KIRSTEN JETER - NEWSDAY STORY

New York-based Jeter, Stony Brook University forward Kirsten Jeter is all about the "W."

Which is why when women's basketball coach Michele Cherry told Jeter she was only a few games away from reaching 1,000 career points and 500 rebounds as a junior, Jeter reacted as if you'd told her it might rain tonight.

"She was like, 'Oh, OK, whatever,' " Cherry said. "Later on, she thought, 'Well, I guess that was kind of a big deal.' But she doesn't even worry about that kind of stuff.

"She's just really, really determined and wants to win. She's extremely competitive. It's about winning. She [couldn't] care less how we get there; she just wants to win."

But the 5-10 Jeter, an Elmont Memorial High School product, has reached those milestones for the Seawolves (9-19, 7-9 America East). She is the sixth woman at Stony Brook to amass 1,000 points and 500 rebounds.

On Feb. 17, while recording 22 points in a 69-59 loss to Boston University, she scored her 1,000th point on a layup with 6:12 left in the game. Jeter became the 14th woman in school history to reach the plateau and only the sixth to do it in her third year.

She had 19 points and 15 rebounds, the 14th of which gave her 500, in a 59-52 overtime loss to Albany on Feb. 10.

Jeter - a powerful inside player who was named to the America East all-rookie team as a freshman and to the all-conference third team as a sophomore - said she didn't realize it when she reached those milestones, and that it took her a while to celebrate the achievement after the games ended.

"I pretty much put that to the back burner," she said. "I wasn't really excited at that moment. But I was a little excited after I got over the loss."

It's that commitment to team over self that has allowed Jeter - who finished the regular season with averages of 14.2 points and 7.4 rebounds per game after recording 22 points and eight rebounds in yesterday's 59-48 win over UMBC - to excel during a sub-.500 season. That devotion to the game was something Cherry said she noticed as soon as she got her first look at Jeter.

"She's a hard worker; that's the first thing," said Cherry, whose team will compete in the conference tournament this week. "And a kid that works as hard as she does, a kid that's as passionate and competitive as she is, you could see she was in for a good career. You knew that if she stayed relatively healthy, you could kind of sense that she would be a special player."

Jeter's health has held up, and so has the consistency. And she has stayed grounded and relatively unaffected while she approached the career milestones.

"I just tried to keep it off my mind," she said in typical low-key fashion. "In any game, scoring is pressure, so I didn't let the 1,000 points affect me. I pretty much just listen to my music to get into my own mind-set and world to get ready for games and block everything else out."

Jeter said the dual accomplishments certainly are nice, but they weren't benchmarks she set for herself before beginning her college career.

"I didn't set that as one of my goals,'' she said. "It just happened that way."

Second-Half Surge Propels Women's Basketball to 59-48 Victory Over UMBC

Stony Brook, N.Y. - Trailing UMBC by one with 16:36 remaining in the second half, a 12-0 run by Stony Brook's women's basketball team propelled the Seawolves to a 59-48 victory on Senior Night in Pritchard Gymnasium. Junior Kirsten Jeter (Elmont, N.Y.) scored a game-high 22 as Stony Brook secured itself a top-five seed in next weekend's America East Championship. With the victory, SBU is 9-19 (7-9 America East) while UMBC is 13-16 (7-9).

"This is one of the more satisfying wins of the season," said head coach Michele Cherry. "To see our team progress from a No. 7 seed to possibly a No. 4 is just tremendous. And then to send our two seniors, Joia Daniels and Crystal Rushin, out on a victory makes it that much sweeter."

Stony Brook struggled out of the gate as it fell behind 13-6 just over four minutes into the game.Desptie connecting on just 8-of-28 first half field goals, the Seawolves managed to stay within one at 25-24 at halftime. Strong defensive pressure by Stony Brook forced UMBC into 20 total turnovers, 11 in the first half.

After the two teams combined to score just four points over the first 6:49 of the second half, Stony Brook's offense caught fire, sparked by back-to-back threes from freshman Gerda Gatling (Woodbridge, Va.). The Seawolves would go on to score 12 unanswered points over the next 3:05 to move in front 40-29. SBU had assists on each of the six baskets it made during the run, and finished the game with 16 assists on 20 made field goals.

Stony Brook would build its lead to as many as 15 with 5:22 remaining on a three-point play from sophomore Destiny Jacobs (Glen Burnie, Md.). A three from UMBC's Erin Brown cut SBU's advantage to nine with 3:27 remaining, but junior Misha Horsey (Wyncote, Pa.) answered right back with a three of her own to push the lead back into double-digits, where it stayed for the remainder of the game.

Horsey finished the game with 13 points and five assists. Jeter added three assists, eight rebounds and four steals to her 22 points to earn America East Player of the Game honors for Stony Brook. Michelle Kurowski scored a team-high 14 to receive the honor for UMBC.

Stony Brook's seeding in the America East Championship now depends on who wins the Maine-Albany game tonight. If Maine wins, the Seawolves will be the No. 4 seed. If Albany wins, SBU will have to wait for the result of the New Hampshire-Boston University game on Sunday to find out where they are seeded.

Men’s Basketball Falls To New Hampshire, 77-55, In Regular Season Finale

Durham, N.H. (Feb. 28, 2010) – Stony Brook University’s men’s basketball team closed its regular season with a 77-55 loss to New Hampshire on Sunday at Lundholm Gymnasium. The loss snaps a 10-game winning streak for the Seawolves, who finish their record-breaking regular season 21-8 overall and 13-3 in the America East. Stony Brook will be the No. 1 seed in next weekend’s America East Tournament and take on the winner of Thursday’s Albany/UMBC game on Saturday at Chase Arena in an America East quarterfinal game. Game time is set for 12 p.m.

