STONY BROOK STUDENT-ATHLETES COLLECT FOOD FOR LOCAL FOOD BANK

Over 400 Items Collected

Stony Brook, N.Y. - Stony Brook University's Student-Athlete Advisory Council (SAAC) recently spearheaded a community service project that collected food items that was donated to the Port Jefferson Food Pantry. All of Stony Brook 21 teams participated in the project, which collected over 400 non-perishable food items that were delivered in time for the Thanksgiving holiday.

AMERICAN NIPS SBU MEN, 56-53

Men's Basketball Rallies Late But Falls to American, 56-53
Freshman Tommy Brenton records 13 points and 11 rebounds.

Stony Brook, N.Y. - Sophomore Chris Martin's (Springfield Gardens, N.Y.) potential game-tying three pointer with two seconds left just missed as the Stony Brook University men's basketball team dropped a hard-fought 56-53 decision to the American Eagles on Tuesday night at Pritchard Gymnasium. Freshman Tommy Brenton (Columbia, Md.) led Stony Brook with 13 points and 11 rebounds. The Seawolves drop to 1-3 with the loss while the Eagles improve to 4-1.
"I'm extremely proud of the energy and effort our players showed tonight," Stony Brook head coach Steve Pikiell said. "We played some excellent basketball against a terrific American team and unfortunately they just made a few more plays than we did down the stretch."
Brenton, the two-time America East Player of the week and America East Player of the Game, was terrific again for SBU as he recorded his second straight double-double. Martin finished with 10 points, including seven in the second half, for Stony Brook who shot a season-high 46.5 percent from the field.
Trailing 50-42 with 5:33 remaining, the Seawolves rallied back as Brenton hit a tough jumper in the lane and then grabbed an offensive rebound on Stony Brook's next possession to set up a three-pointer from freshman Bryan Dougher (Scotch-Plains, N.J.) that cut the Eagles lead to three.
Nick Hendra hit two free throws with 2:38 remaining to push the American lead back to five but Brenton once again had an answer as he put back his own miss on the Seawolves next possession to make it 52-49 with 2:14 left. A Garrison Carr jumper put the Eagles back up five less than a minute later but Martin hit a driving lay-up on SBU's ensuing possession to cut the Seawolves deficit back to three.

The teams then traded misses before Brenton scored on put-back with 17 seconds remaining to make it 54-53. Carr hit two free throws on the other end with 13 second left, giving the Seawolves one last chance to tie it. SBU brought it down court and worked it to Martin, whose three just missed as SBU dropped its third straight game.
SBU got off to a terrific start as junior Jonathan Moore (Cleveland, Ohio) hit two early three-pointers to give the Seawolves an 8-3 lead just under three minutes into the game. SBU would take its largest lead of the game at 17-11 on a three-point play from Brenton with 11:27 left in the first half. The Eagles had an answer though, going on a 13-2 run to take a 24-19 lead with 7:14 to go in the opening period. The Seawolves answered with four straight points though to cut their deficit to one and went into the break down just three at 29-26.
SBU shot 52.6 percent in the opening half as eight different players scored. American was led in the first half by Frane Markusovic's nine points.
Stony Brook would tie the game at 31-all early in the second half but the Eagles then scored seven of the next eight points to take a 38-32 lead with 12:28 to go. The Seawolves cut their deficit to as few as three at 43-40 with 9:09 left on a Brenton free throw but the Eagles then went on a 7-1 run to take the 50-42 lead with 5:33 left on a Hendra lay-up.
Hendra scored a team-high 16 points for the Eagles who also got 13 points from Markusovic. The Seawolves held Carr, who entered the game averaging 23.0 points per game, to just 10 points on 3-for-9 shooting.
The Seawolves return to action on Saturday afternoon, traveling to take on the Columbia Lions. Game time is set for 2 p.m.

WAGNER EDGES MEN'S BASKETBALL, 65-62

Tommy Brenton leads Seawolves with 15 points.

Stony Brook, N.Y. - Freshman Tommy Brenton (Columbia, Md.) led four Seawolves in double-figures with 15 points but it wasn't enough as the Stony Brook University men's basketball team fell to the Wagner Seahawks, 65-62, on Saturday afternoon at Pritchard Gymnasium. The Seawolves drop to 1-2 with the loss while the Seahawks improve to 2-1.
"I like the toughness we showed today," Stony Brook head coach Steve Pikiell said. "We just can't allow the other team to shoot 53.8 percent and expect to win. I like the direction our team is headed in we just have to learn to make a few more plays down the stretch."
Brenton had another terrific game for the Seawolves as he shot 5-for-7 from the field and grabbed a game-high 10 rebounds. Freshman Dallis Joyner (Norfolk, Va.) and sophomore Chris Martin (Springfield Gardens, N.Y.) added 14 points apiece for the Seawolves who dropped their second straight game after winning the season-opener.
Wagner looked to have the game in hand after a Justin Drummond hoop gave the Seahawks a 62-56 lead with 2:06 to play. But Martin rallied the Seawolves back as he hit two free throws on SBU's next possession and then knocked down a long jumper from the corner, after Jamal Smith had hit one of two free throws for Wagner, to cut the Stony Brook deficit to three.
Smith missed a jumper on Wagner's next possession and Brenton grabbed the rebound to give the Seawolves a chance to tie the game with 49 seconds remaining. After calling a timeout with 24 second left, SBU worked the ball to Joyner who just missed on a jumper. But Brenton grabbed the offensive board and got it to freshman Bryan Dougher (Scotch Plains, N.J.) who put up a long three-pointer that hit off the back rim. Doug Elwell corralled the rebound for Wagner with eight seconds left and then hit two free throws on the other end to seal the game.

