Stony Brook's four-game winning streak and tied the series between the two schools at 1-1. The Gaels jumped out to a 12-point advantage at 16-4, holding Stony Brook to just four points in the first 10:05 of the game. Theresa LoParrino's (Bronx, N.Y.) three-pointer ended the 16-4 run. Maggie Triggs' (Essex Junction, Vt.) running jumper cut the lead to 18-12 - the closest Stony Brook would get in the first half. Culbertson's driving layup with :05 remaining gave the Gaels a 30-22 lead at the half. Danielle DeGiorgio's (Shirley, N.Y.) three-pointer at the 17:06 mark brought the Seawolves within 35-31. But a 13-3 Iona run put the lead back at 48-34 with 13:17 left. After the teams traded baskets, Sherry Jordan (Stone Mountain, Ga.) hit two jumpers, DeGiorgio collected five points and Erika Shipley (Fort Wayne, Ind.) hit a jumper - part of an 11-0 run that got Stony Brook to within 50-47 - the closest it would get in the game. Over the next 4:50, the Gaels put the game away with a 14-4 back-breaking run, six points that came from Megan Cobb. Jordan led the Seawolves with 23 points - 21 in the second half that saw her hit 9-of-11 field goals including a pair of three-pointers. Theresa LoParrino scored 14 points and dished out six assists. Maggie Triggs was the third player in double figures for Stony Brook, scoring 10 points. The Seawolves host American on Monday at 7 p.m. at the USB Sports Complex.
STONY BROOK TRACK AND FIELD REPORT
Seawolves Open Indoor Season at Fordham
Bronx, N.Y. -- The Stony Brook track and field team garnered eight first-place finishes in the Seawolves' first meet of the indoor season on Friday. The Seawolves traveled to the Fordham Christmas Clash, where they competed against Fairleigh Dickinson, Fordham and Iona. Sophomore Dana Shepherd (Cheektowaga, N.Y.) won the 55m in 7.1 seconds, while teammate Tameika Henry (Brooklyn, N.Y.) was second with a time of 7.3 seconds. Sophomore Nicola Baker (Queens, N.Y.) won the 200m in a time of 27.9 seconds, while junior Jenny Payne (Cary, N.C.) won the 3000m in 10:41.7. In field events, Iva Tzvetanova (Larnaca, Cyprus) won the shot put with a toss of 27 feet. On the men's side, it was junior Craig Matuza (Smithtown, N.Y.) leading the way with two first-place finishes. Matuza won the shot put with a throw of 48 feet, 2.25 inches, while his toss of 44 feet, 6.75 inches gave him first place in the weight throw. Junior Dave deWolfe (Hillsborough, N.J.) and senior Mike Thompson (Centereach, N.Y.) each won a race, as deWolfe won the 3000m in a time of 9:01.6, while Thompson's time of 4:26.9 in the mile gave him first place. The Seawolves next meet is Friday, Jan. 20, at the Fordham Invitational.
Stony Brook Athlete Of the Week
leon brisport * MEN's basketball
Senior * Brooklyn, N.Y.
Brisport exploded for a career-high 35 points and 13 rebounds Saturday in USB's 67-63 overtime win at Columbia. Brisport nailed 21-25 free throws, tying the Stony Brook single game record, en route to scoring the most points ever by a visiting player. Brisport's performance was a nice follow-up to his 18 points and 11 rebounds at Maryland on Wednesday.