“Give all the credit to New Hampshire, they outplayed us on both ends of the court,” Stony Brook head coach Steve Pikiell said. “We didn’t play Stony Brook basketball today but we’ll go back to work and get ready for Saturday [America East Tournament].”

Senior Muhammad El-Amin (Lansing, Mich.) and sophomore Bryan Dougher (Scotch Plains, N.J.) each scored 13 points to lead the Seawolves. Sophomore Tommy Brenton(Columbia, Md.) grabbed a game-high nine rebounds.

New Hampshire grabbed an early 6-4 lead but freshman Marcus Rouse (Upper Marlboro, Md.) then got free for an easy hoop off an in-bounds play, the first of six straight Seawolves points. UNH scored nine of the next 10 points to take a four point lead before El-Amin drained a long jumper to bring SBU within two.

The Wildcats answered with a 10-0 run to take a 25-13 lead with four minutes left in the half but Brenton then hit one of two free throws and Dougher followed with a three to cut the Seawolves deficit to eight.

UNH scored 10 of the final 14 points of the half though to take a 35-21 lead into the break. New Hampshire shot 46.7 percent in the opening 20 minutes against the Seawolves, who trailed at halftime for the first time since their Jan. 21 contest at Vermont.

New Hampshire scored the first five points of the second half to build its lead to 19 but sophomore Dallis Joyner (Norfolk, Va.) then completed a three-point play and El-Amin followed with a jumper from the top of the key to trim the Stony Brook deficit to 14.

But the Wildcats answered with four consecutive threes to take their largest lead of the game, 52-27, with 13:31 to go in the game. Brenton ended the run with a three-point play and Dougher then scored on a tough floater from the right baseline to trim the SBU deficit to 20.

Stony Brook was unable to get closer than 18 the rest of the way though as New Hampshire defeated the Seawolves at Lundholm Gymnasium for the sixth straight time. Ferg Myrick led four UNH players in double-figures with 21 points.
America East Tournament Ticket Information

Tickets will go on sale through the University of Hartford Hawks on Wednesday, March 1st at 10:00 a.m. online and by phone at (860) 768-HAWK (4295).

Tickets Prices:

$25 - Chairback

$18 - Reserved Bleacher Seats

Stony Brook tops Vermont, claims conference title

By MARK HERRMANN mark.herrmann@newsday.com

Quick SummaryStony Brook acted like one of the big boys in every way, especially in closing out an 82-78 clinching victory over second-place Vermont.

Students rushed the court as soon as the buzzer sounded, just like they do at all the venerable schools in major conferences. It was just another example that, at Stony Brook, everybody was ready for something they had never seen before. The school with the little gym and smaller cachet had made a huge leap.

Coach Steve Pikiell accepted the championship trophy of the America East conference and said into the microphone at the top of his lungs, "I want to thank all the fans who stuck with us through the bad times and now the good times." Even he would have been hard pressed, though, to imagine the bad turning to good so swiftly.

Still basically a fledgling program in Division I, Stony Brook acted like one of the big boys in every way, especially in closing out an 82-78 clinching victory over second-place Vermont at Pritchard Gymnasium.

"It means a lot, because you go to all those other schools and they all have a flag," said Muhammad El-Amin, the senior who scored a team-high 23 points on Senior Night. "Whether it's Binghamton or Vermont or UMBC. We don't have a flag."

But the Seawolves will have one as soon as someone can stitch one. They are 13-2 in America East, safely ahead of Vermont's 11-4 with only one game remaining before the conference tournament. No matter what happens there, Stony Brook is assured of at least a place in the NIT, the school's first Division I postseason berth.

This happened only four years after Pikiell arrived and began 4-24. "You don't understand," the coach said, now that his team is 21-7 overall. "We had ineligible players, we had injuries. There were sleepless nights." He credited the current group for pulling the program "out of the mud."

The footing on the final step still was slippery. Stony Brook led Vermont by 20 in the second half, having double-teamed and contained Marqus Blakely, the two-time America East Player of the Year. Then Vermont raced back with a burst led by a couple steals an layups by Blakely, who had 10 of his 14 points in the second half.

Vermont was within three, 77-74, with 15.8 seconds left, when Tommy Brenton made a soft jumper off a feed from his fellow sophomore Dallis Joyner, who had a career-high 20 points. Still, Vermont didn't go away. Stony Brook responded as if it were an old hand at this kind of thing. Bryan Dougher sank two free throws with eight second left to make the lead 81-75. And after Vermont's Maurice Joseph sank his fifth three-pointer with 24.3 seconds remaining, Chris Martin made one last key free throw, 1.5 seconds left before the student body stormed the court.

In other words, Stony Brook had what the moment required. "They believe. They've got tremendous confidence," Pikiell said of his players, adding that they have had it all season, including "times when I didn't think they should have."

Dougher, a sophomore who had 18 points, said, "We're young, but we played a lot of minutes as freshmen. We played at high schools that had winning teams. In the end, it all just comes down to playing basketball."

Everyone at Stony Brook looks as if basketball has been part of the DNA for decades. Pikiell said, "The students are learning to be great basketball fans."

They all know that one flag isn't the biggest prize. "This is huge for the university," Dougher said. "But our goal is to make it to the NCAA Tournament."

That would be only another first.

Men's Basketball Clinches First Ever Regular Season America East Title With 82-78 Victory Over Vermont

Seawolves clinch No. 1 seed in next week's America East Tournament.

Post Game Press Conference Box Score
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Stony Brook, N.Y. - Senior Muhammad El-Amin (Lansing, Mich.) led four Seawolves in double-figures with 23 points and Stony Brook University men's basketball team shot a season-high 54.7 percent from the field as it clinched its first America East regular season title with an 82-78 victory over Vermont before a sellout crowd at Pritchard Gymnasium. It was the 10th straight win for the Seawolves, who clinched the No. 1 seed in next week's America East Tournament with the victory.