Smith scored a game-high 21 points for Wagner, shooting 6-for-13 from the field in addition to grabbing five rebounds. Joey Mundweiler chipped in 17 points for the Seahawks who shot 53.8 percent from the field.
Wagner grabbed leads of 12-6 and 17-11 in the early going thanks to Smith who scored 12 of the Seahawks first 17 points. But the Seawolves rallied back, tying the game at 17 on a free throw from Brenton which capped a 6-0 SBU run. The Seahawks responded with seven straight points but the Seawolves would not go away, cutting their deficit to four at 26-22 on a Joyner free throw with 4:13 remaining.
The Seahawks pushed the lead back up to seven on a Smith lay-up with 18 second left but Martin hit a long three-pointer as time expired to make it 32-28 going into the break. Brenton, the America East Player of the game, led the Seawolves with eight first-half points.
SBU stayed close throughout the early portions of the second half and grabbed its first lead of the game at 36-34 on a Martin jumper with 15:36 to go in the game. The lead seesawed back-and-forth over the next several minutes until the Seahawks scored five straight points to take a 53-46 lead with 6:40 remaining.
But the Seawolves had an answer, scoring eight straight points to take a 54-53 lead with 5:26 left on a Brenton three-point play. Smith scored on a lay-up on the next Wagner possession though to kick start 9-2 run that gave the Seahawks the 62-56 lead with 2:06 left.
The Seawolves return to action on Tuesday night, hosting the America University Eagles at Pritchard Gymnasium. Game time is set for 7 p.m.

WOMEN'S BASKETBALL FALLS AT PSU, 97-58

Norwood leads Seawolves with 15 points

University Park, Pa. - Zhaque Gray led all scorers with 17 points as Penn State shot 54 percent from the field on its way to a 97-58 win over the Stony Brook women's basketball team at the Bryce Jordan Center on Wednesday night. Penn State improves to 2-0 while Stony Brook remains winless at 0-3. Sophomore Samantha Norwood (Perth, Australia) led Stony Brook with a career-high 15 points.
"I think we were a bit shell shocked after two games against Big 10 opponents," head coach Michele Cherry said. "We missed a few shots in the beginning, they made some early buckets and we couldn't catch up. We're going to have to get a lot tougher on defense."
Stony Brook struggled in the early going, missing on all seven of its attempts to start the game. Penn State utilized the poor shooting from the Seawolves, scoring the game's first 14 points. Sophomore Jodie Plikus (Waterford, Conn.), who did not play in the first two games, got Stony Brook on the board with a three-pointer, on her first attempt of the season.
Penn State continued to control the game, limiting Stony Brook to one shot on offense each time down the court while shooting 50 percent from the field, itself. Nine players scored for Penn State in the first half, led by eight points from Meggan Quinn. The Lady Lions, who had a 27-15 rebounding edge, including 10 on the offensive glass, owned a 47-14 halftime lead.
Junior Cassie Klockgether (San Diego, Calif.) was the early spark for Stony Brook to begin the second half, hitting on a three-point play on its first possession. But Penn State continued to shoot the ball well, starting the second half much the way the game started. Brianna O'Rourke and Julia Trogele each had four points early in the half.

Freshman Tamiel Murray (Teaneck, N.J.) and Plikus tried to end Stony Brook's shooting woes, connecting on back-to-back threes to cut the Penn State lead to 64-29.
Stony Brook scored 44 second half points, its largest total in two and a half years.
Norwood's 15 points earned her America East Player of the Game honors. Sophomore Kirsten Jeter (Elmont, N.Y.) had 11 points, all in the second half.
Penn State had five scorers in double figures. Trogele and Quinn chipped in with 15 points.
Stony Brook continues its five-game road trip when it travels to Princeton on Saturday. Tip-off is slated for 6 pm.

MEN'S BASKETBALL FALLS TO LAFAYETTE, 80-71

Junior Muhammad El-Amin leads the Seawolves with 15 points.