"This is a great day for our program and our University," Stony Brook head coach Steve Pikiell said. "I'm just really happy for our team especially our seniors. We got contributions from a lot of guys and our defense was outstanding for most of the night. This program has come a long long way and it is because of the contributions of a lot of great people at this University."

El-Amin scored 15 of his 23 in the second half for the Seawolves (21-7, 13-2), while sophomore Dallis Joyner (Norfolk, Va.) added a career-best 20 points and eight rebounds. Sophomore Bryan Dougher (Scotch Plains, N.Y.) chipped in with 18 points, while junior Chris Martin (Springfield Gardens, N.Y.) scored 15.

Stony Brook led by 20 with 8:07 remaining in the game following a Martin jumper but Vermont answered with 27-11 run over the next several minutes to cut the Seawolves lead to 75-71 with 1:27 remaining. Joyner knocked down two free throws on Stony Brook's ensuing possession before Maurice Joseph drilled a three to slice the SBU lead to three with 51 seconds left.

The Seawolves worked the shot clock down on their next possession and got the ball to sophomore Tommy Brenton (Columbia, Md.) on the right baseline. Brenton then knocked down a short floater, his first field goal of the game, with 15 seconds left to push the Seawolves lead back to five. He finished the contest with a game-high 11 rebounds.

Vermont again closed to within three on another Joseph three with 2.8 seconds remaining but Martin knocked down one of two free throws with 1.5 seconds left to seal the game for the Seawolves. Martin and Joyner led a Stony Brook bench that outscored Vermont's bench, 39-12.
Stony Brook jumped on the Catamounts early, building leads of 15-3 and 21-7 over the first nine minutes of the game. Vermont got within eight on three occasions, the last time coming on a Brendan Bald jumper with 5:24 remaining in the half.

But Stony Brook answered with a 13-2 run over the next four minutes to take a 40-21 lead with just over a minute remaining until halftime. Joyner had six points in the run, including a thunderous dunk off a feed from Martin. Vermont scored the final four points of the half to close within 15 at the break.

A Joyner put-back early in the second half pushed the Stony Brook advantage back to 18 before Vermont scored nine of the next 12 points to get within 12. But El-Amin then hit one of two free throws and Martin followed with a three-point play as the Seawolves went on a 11-3 run over the next three minutes to take a 20 point lead.

Evan Fjeld scored a game-high 24 points for Vermont and was named their America East Player of the Game. Joseph chipped in with 21 points including five threes. El-Amin was named the America East Player of the Game for Stony Brook.

Stony Brook closes the regular season on Sunday, traveling to take on New Hampshire. Game time is set for 1 p.m

Stony Brook hosts biggest basketball game in history

By GREG LOGAN greg.logan@newsday.com

For Stony Brook and coach Steve Pikiell, this is completely uncharted territory. The Seawolves are down to the next-to-last game of the America East schedule with a chance to clinch the regular-season championship if they can complete a season sweep of second-place Vermont Wednesday night at sold-out Pritchard Gymnasium.

This arguably is the biggest basketball game in Stony Brook history, and certainly the most important since the school stepped up to Division I basketball in 1999. At 12-2 in the conference with a nine-game winning streak, the Seawolves (20-7) also can clinch the No. 1 seed in the conference tournament and at least an invitation to the NIT if they beat the Catamounts (21-8, 11-3). Lose, and the regular-season race would come down to Stony Brook's game Sunday at New Hampshire and Vermont's home game against Binghamton.

"It's a little crazy, but it's exciting," Pikiell said. "Our campus is excited, and I think our players are excited."

After winning their previous five games by at least 10 points, the Seawolves nearly stubbed their toe in a two-point win last Friday at Albany. "I was thankful for a close game," Pikiell said. "It was good to win close and execute and do the things we needed to do down the stretch."

Tonight's sellout is the fifth this season, so the Wolves are growing more accustomed to a big games. "I worry because we've never been in this place," Pikiell said. "Vermont plays big games every year. But we've won nine straight and done a pretty good job for a group that's never been through it. There's been none of these kinds of games in our Division I history, but I know they'll be ready to play."

Stony Brook's 65-60 win a month ago at Vermont sent the Catamounts on a three-game skid, but they're back on track with seven straight wins. Two-time America East player of the year Marqus Blakely, who is averaging 17.6 points, 9.4 rebounds and 3.7 assists, leads the way with help from Maurice Joseph (14.0 points) and Evan Fjeld (10.0 points, 6.1 rebounds).

Muhammad El-Amin, Stony Brook's leading scorer (16.7), has been on a hot streak and made the deciding basket at Albany, but the Seawolves have been winning with a balanced attack featuring Bryan Dougher (13.4), Chris Martin (10.6) and Tommy Brenton (7.9, 9.6 rebounds).

"Mo has been real good lately, and I hope he stays in that place," Pikiell said. "But we've really become a team lately."

Maybe a championship team.

Women’s Basketball Falls to Vermont, 64-49

Stony Brook, N.Y. – Stony Brook University’s women’s basketball team fell to Vermont, 64-49, on Tuesday night in Pritchard Gymnasium. The Seawolves led by as many as seven in the first half, but an 18-0 run by the Catamounts at the beginning of the second put Stony Brook in a hole it could not climb out of. Sophomore Destiny Jacobs (Glen Burnie, Md.), who was named the America East Player of the Game for Stony Brook, led the Seawolves with 14 points and five rebounds. With the loss, Stony Brook drops to 8-19 (6-9 America East) while Vermont improves to 23-5 (13-2 America East) and locks up the No. 2 seed in the upcoming America East Championship.

“Vermont picked up its intensity on defense at the start of the second half and we went into panic mode,” said head coach Michele Cherry. “Their pressure caused turnovers which resulted in easy baskets for them. We did a great job of fighting our way back into the game, but we spent so much energy clawing our way back that we ran out of gas at the end.”

Stony Brook had a slow start to the game offensively, connecting on just one of its first four field goal attempts. However, the Seawolves made three straight baskets in just over a minute to take an 11-8 lead at the 14:04 mark. SBU held Vermont without a field goal for over four minutes before back-to-back layups put the Catamounts back on top 13-11.

SBU would counter with a 7-0 run, highlighted by a block from freshman Gerda Gatling (Woodbury, Va.) on a transition layup for Vermont. Stony Brook’s seven point lead at the 8:39 mark would be its largest of the game.

After committing just five turnovers during the first 12 minutes of play, the Seawolves would turn it over seven times in the final eight minutes of the first half as Vermont turned a seven-point deficit into a two-point lead. Eight of the Catamounts final 13 points of the half came off Stony Brook turnovers.

A jumper from Jacobs at the 18:40 mark of the second half knotted the score at 30-30. Vermont would then score 18 unanswered points, including eight from May Kotsopoulos, to move in front 48-30 with 12:58 remaining.

After scoring three points in the previous 30:03 of play, junior Kirsten Jeter (Elmont, N.Y.) poured in nine of her 11 total points over a six minute period to help Stony Brook knock Vermont’s lead down to single digits. Jeter connected on a three from the wing with 3:03 remaining to put the score at 56-47. However, the Catamounts would go 8-for-8 from the free throw line down the stretch as they held off the rally for the win.

Stony Brook will host its final regular season home game against UMBC on Saturday at 2:00 p.m. Prior to the game, Stony Brook’s Department of Athletics will honor this year’s senior class of Joia Daniels (Silver Spring, Md.) and Crystal Rushin (Valley Stream, N.Y.). The game is also Stony Brook’s annual WBCA Pink Zone game. Tickets are available online at www.goseawolves.org or by phone at 631-632-WOLF.

Softball Sweeps St. Francis (Pa.)

Tenuto and Kang record four hits each

Charlotte, N.C. - Stony Brook University's softball team swept St. Francis (Pa.) during day two of the Charlotte First Pitch Classic on Saturday. The Seawolves completed a come-from-behind 10-8 win in game one before defeating the Red Flash 9-1 in five innings in game two. Sophomore Bernadette Tenuto (Audubon, N.J.) and freshman Jerrica Kang (Lynwood, Wash.) both recorded four hits on the day. Stony Brook is now 3-1 on the season.

In Stony Brook's first matchup with St. Francis, it found itself in a big hole early on as the Red Flash put up five runs in the first inning. It didn't take the Seawolves long to respond, however, as senior Katelyn O'Donnell (Kingston, Mass.) knocked in a pair of runs in the top of the second with a single. Two batters later, freshman Samantha Rossi (Marlton, N.J.) drove in her first career RBI with a sac fly to right which put the Seawolves down two.

St. Francis' offense stayed hot, however, hitting its second two-run home run of the game in bottom half of the second to move in front, 7-3. Senior Casey Jacobs (Davie, Fla.) then entered the game to pitch for SBU and shut down the Red Flash offense. She would allow just four hits over the next 5.2 innings while the Seawolves began their comeback.

Stony Brook would take advantage of three errors to score four runs between the third and sixth innings. Trailing by one with the bases loaded and two outs in the sixth, Tenuto drew a walk with a full count to drive in the tying run.

Neither team managed to score in the seventh, which sent the game into extra innings. Kang started the eighth inning on second base before being sacrificed over to third on a bunt by Rossi. Senior Vicki Kavitsky (Cherry Hill, N.J.) then tripled to right field, putting the Seawolves in front for the first time all game. Kavitsky would then score on a failed suicide squeeze attempt when St. Francis' catcher committed a throwing error. Senior Kendall Blumenthal (Frederick, Md.) then tacked on an insurance run with an RBI single up the middle.

St. Francis scored once in the bottom of the eighth, but it would strand a runner on first as Jacobs retired the last two batters of the inning to pick up her first win of the season.
In game two, Stony Brook took advantage of three errors by St. Francis to score four unearned runs. Jacobs, Tenuto and junior Brijette Martin (New York, N.Y.) all had RBI singles in the game.

Senior Alyssa Struzenberg (Cooper City, Fla.) was dominant in the circle one again for the Seawolves, recording eight strikeouts in five innings of work. The only hit she allowed wasn't until the fourth inning.

Stony Brook wraps up play in the Charlotte First Pitch Classic with a single game on Sunday.

McBride and Crowley's Career Afternoons, Compitello Help Men's Lacrosse To 21-14 Win Over Siena

Trio account for 15 of Stony Brook's 21 goals

Stony Brook, N.Y. - Junior Jordan McBride (New Westminster, British Columbia) had eight goals, junior Kevin Crowley (New Westminster, British Columbia) finished with four goals and five assists, and senior Tom Compitello (Hauppauge, N.Y.) added three goals and three assists to lead the Stony Brook men's lacrosse team to a 21-14 season-opening win over Siena at Kenneth P. LaValle Stadium on Saturday.

"It was good to finally get out there and play," head coach Rick Sowell said. "Ever since the America East final against UMBC, we wanted to play. Our offense played really well. Give Siena credit though, they kept playing and scored some goals. It was a good day overall."