Easton, Pa. - Stony Brook's men's basketball team mounted a furious rally, cutting a 22-point lead to seven, but it wasn't enough as the Lafayette Leopards held on for a 80-71 victory on Tuesday night at the Kirby Sports Center. Junior Muhammad El-Amin (Lansing, Mich.) led the Seawolves with 15 points while freshman Dallis Joyner (Norfolk, Va.) added 14 points and five rebounds. Stony Brook falls to 1-1 with the loss while Lafayette improves to 2-0.
"I'm proud of the way we competed and the character we showed coming back," Stony Brook head coach Steve Pikiell said. "We just have to execute better on the defensive side of the court."
Lafayette took a 72-50 lead with 4:57 remaining on an Andrew Brown jumper but freshman Bryan Dougher (Scotch Plains, N.J.) answered with a long three-pointer to kick start a 12-0 Stony Brook run. Dougher capped the run with a driving lay-up with 2:15 to go that cut the Leopards lead to 72-62. The Seawolves forced a Lafayette turnover on the ensuing possession but were unable to capitalize on the offense end and the Leopards then got ball to Brown who knocked down two free throws to push the lead back to 12.
The Seawolves cut the Lafayette deficit to seven with under a minute to play on a lay-up from freshman Tommy Brenton (Columbia, Md.) but the Leopards hit two free throws on their next possession to close the game out. Brown scored a game-high 25 points for Lafayette who hit 10 three-pointers and shot 54 percent from the field. El-Amin, the America East Player of the game, scored 13 of his 15 points in the second half for Stony Brook who forced 24 Lafayette turnovers. .

Lafayette jumped on the Seawolves early, scoring 18 of the game's first 21 points to take an 18-3 lead just six and a half minutes into the game. But Stony Brook answered back, scoring eight straight points to cut the Lafayette lead to seven on jumper from freshman Danny Carter (London, England) with 9:18 left in the first half. Jeff Karl snapped the Stony Brook run on Lafayette's next possession but senior Michael Tyree (Somerset, N.J.) answered with a long three to cut the SBU deficit to six.
The Leopards had a response though as Kari and Brown hit on back-to-back three-pointers to push the lead back to double-digits with 6:58 to go in the first period. The Lafayette advantage would grow to 16 with just over two minutes remaining in the half but the Seawolves scored the final four points of the first stanza, on a hoop from senior Demetrius Young (Sacramento, Calif.) and two free throws from junior Andrew Goba (Durban, South Africa), to cut their deficit to just 12 at the half.
Lafayette opened the second half hot, going on a 12-3 run to push its lead to 21 with 14:37 remaining in the game. The Seawolves clawed back once again, cutting their deficit to 16 on a three-pointer from junior Jonathan Moore (Cleveland, Ohio) but the Leopards once again answered with a three to push their advantage back to 19. The Leopards maintained the double-digit lead until the final minutes when the Seawolves staged their furious rally.
The Seawolves return to action on Saturday, Nov. 22, hosting Wagner at Pritchard Gymnasium. Game time is set for 2 p.m.

GOWINS, CUTTINO EARN NATIONAL, CONFERENCE HONORS

Gowins, Cuttino Earn National, Conference Honors
Freshman Breaks Single-Season Rushing Record vs. VMI

Stony Brook, N.Y. - Stony Book freshman running back Edwin Gowins (Bellport, N.Y.) has earned a pair of honors for his play against VMI this past weekend. He was honored by both The Sports Network and the Big South Conference; getting the National Offensive Player of the Week nod from TSN and the Choice Hotels Offensive Player of the Week from the Big South. Gowins and junior Conte Cuttino (Uniondale, N.Y.) were also honored by the College Sporting News as National All-Stars for the week. It is the second straight week that Gowins has taken the Big South Offensive Player of the Week award and the sixth time overall that he has been honored by the conference. It is also the first time that a Stony Brook player has earned national player of the week honors in the program's Division I history.
Gowins continued his dominance over the second half of the season, leading Stony Brook with 250 rushing yards and three touchdowns against VMI. It was his second-straight 200-yard rushing game, in addition to the most rushing yards in a Big South game and the second-highest overall single-game rushing performance in League history. Gowins averaged 12.5 yards per carry, and on his second carry of the game, he ran for 36 yards and a score to give Stony Brook its first touchdown of the game. With the Seawolves leading by just three in the third quarter, Gowins broke off a 65-yard run for a score that answered a VMI scoring drive. In the fourth stanza, he answered another Keydet score with a 32-yard touchdown run that iced the game for Stony Brook. His 1,310 yards this season is a school record and the highest total for a freshman in FCS this season. Cuttino almost matched Gowins' totals, picking up 233 yards against VMI on his way to becoming Stony Brook's new career rushing leader with 2,807 for his career.

CONTE CUTTINO BECOMES STONY BROOK'S ALL-TIME RUSHER!