McBride, the America East Player of the Game, and Crowley both had record-setting afternoons. McBride set a Stony Brook record for most goals in a half (6) and goals in a quarter (5), and Crowley set a school record for assists in a half (5). The 35 combined goals were one short of tying the school record of 36, set in a 21-15 then-Patriots win over Drew in 1985.

Stony Brook (1-0) took a 3-0 lead before Siena recorded its first shot. Its first opportunity, coming after a penalty, was saved by senior Charlie Paar (Huntington, N.Y.). McBride scored his first of the afternoon on an assist from Crowley to give Stony Brook a four-goal advantage. Four of Crowley's five assists in the first half were to McBride.

McBride's fifth and sixth goal of the first half gave Stony Brook its first double-digit lead of the game, 12-2.

Paar, who only had to make two saves in the first quarter, stoned Siena (0-1) with six second-quarter saves. He had 11 saves on the afternoon.

Sophomore Robbie Campbell (Delta, British Columbia), who had three goals and two assists against the Saints, and sophomore Kyle Belton (Langley, British Columbia) opened the Stony Brook scoring in the second half with a goal each to put the home team up, 14-3.

Bryan Neufeld, who led Siena with seven goals, had four in the third quarter as Siena rallied back to get within five, 14-9. But Campbell and Crowley scored 11 seconds apart, upping the lead back to seven, 16-9.
Siena once again got within five, but Compitello and McBride effectively shut the door. Compitello had two goals sandwiched by a score from McBride as Stony Brook took its biggest lead since 14-4.

McBride's eighth of the afternoon capped Stony Brook's biggest output since a 25-goal effort against Wagner in 2000.

Junior Adam Rand (Niantic, Conn.) was outstanding at face-off position, winning 29-of-39 attempts to go along with a career-high 13 ground balls. Senior Steven Waldeck (Levittown, N.Y.) was tremendous as well, adding 10 ground balls and four caused turnovers. Stony Brook recorded 47 ground balls to Siena's 19.

Stony Brook returns to action next Saturday as it travels to Charlottesville to face #3 Virginia at 3 pm

EL-AMIN LIFTS MEN'S BASKETBALL PAST ALBANY, TO 20TH WIN OF SEASON

Seawolves win 20 games for first time in 11 years in Division I.

Albany, N.Y. - Senior Muhammad El-Amin (Lansing, Mich.) scored a game-high 19 points including the game-winning jumper with 1.8 seconds left to send the Stony Brook University men's basketball team to a 68-66 win over the Albany Great Danes at SEFCU Arena on Friday night. It is the 20th win of the season for the Seawolves, who have won nine straight games. Stony Brook improves to 12-2 in the America East with the win, a full game ahead of second place Vermont.

"I couldn't be prouder of our guys," Stony Brook head coach Steve Pikiell said. "We made the stops we needed to make down the stretch against a tough Albany team and Muhammad [El-Amin] then stepped up and made a huge shot."

El-Amin scored 11 of his 19 in the second half and was named the America East Player of the Game for Stony Brook (20-7, 12-2 AE). Sophomore Bryan Dougher (Scotch Plains, N.J.) chipped in with 11, knocking down three of five shots from three-point land. He now has 78 threes on the season, a new program record. Sophomore Tommy Brenton (Columbia, Md.) grabbed a game-high 12 rebounds, his third straight game with double-digit rebounds.

Albany led 59-56 with six minutes remaining when freshman Marcus Rourse (Upper Marlboro, Md.) knocked down a three from the left wing to tie it up. The teams traded hoops over the next minute before Mike Black drilled a three with the shot clock winding down to give Albany a 64-61 lead with 3:37 remaining.

Doguher had an answer though, hitting a three with just over two and a half minutes left to tie the game. The teams traded hoops over the next minute before the Seawolves (20-7, 12-2 AE) forced an Albany miss to re-gain possession with 37 seconds left.





Stony Brook called timeout and then worked the ball to El-Amin, who drove from the top of the key to the right elbow before pulling up and drilling a 15-footer to give the Seawolves a 68-66 lead. Albany was then unable to get a shot off before the final buzzer.

SBU used the three-point shot to take a 14-2 lead just over five minutes into the game. El-Amin and Dougher each knocked down one and junior Chris Martin (Springfield Gardens, N.Y.) drilled two. Brenton pushed the Stony Brook lead to 14 at the 12 minute mark as he stole the ball from Blake Metcalf and took it the length of the court for a dunk.

The Seawolves lead grew to 23-7 on a Dougher floater before Albany ran off nine straight points to close within seven. Joyner ended the run with a short jump hook in the lane and freshman Preye Preboye (Springfield. Mass.) then completed a three-point play to push the Stony Brook lead back to 12.

An Andrew Goba (Durban, South Africa) lay-in off a feed from Preboye gave Stony Brook a 33-18 lead with three minutes to go in the half. But Albany scored 11 of the final 13 points of the half, including a Will Harris three at the buzzer, to cut the Seawolves lead to 35-29 at the break.

Stony Brook came out strong to start the second half as El-Amin knocked down a long three and Preboye got free for an easy lay-in. But Albany responded with a 13-2 run over the next three minutes to tie the game at 42. Dougher answered with a three though as the Seawolves scored seven of the next nine points to take a 49-44 lead. Albany eventually rallied to take a 55-54 advantage on a Tim Ambrose put-back hoop but El-Amin answered with a fade-away jumper from the left wing to give the Seawolves the lead back. Harris scored a team-high 17 points for Albany while Scotty McRae chipped in with 16.

The Seawolves return to action on Wednesday, hosting Vermont at Pritchard Gymnasium in a game that will be televised on MSG Plus. Game time is set for 7 p.m. The Seawolves will honor their four seniors - El-Amin, Goba, Eddie Castellanos (Jersey City, N.J.) and Desmond Adedeji (Landover, Md.)- prior to the game.