BY KATIE STRANG caitlin.strang@newsday.com

Just one week after Stony Brook amassed an astounding 635 rushing yards in a 59-point win over Iona, the dynamic running back tandem of Conte Cuttino and Ed Gowins overpowered again in a 40-26 win over Virginia Military Institute.Cuttino had 234 yards yesterday, making him Stony Brook's all-time rushing leader with 2,807 yards, surpassing Ralph Melendez (2,623, 1997-2000)."It was destined to be broken," Cuttino said of the rushing record. "Now, I'm trying to make it a little harder for Eddie."Cuttino's 234-yard effort also elevated him to 1,196 yards on the season, making it the first time in Stony Brook history that two running backs have rushed for 1,000 yards in the same season. Freshman standout Gowins, who entered the game with a stellar 8.8 yards per carry, rushed for 250 yards on 20 carries to finish the season with 1,310 yards.
"I've been coaching 25 years and performances they've put on the table the past six weeks have been special," head coach Chuck Priore said. "But more importantly, they enjoy each other doing it."To foreshadow another big day for the Seawolves' backfield, Gowins scored on the fourth play from scrimmage, blazing past VMI defenders for a 36-yard rushing touchdown.Stony Brook scored again on its next possession as quarterback Dayne Hoffman faked a handoff to Gowins, rolled left and hit Dwayne Eley for an 8-yard touchdown pass. After a missed extra point, the Seawolves had a 13-0 lead.VMI, which entered the game ranked No. 2 in the country among Football Championship Subdivision (former Division I-AA) teams in rushing, answered back when quarterback Tim Maypray bounced off a couple of defenders at the line near midfield and broke to the open field for a 60-yard touchdown run to cut the score to 13-7.Down 20-10 entering the second half, VMI kept Stony Brook contained early in the third quarter and capitalized on a couple of Seawolves penalties to score and cut the lead to three points.On the next possession, however, Gowins resurrected his earlier rhythm, and tore down the sideline for a 65-yd rushing TD, although VMI blocked the extra-point attempt and Bryant Youngblood recovered the ball and ran it back for two points to stay within a score.The Seawolves tacked on an insurance TD as Hoffman connected with wide receiver Donald Lee for a 27-yard score, but VMI kept chipping away, turning a Hoffman interception in the fourth quarter into a scoring drive to make the score 33-26.In fitting fashion, however, Gowins ripped a seam at the line for a 32-yard touchdown run with less than 5 minutes remaining to ultimately bury VMI."The line did an outstanding job today," Gowins said. "We needed to put some points on the board, so we did some things to make it happen."

SBU WINS FIRST GAME IN THE "OLD GYM" - PRITCHARD GYMANSIUM

Men's Basketball Opens Season With 60-44 Victory Over Maryland-Eastern Shore
Seawolves win first game in newly renovated Pritchard Gymnasium.

Stony Brook, N.Y. - Freshman Tommy Brenton (Columbia, Md.) recorded eight points and 16 rebounds in his first collegiate game as the Stony Brook University men's basketball team opened up the 2008-09 season with a 60-44 victory over the Maryland-Eastern Shore Hawks on Friday night before a capacity crowd of 1,536 at newly renovated Pritchard Gymnasium.
"I couldn't have asked for a better start to our season and I couldn't be prouder of my players," Stony Brook head coach Steve Pikiell said. "They played with tremendous energy and effort in what was a great college basketball atmosphere in Pritchard Gymnasium."
Brenton, who was named America East Player of the game, was terrific in his first college game, grabbing six of his 16 rebounds on the offensive end. Freshman Danny Carter (London, England.) led three Seawolves (1-0) in double-figures with 11 points as he shot 5-for-7 from the field and added a game-high three blocks. Senior Demetrius Young (Sacramento, Calif.) tallied 10 points for Stony Brook, who opened the season at home for the first time since 2003-04.
Stony Brook got off to a quick start as senior Michael Tyree (Somerset, N.J.) knocked down a three on the Seawolves first possession and Brenton followed with a fast-break lay-up to make it 5-0. The Hawks (0-1) would close to within one at 7-6 before freshman Bryan Dougher (Scotch Plains, N.J.) kick started a 8-0 run with another SBU three-pointer. Dougher finished the game with 10 points in a team-high 35 minutes.

Maryland-Eastern Shore closed to within two, at 19-17, with 8:18 to go in the first half but Young answered with a thundering dunk off a steal from junior Eddie Castellanos (Jersey City, N.J.) and Carter then added a three to push the Stony Brook lead back to seven. Brenton followed with a jumper to make it 26-17 with 6:27 left but the Hawks scored eight of the next 12 points to close within five at half.
Carter led the way with seven points in the first half for the Seawolves who turned it over just two times in the opening 20 minutes. Neal Pitt scored a game-high 13 points in the first half for the Hawks.
SBU opened the second half with four quick points on a Young layup and a Brenton jumper to push its lead to nine at 34-25. The Hawks would cut the lead to six with 12:42 left but Dougher responded with a three as the Seawolves scored nine straight points to take a 45-33 advantage on a layup from freshman Dallis Joyner (Norfolk, Va.) with 10:10 remaining. Joyner was superb in the second half, scoring a team-high eight points in the period.
UMES would not go away though, cutting the Seawolves lead to seven at 48-41 with 7:15 remaining in the game. But following a timeout, Stony Brook worked the ball down to Joyner who scored on a tremendous up and under move to push the Seawolves lead back to nine. Joyner followed with another hoop on SBU's next possession and the Hawks would get no closer than 11 the rest of the way.
The Seawolves return to action on Tuesday, Nov. 18th, traveling to take on the Lafayette Leopards.Game time is set for 7 p.m.

SBU SENIORS GO OUT ON WINNING NOTE

Stony Brook Closes Season on High Note With 40-26 Win Over VMI

Cuttino, Gowins Each Break School Records

Stony Brook, N.Y. - For a second straight week the Stony Brook football team used an overwhelming ground attack that saw freshman Edwin Gowins (Bellport, N.Y.) and junior Conte Cuttino (Uniondale, N.Y.) each reach the 200-yard rushing mark for a second straight week as well, resulting in a 40-26 victory over VMI in a Big South matchup. It was the final game of the season for the Seawolves, who finished the 2008 campaign by winning four of their last five outings. It was another record-setting game as well, as a first quarter run by Cuttino moved him past Ralph Menendez '00 as Stony Brook's all-time leading rusher while Gowins established a new single-season rushing mark.
"I am proud of the entire team," said Stony Brook head coach Chuck Priore. "It took some believing after the way we started the season, which did not happen right away. If you have talented players they will find the right mechanism to make things work. I go back to the goal-line stand we made against Charleston Southern. We followed that up with a 98-yard drive and I think that turned our season around."
Big plays got Stony Brook (5-6, 3-2 Big South) going early on as the Seawolves scored a pair of touchdowns in the first five minutes of the game. Taking the opening kickoff, the Stony Brook got runs of 16 and 15 yards from Cuttino and then 13 yards and 36 yards for a score from Gowins to go up 7-0 just 1:35 into the game. After holding VMI (3-7, 1-4 Big South) to a three and out, the Seawolves struck again. This time it took just three plays to score, with the first two runs of 32 and 40 yards by Cuttino, the first of which got him the school rushing record. Freshman quarterback Dayne Hoffman (Ada, Mich.) finished it off with an eight-yard scoring strike to senior Dwayne Eley (Bowie, Md.) that made it 13-0 after a missed PAT.

VMI then used the big play to get back into the game when quarterback Tim Maypray broke through the SBU defense for a 60-yard scoring run that made it 13-7 with the quarter not even half over. The first quarter scoring did end there, however, as the Keydets missed on a 41-yard field goal attempt on the next to last play of the quarter. Midway through the second quarter VMI did connect on a field goal, cutting the lead to 13-10 when Greg Stevens hit from 37-yards away. On Stony Brook's next possession the Seawolves used a flea-flicker that resulted in a 55-yard Hoffman to Eley pass on the first play of the drive. That set up a Hoffman one-yard sneak for a score that pushed the SBU lead back to 10 at 20-10 with 5:53 left in the half.
On VMI's second drive of the second half the Keydets took advantage of a pair of personal foul penalties on the same play that put them at midfield. From there the VMI offense got three straight rushes of at least 13 yards that gave it a first and goal at the two. Howard Abegesah took it in from there and the Keydets had closed to within three.
Gowins wasted no time answering for Stony Brook, taking it 65 yards for a score on the fourth play of the ensuing drive. The PAT was blocked, however, and VMI's Bryant Youngblood returned it all the way for a two-point play that kept the Keydets within a touchdown at 26-19.
Early in the fourth quarter Hoffman tossed his second scoring pass of the day, finding junior Donald Lee (Clifton, N.J.) for a 27-yard score that gave the Seawolves a 33-19 advantage with 14:46 left. After forcing a VMI punt, Stony Brook was driving again for a decisive score, but the Keydets' Bryon Allen intercepted a Hoffman pass and returned it 21 yards to the VMI 39. The Keydets then turned the miscue into points, taking eight plays to cover the 61 yards to the end zone. Michael Rainey-Wiles took it in from 12 yards out and VMI was back within a touchdown at 33-26 with seven minutes left.
For the third time in the game Stony Brook answered a VMI score with a touchdown, this time putting the game away for good. Cuttino started the drive with a 19-yard scamper and Hoffman hit Eley for a key first down on a third and three play to keep the dive alive. On the next play Gowins scored his third touchdown of the night, taking it in from 32 yards out for the final score of the game.
Stony Brook's defense did the rest, holding VMI's option attack to a three and out on its next possession to seal the win. Playing in his final game for Stony Brook, senior captain Michael Meadows (Shrub Oak, N.Y.) led the Seawolves defense with nine tackles as it held a Keydets offense that had been averaging over 400 yards per game to 364, all of which came on the ground.
Stony Brook's offense on the other hand, rolled up 622 yards in offense to make it two weeks in a row over the 600-yard mark for the Seawolves. Gowins finished with 250 yards on 20 carries to end the season with 1,310 yards to set a school single-season record, while Cuttino's total of 1,195 is the third best rushing season at SBU, moving him to a record 2,807 for his career. Abegesah led VMI with 109 yards on the ground, with Maypray close behind with 99 yards.
Hoffman finished with 175 yards through the air, completing 11 of his 21 attempts. Eley caught six of his tosses for 104 yards, his third 100-yard game of the season. With the win Stony Brook's 3-2 Big South record gives the Seawolves a chance to finish second in the league standings in its first season in the conference.