JETER SCORES 1,000TH POINT AT STONY BROOK!

Jeter Reaches Milestone In 69-59 Loss to Boston University

Boston, Mass. - Junior Kirsten Jeter (Elmont, N.Y.) scored her 1,000th career point and finished the night with a game-high 22, but it wasn't enough as Stony Brook's women's basketball team lost to Boston University, 69-59, on Wednesday night in Agganis Arena. Jeter is the 14th player in school history to record 1,000 points and only the sixth to do so in just three years. With the loss Stony Brook is 8-18 (6-8 America East) while Boston University moves to 14-11 (10-3).

Stony Brook controlled the glass to build a five point lead early in the game. The Seawolves outrebounded Boston 13-4 over the first eight minutes, with sophomore Destiny Jacobs (Glen Burnie, Md.) grabbing six of them.

SBU's defense then picked it up, holding the Terriers without a point for almost six minutes as it extended the lead to eight at 18-10 on a jumper from senior Crystal Rushin (Valley Stream, N.Y.) with 10:33 remaining. However, BU would go on a 13-2 run to move in front, 23-20, on a layup from Alex Young, who scored seven points during the comeback.

Stony Brook would knot the score at 23-23 on a putback by Jeter but the Terriers would knock down two of their five first-half threes as they built a ten point lead heading into halftime.

A jumper in the paint by Jacobs to start the second half snapped a streak of 5:25 without a field goal for the Seawolves and started a 7-4 run which pulled them within seven at 39-32. Jeter capped the run with a three-point play which put her over the 1,000-point plateau for her career.

While the Terriers shot 40.9% in the second half, Jeter helped keep the Seawolves within striking distance by scoring 13 of Stony Brook's 17 points over an eleven minute stretch. With 3:47 left, junior Misha Horsey (Wyncote, Pa.) hit a pair of free throws to pull SBU within six. A jumper by Jeter a minute later would narrow the gap to just four, but BU's Ali Hinton would answer with her third three of the game to put the game out of reach for Stony Brook.

Rushin joined Jeter in double figures with 10 points while grabbing a career-high 14 rebounds. Jeter, who was named the America East Player of the Game, pulled down six boards.
Stony Brook takes the weekend off as it does not play against until next Tuesday when it hosts Vermont. Tip is set for 7:00 p.m. and tickets can be bought online and www.goseawolves.org or by calling 631-632-WOLF.

Men's Basketball Defeats UMBC, 86-72, For Eighth Straight Victory

Senior Muhammad El-Amin scores game-high 26 points.

Box Score
Baltimore, Md. - Senior Muhammad El-Amin (Lansing, Mich.) led four Seawolves in double-figures with a game-high 26 points and the Stony Brook University men's basketball team opened the second half on a 19-5 run on its way to a 86-72 win over the UMBC Retrievers on Tuesday night at the RAC Arena. It is the eighth straight win for the America East leading Seawolves, who are 19-7 overall and 11-2 in the America East.
"This was a good win for our guys on the road against a well-coached UMBC team," Stony Brook head coach Steve Pikiell said. "We really picked up our defense in the second half and that was the difference in the game."
El-Amin scored 15 of his 26 in the first half and was named the Seawolves America East Player of the Game. Junior Chris Martin (Springfield Gardens, N.Y.) added 17 while sophomore Tommy Brenton (Columbia, Md.) chipped in with his second straight double-double (10 points, 11 rebounds).
Martin scored the first eight Stony Brook points of the game, including two threes, to give the Seawolves an early 8-6 lead. The Retrievers scored the next four points before senior Andrew Goba (Durban, South Africa) scored on a put-back to tie it at 10. UMBC scored eight of the next 10 points to take an 18-12 lead midway through the half but sophomore Bryan Dougher (Scotch Plains, N.J.) then knocked down a three to cut the UMBC lead in half.
The Retrievers pushed their lead to seven a couple minutes later on a Matt Spadaforda three but Stony Brook scored eight of the next 11 points, including five from El-Amin, to draw within two. Another Spadaforda three gave UMBC a 32-27 advantage but sophomore Dallis Joyner (Norfolk, Va.) then got free for an easy lay-in and El-Amin followed with a three point play to tie the game with four minutes left in the half.

UMBC re-gained the lead on a Nick Groce lay-up before El-Amin drilled a three from the right wing to give Stony Brook its first lead since the early going. Joyner then scored the final three points of the half to send Stony Brook into the break with a 38-34 lead.
Shawn Grant hit two free throws on UMBC's opening possession of the second half to cut the Stony Brook advantage to two but Joyner then knocked down two free throws to kick start an 8-0 Seawolves run than gave them a 10-point lead four minutes into the half
Stony Brook stretched its lead to 18 just over three minutes later on a thunderous dunk from freshman Preye Preboye (Springfield, Mass.) off a feed from senior Eddie Castellanos (Jersey City, N.J.). Spadafora hit two free throws to end the Stony Brook run but Dougher followed with a three to give the Seawolves a 60-41 advantage with 12 minutes to go.
UMBC got within 15 on two Grant free throws with six minutes left but Dougher knocked down a three on Stony Brook's next possession to push the Stony Brook lead back to 18. UMBC clawed within 11 on a Grant three-point play with three and a half minutes remaining but El-Amin answered with a floater in the lane and UMBC got no closer than 11 the rest of the way.
Chris De La Rosa led UMBC with 20 points while Grant chipped in with 17. Stony Brook shot 51.8 percent for the game, its third straight game over 50 percent.
The Seawolves return to action on Friday, traveling to take on Albany in a game that will be televised on MSG Plus. Game time is set for 7 p.m.