MEN'S BASKETBALL TO OPEN 2008-09 SEASON FRIDAY NIGHT AGAINST UMES

Men's Basketball Set To Open 2008-09 Season On Friday Night Against Maryland-Eastern Shore

Seawolves open against Hawks on Friday at 7 p.m. at Pritchard Gymnasium.

Stony Brook, N.Y. - Stony Brook's men's basketball team will kick off its 2008-09 season on Friday night, hosting the Maryland-Eastern Shore Hawks at 7 p.m. The game will mark the return of Stony Brook basketball to its former home, Pritchard Gymnasium, which underwent a $1.2 million renovation over the summer. Fans can call (631) 632-WOLF for tickets which are $10 for benchback seating and $8 for reserve seating. Admission is free for Stony Brook students with a Stony Brook student ID.
Stony Brook brings back six major contributors from a season ago including senior forward Demetrius Young (Sacramento, Calif.) who led the America East with a .638 field goal percentage in 2007 in addition to ranking fifth with 6.7 rebounds per game. SBU also returns senior Michael Tyree (Somerset, N.J.) and sophomore Chris Martin (Springfield Gardens, N.Y.) who started eight and 16 games, respectively, last season.
Friday's game also marks the collegiate debut of the most highly-rated recruiting class in Seawolves history. The class includes four players that won state championships in high school
This will be the first time the Seawolves have opened the season at home since the 2003-04 season. Stony Brook was victorious in that game, defeating Dartmouth, 56-53. SBU lost a heartbreaker in its home opener last season, dropping a 76-68 overtime decision to Lafayette.
Maryland-Eastern Shore will be playing their first game for new head coach Frankie Allen. The Hawks return just four players from last year's squad that finished 4-28. UMES was picked to finish 11th in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) in the preseason coaches poll. The Hawks defeated Swarthmore College, 75-35, in its lone exhibition game. Freshman guard Chris Conner scored a game-high 21 points and grabbed three rebounds for the Hawks while junior Neal Pitt collected a double-double with 14 points and 18 boards.

Live AudioFriday's contest will air locally on WUSB 90.1 FM with Mike Solano (play-by-play), Curt Hylton (analyst) and Jeff Bernstein (analyst) on the call. Fans can also listen to the game online at goseawolves.org.
GametrackerFans can follow the game with gametracker at goseawolves.org.
Video StreamingFriday's game can also be seen live on the web at goseawolves.org.
TicketsTickets are available by calling the Stony Brook ticket office at 631-632-WOLF. The ticket box office will open at the Arena one hour prior to Friday's 5 p.m. women's game.

GOWINS NAMED BIG SOUTH OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK

Stony Brook, N.Y. - Stony Book freshman running back Edwin Gowins (Bellport, N.Y.) was honored by the Big South Conference today when he was named the league's Choice Hotels Offensive Player of the Week for his performance in Stony Brook's game at Iona on Saturday. It was the fifth time this season Gowins has been honored by the Big South; he has been honored four times with the league's Freshman of the Week award.
Gowins rushed for a Big South single-game record 278 yards and three touchdowns in Stony Brook's victory at Iona, breaking the league's single-game rushing record by 33 yards. He is the sixth Stony Brook back to record a 200-yard rushing game, with his total the third-highest single-game effort in the Stony Brook record books. Nine of his 19 carries went for more than 10 yards and he had touchdown runs of 3, 29 and 62 yards on the day. Gowins accounted for 43 yards on SBU's second drive of the game and finished the day with a 14.63 yards per carry average - the third-highest average in Big South history. Gowins now leads all freshmen in FCS (formally I-AA) in rushing and his performance pushed him over the 1,000-yard mark on the season, becoming the first Big South freshman and the second Stony Brook player to accomplish that feat.

STEVE PIKIELL REPORT RETURNS FOR FOURTH SEASON ON WUSB

Segment will begin on Sunday, Nov. 9th at 10:30 p.m.

Stony Brook, N.Y. - The 'Steve Pikiell Report' featuring fourth-year Stony Brook University Head Men's Basketball Coach Steve Pikiell will return once again on the longtime radio home for Stony Brook Athletics, WUSB (90.1 FM). The fourth-year segment featured on the "Sports Section" will start on Sunday, November 9th and continue every Sunday until the end of the 2009 season.
Veteran Seawolves broadcaster Jeff Bernstein will co-host the segment with various WUSB sports staffers and discuss game recaps/summaries and previews for the upcoming week. The segment will air at 10:30 p.m. for the first two weeks before moving to its regularly scheduled time of 10:15 p.m.
The Seawolves open up the 2008-09 campaign on Friday, Nov. 14, hosting Maryland-Eastern Shore as part of a season-opening doubleheader with the women's team. The men's game will tip-off following the women's game against Quinnipiac which begins at 5 p.m. The doubleheader will also mark the return of Stony Brook basketball to its former home, Pritchard Gymnasium, which underwent a million dollar renovation over the summer.

SBU WOMEN'S SOCCER FALLS TO BOSTON UNIVERSITY IN AMERICA EAST TITLE GAME, 2-1

Seawolves finish season with most wins since 1994.

Nov. 8, 2008

Boston, Mass. - Freshman Dominique Adamo (Ramsey, N.J.) scored with 2:09 remaining to bring the second-seeded Stony Brook University women's soccer within a goal, but it wasn't enough as the top-seeded Boston University Terriers held on for a 2-1 victory in the 2008 America East championship game on Saturday afternoon at Nickerson Field. The loss ended a record-breaking 2008 season for the Seawolves who finished with 11 victories, its most wins since 1994.

Adamo lined a shot from 20 yards out into the upper right corner of the net to cut a 2-0 BU lead in half but the Seawolves were unable to generate another scoring chance over the final 129 seconds as the Terriers secured their second-straight America East title. Junior goalkeeper Marisa Viola(Cutchogue, N.Y.) was brilliant in net for Stony Brook, making 11 saves.

Corie Halsaz gave the Terriers a 1-0 lead in the 71st minute as she carried the ball to the left side of the 18-yard box and then launched a shot from 12 yards out that deflected off Viola and then off the right post before trickling into the net. Mara Osher tallied what proved to be the game-winner less than two minutes later, as she collected a loose ball from 12 yards out and put it into the upper left-corner of the goal.

Janie Reilly finished the game with one save for the Terriers who outshot the Seawolves 21-4.

Marisha Schumacher-Hodge had the first solid scoring chance of the game in the 12th minute, lining a shot from 20 yards out that Viola was able to easily save. Junior Kate Collins (Essex Fells, N.J.) had the Seawolves first solid scoring chance in the 23rd minute, as she was able to get a shot off from 25 yards out that BU keeper Janie Reilly was able to make the save. 

BU nearly took the lead a few minutes later as Farrell McClernon sent a pass to the left side of the 18-yard box for Schumacher-Hodge who put a shot on net that Viola was able to get in front of to keep the game scoreless. Schumacher-Hodge created another scoring chance in the 30th minute as she took the ball down to the left end line and sent in a cross that deflected off a Seawolves defender from about five yards out, caroming toward the net. But Viola was in perfect position and was able to make the stop.

Jessica Luscinski had the final scoring chance of the first half with just over a minute remaining, launching a shot from 22 yards out that went wide of the net to the right. BU finished the opening period with an 8-2 shot advantage over the Seawolves who got six saves from Viola.

Viola made a brilliant save just minutes into the second half as Halasz broke free on the left side of the 18-yard box and drove a shot from about eight yards out that Viola was able to turn aside. Halasz nearly struck seconds later though, one-touching a cross from Schumacher-Hodge just over the net.

Collins, senior Brooke Barbuto (Syracuse, N.Y.) and senior Trine Allenberg (Roberts, Wisc.) were named to the 2008 America East All-Tournament team for the Seawolves.

BELLPORT'S EDDIE GOWINS EARNS FOURTH BIG SOUTH HONOR

Freshman Rushes For Career-High 185 Yards Against Gardner-Webb

Charlotte, N.C. - Freshman running back Edwin Gowins (Bellport, N.Y.) was honored by the Big South Conference today when he was named the league's Freshman of the Week for his performance in Stony Brook's game against Gardner-Webb on Saturday. It was the fourth time this season Gowins has been selected as the Freshman of the Week, the most selections of any player in the conference.
Gowins led all players with a career-high 185 yards rushing against Gardner-Webb, which entered the game holding opponents to 97.0 rushing yards per game. Gowins scored the game's first touchdown on a 49-yard scamper, and later scored from three yards out to give Stony Brook a 26-14 lead in the second quarter. In the fourth stanza, Gowins reeled off a 57-yard run that set up the Seawolves' final touchdown of the day. Five of his 15 carries went for at least 10 yards and eight of his attempts resulted in first downs. He averaged 12.3 yards per carry, third-highest in the SBU record books.