UMBC & Stony Brook Tabbed Co-Favorites in Men's Lacrosse

UMBC & Stony Brook Tabbed Co-Favorites in Men's Lacrosse

Men's Lacrosse Preseason Poll (PDF)

Courtesy: America East Communications
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. — UMBC and Stony Brook University, which shared the America East men’s lacrosse regular-season title and met in the championship game a year ago, have been selected co-favorites to capture the 2010 crown, according to the preseason coaches’ poll, which was announced Tuesday. Both teams received a total of 22 points with the Retrievers, the two-time defending league champion, garnering three first-place votes, and the Seawolves receiving two. University at Albany, the 2007 champion, followed closely behind with 19 points and one first-place tally (coaches could not vote for their own team). University of Hartford was chosen fourth with 12 points, while University of Vermont followed in fifth with nine points and Binghamton University rounded out the six-team poll with six points.The top four teams in the conference will qualify for the America East Championship, which takes place May 5-8 at the higher seed, with the winner of the tournament receiving an automatic bid to the NCAA Men’s Lacrosse Championship.UMBC (12-4 Overall, 4-1 America East in 2009) claimed its second straight America East title and made its fourth straight NCAA appearance a year ago, where the Retrievers nearly upended No. 6 North Carolina before falling, 15-13. The Retrievers will have to endure the losses of three of their top five scorers and reigning America East Player of the Year Jeremy Blevins, the school’s all-time leader in numerous goalkeeping categories. Head coach Don Zimmerman, who claimed his third Coach of Year award in four years last season, brings back 27 letterwinners, including first-team All-America East midfielder Kyle Wimer (Lancaster, Pa./Hempfield), who ranked eighth among league leaders with 42 points and sixth with 18 assists a year ago. The Retrievers also welcome back senior Bobby Atwell (Dunkirk, Md./Southern), an All-American who missed all of last season due to injury. UMBC, which is ranked 11th in the USILA Preseason Coaches’ Poll, will face a tough schedule in 2010, highlighted by a four-game stretch in March that includes No. 4 North Carolina, No. 5 Johns Hopkins, No. 8 Princeton and No. 7 Maryland.Stony Brook (9-6, 4-1), claimed a share of its first-ever America East regular-season crown and reached the conference tournament title game for the first time since 2002 last year. Rick Sowell’s squad returns 23 players and all but one starter from that squad, including a pair of All-Americans in juniors Jordan McBride (New Westminster, B.C./New Westminster) and Kevin Crowley (New Westminster, B.C./New Westminster/Simon Fraser). The two-time first-team all-conference standouts combined for 70 goals and 31 assists last season and spearheaded an offense that ranked ninth nationally with 11.2 goals per game in 2009, and returns 95 percent of its scoring output. Senior Steve Waldeck (Levittown, N.Y./MacArthur), a two-time first-team all-league choice, will once again anchor the defense, while junior Adam Rand (Niantic, Conn./East Lyme) hopes to once again be a key weapon for the Seawolves. Last season, Rand led the nation by winning 63.8 percent of his faceoffs. The Seawolves’ non-conference slate will include the likes of No. 3 Virginia and No. 6 Cornell.Albany (7-7, 3-2) is in search of its first league title in three years after capturing four crowns from 2003-07. Scott Marr’s team brings back 27 letterwinners and is ranked 18th in the USILA poll. Brian Caufield (Bay Shore, N.Y./West Islip) earned USILA honorable mention All-America honors and ranked seventh among the Division I leaders in scoring with 24 goals and 27 assists in 2010, while Joe Resetarits (Harrisburg, N.Y./Harrisburg) scored 34 goals and added nine assists to earn first-team all-conference recognition as a freshman. UAlbany faces a tough schedule that will include six teams in the national rankings, including defending national champion and No. 1 Syracuse and No. 5 Johns Hopkins.Hartford (2-13, 1-4) is poised to reach the America East Championship for the first time since 2003 after winning two of its final three games last season, which included an upset victory over UMBC. Peter Lawrence’s squd will be led by sophomore goalkeeper Scott Bement (Canandaigua, N.Y./Canandaigua), the 2009 America East Rookie of the Year, who ranked 13th nationally in save percentage (.577). The Hawks hope sophomores Carter Bender (Caledon, Ontario/Brewster Acad. (N.H.)), Ryan Compitello (Hauppauge, N.Y./Hauppauge), Aidan Genik (Toronto, Ontario/U. of Western Ontario), all which were all-rookie selections in 2009, can carry the offense after combining for 62 goals and 34 assists as freshmen. The Hawks’ schedule includes meetings with No. 16 Brown and No. 17 UMass.Vermont (4-10, 1-4) looks to get back to the conference tournament for the first time since the 2003 season. Fourth-year head coach Ryan Curtis will welcome back 25 players from last year’s squad, including sophomore Geoff Worley (Coronado, Calif./Coronado), an all-rookie choice last season who ranked ninth among league leaders with 38 points and fifth with 20 assists. The Catamounts’ schedule is highlighted by a trip to No. 3 Virginia on March 16. Binghamton (3-12, 2-3) reached the America East Championship as the No. 4 seed last season and nearly upset UMBC in the semifinals before falling 9-8 in double overtime. Ed Stephenson’s team will be led by junior Derrick Danieu (Camillus, N.Y./West Genesee), a first-team all-conference selection last season. The Bearcats will take on instate-rival No. 6 Cornell on March 9.Four America East squads open their seasons this Saturday. Binghamton will host Colgate at 12 p.m., while UMBC hosts Delaware at 1 p.m. Stony Brook will entertain Siena at 1 p.m. at LaValle Stadium, host of an NCAA quarterfinal round in 2010. Hartford wraps up the opening weekend with a trip to No. 17 UMass at 1 p.m.