GARDNER-WEBB SLIPS PAST STONY BROOK, 34-33

Gowins and Cuttino Each Run For Over 100 Yards

Nov. 1, 2008

Final Stats

Stony Brook, N.Y. - Stony Brook's offense churned out a season-high 525 yards, with junior Conte Cuttino (Uniondale, N.Y.) and freshman Edwin Gowins (Bellport, N.Y.) rushing for 145 and 185 yards respectively, but Gardner-Webb scored two fourth quarter touchdowns to squeak past the Seawolves, 34-33. It was a game of offense as the two squads combined for 1,005 yards of total offense, with the Bulldogs picking up 394 through the air.

"Sometimes you have to lose on the scoreboard regardless of how you play," said Stony Brook head coach Chuck Priore. "I am proud of the kids, we played every play hard and we are competitive. I would like to say if you rush for 316 yards and pick up 27 first downs you are going to have a chance to win; and we did have a chance.

It was a good game played by two good teams." It was all Stony Brook early on as the Seawolves unleashed a running game that Gardner-Webb, which came into the game allowing just 92 yards per game on the ground, had no answer for. On the seventh play of the game for the Seawolves Gowins broke off a 49-yarder to cap off a 90-yard drive. After junior Carl Teague (St. Petersburg, Fla.) recovered a fumble on GWU's next possession, freshman Dayne Hoffman (Ada, Mich.) threw a rainbow that fell into senior Dwayne Eley's (Bowie, Md.) for a 56-yard play down to the GWU five. On the next snap Cuttino took it in to push the lead to 14-0.

Gardner-Webb countered with a 79-yard drive on its next possession that saw the Runnin' Bulldogs complete the drive without running the ball once. Quarterback Devin Campbell completed 6-of-7 attempts, finishing it with a 20-yard scoring toss to Josh Miller that cut the SBU lead down to seven. Senior Luke Gaddis (East Patchogue, N.Y.) pushed the Seawolves advantage back to 10 points on the first play in the second quarter when he hit 36-yard field goal. 

Gardner-Webb took only four plays to cover 73 yards on its next drive, getting a 30-yard Campbell to James Perry III pass play that made it 17-14 with 13:24 left in the half. After Gaddis hit another field goal, this one from 38 yards away, the Stony Brook defense held the Bulldogs to a three and out on its next possession. The Seawolves offense again turned a drive into points, their fifth straight to start the game. Taking over at its own 28, Stony Brook used its impressive run game to methodically drive down the field. Gowins finished off the 11-play drive with a three-yard run, putting Stony Brook on top 26-14 after the PAT was missed.

It looked as if that would be the halftime score, but Gardner-Webb's Tyson Petty snatched a ball away from two defenders as time was winding down for a 33-yard gain down to the SBU one. Phillip Peoples carried it in on the next play and the Bulldogs had pulled to within five at 26-21 at the half.

Stony Brook drove down to the Gardner-Webb 10 on its first drive of the second half, but Hoffman was picked off on a tipped pass play to end the threat. The Bulldogs put together a drive late in the third, getting into Stony Brook territory before the Seawolves defense stopped them at the SBU 22. Gardner-Webb then pulled off a fake field goal that saw the holder throw for an apparent touchdown, but the play was called back on a penalty and the Bulldogs were forced to punt.

The punt pinned Stony Brook back at its own one-yard line, but the Seawolves were not daunted. Anther long Gowins run, this one for 57 yards, put Stony Brook in business on the GWU seven with a first and goal. Cuttino finished it from there on the next play and the Seawolves had extended their lead to 33-21.

Gardner-Webb again used the pass on its next drive, picking up all but 14 yards of a seven-play, 73-yard effort that saw the Bulldogs pull within six when Peoples took it in from three yards out with 11:35 left in the game. On the ensuing kickoff sophomore Donald Porter (Charles Town, W.Va.) returned the kick 27 yards, but a hit by Mike Vesser forced the ball loose and the Bulldogs recovered at the Stony Brook 42. Gardner-Webb turned the miscue into points as Campbell hit Dobson Collins for what turned out to be the game-winner from 13 yards away with 8:35 left.

Stony Brook could only pick up one first down on its next drive and was forced to punt with six minutes left in the contest. Gardner-Webb ran all 1:04 off the clock on its next drive and Stony Brook took over on its own 20 after the Bulldogs punt went into the end-zone for a safety.

Hoffman completed a pair of passes to junior Donald Lee (Clifton, N.J.) for a first down at the Stony Brook 32, but the Seawolves were forced to throw a Hail Mary attempt on the final play of the game that was batted down by the Bulldog defense.

Hoffman finished the game by throwing for 209 yards, hitting 16 of his 31 attempts. Stony Brook's defense, led by eight stops by Teague, held Gardner-Webb to just 86 yards rushing, but Campbell connected on 32 of his 44 attempts for 394 yards and three scores. Gowins' 185 yards was a career-high and was the third time this season he has eclipsed the 100-yard mark. Cuttino went over the 100-yard mark for the third straight game and the 10th time in his career, with his 145-yard effort moving him into second on the all-time rushing list at Stony Brook with 2,372 yards.