2010 Preseason PollRank Team (1st-place votes) Total
T-1. UMBC (3) 22
T-1 Stony Brook (2) 22
3. Albany (1) 19
4. Hartford 12
5. Vermont 9
6. Binghamton 6

El-Amin's Career-Night Leads Men's Basketball To 81-61 Win Over Binghamton

Senior Muhammad El-Amin scores a career-high 31 points.

Post Game Press Conference Box Score


Stony Brook, N.Y. - Senior Muhammad El-Amin (Lansing, Mich.) scored a career-high 31 points and the Stony Brook University men's basketball team shot 50.9 percent on its way to a 81-61 victory over the Binghamton Bearcats before a sold out Pritchard Gymnasium on Saturday night. It is the seventh straight win for the America East leading Seawolves, who are now 18-7 overall and 10-2 in the America East.

"What a terrific win for our team, we really played together and our defense was outstanding all night," Stony Brook head coach Steve Pikiell said. "Our guys really fed off the energy of the crowd early and Muhammad [El-Amin] really gave us a great lift."

El-Amin scored 19 of his 31 in the first half and finished the game 10-for-19 from the field and a perfect 8-for-8 from the free throw line. The 31 points was the most by a Stony Brook player since Ricky Lucas '08 scored 33 against Hartford on Jan. 24, 2008. Sophomore Tommy Brenton (Columbia, Md.) added 11 points and 14 rebounds for his fifth double-double of the season. With the victory, the Seawolves set a program record for wins since jumping to Division I in 1999.

Stony Brook jumped out to a 9-3 just over five minutes in behind four early points from El-Amin. Binghamton closed to within four but freshman Marcus Rouse (Upper Marlboro, Md.) answered with back-to-back threes to kick start an 11-2 run that gave the Seawolves a 22-9 lead midway through the half.

The Seawolves stretched their lead to 16 less than a minute later following a three and two free throws from sophomore Bryan Dougher (Scotch Plains, N.J.). The Bearcats closed to within 10 on a Moussa Camara three with four minutes left before sophomore Danny Carter (London, England) hit two free throws to push the lead back to 12.

Mahamoud Jabbi responded with a put-back to cut the SBU lead back to 10 but El-Amin scored four straight points and Rouse then hit another long jumper to give the Seawolves a 45-29 lead with a minute remaining. Binghamton scored four of the final six points of the half as SBU took a 47-33 lead into the break.
Binghamton cut the Stony Brook lead to 54-43 early in the second half before El-Amin knocked down a long jumper to push the SBU lead back to 13. A Greer Wright three-point play brought the Bearcats within 10 but El-Amin drilled a long three from the right wing and junior Chris Martin (Springfield Gardens, N.Y.) then scored on a fast-break hoop to give Stony Brook a 61-46 advantage with 13 minutes to go.

The Seawolves eventually stretched their advantage to 19 midway through the half on another El-Amin jumper and Brenton then followed with a three-point play to give the Seawolves a 68-46 lead. The Stony Brook lead grew to as many as 25 on a Carter put-back with eight minutes left and the Bearcats got no closer than 18 the rest of the way as the Seawolves went on to their first victory over Binghamton since the 2006-07 season.

Wright scored a team-high 28 points for the Bearcats and was named their America East Player of the Game. El-Amin was named the America East Player of the Game for the Seawolves, who held the Bearcats to 34 percent shooting.

Stony Brook will now close the regular season with three of its final four games on the road beginning with a match-up at UMBC on Tuesday night. Game time is set for 7 p.m.

Klockgether's Career High Leads Women's Basketball to 59-47 Win Over Maine

Klockgether scores 17

Stony Brook, N.Y. - Junior Cassie Klockgether (San Diego, Calif.) scored a career-high 17 points and made 5-of-9 three point attempts as the Stony Brook University women's basketball team defeated Maine, 59-47, on Saturday afternoon in Pritchard Gymnasium. The Seawolves forced Maine into 25 turnovers while recording double-digit steals for the fourth consecutive game. With the victory, Stony Brook is now 8-17 (6-7 America East) while Maine falls to 7-18 (3-10).

"We did a great job of forcing turnovers and turning them into points tonight," said head coach Michele Cherry. "I was happy to see Cassie score the way she did tonight. She's been nagged by injuries for most of her career, and it was great to see what she's capable of when she's healthy."

Stony Brook's defense stifled the Black Bear attack early on, holding Maine without a field goal for the first four minutes of the half. The Seawolves built a 13-4 lead with 10:30 remaining by forcing Maine into nine turnovers and allowing them just five field-goal attempts. Klockgether extended SBU's advantage to a game-high 12 when she knocked down her first three of the game at the 9:10 mark.

That would be the Seawolves' last field goal over the next six minutes, however, as Maine battled back to within one at 17-16 on a pair of free throws from Samantha Wheeler. After a jumper from senior Crystal Rushin (Valley Stream, N.Y.) broke SBU's scoreless streak, Klockgether nailed three more shots from beyond the arc in the final 2:41 of the half. Her final three came as time expired to put Stony Brook ahead, 30-18.

After committing 21 first-half turnovers, Maine didn't turn the ball over once in the first eight minutes of the second half as they went on a 17-6 run to trim Stony Brook's lead to just one at 36-35. Klockgether once again came through in the clutch for the Seawolves though, as she hit another three to spark a 10-2 Stony Brook reply.

SBU maintained at least a six-point cushion for the remainder of the game as it held on for the victory. Stony Brook outscored Maine 30-3 in bench points and turned the 25 Maine turnovers into 23 second-chance points. Klockgether was named the America East Player of the Game, while Katelyn Vanderhoff earned the honor by scoring 12 points and grabbing six rebounds.
Rushin finished the game with 13 points and nine rebounds while junior Misha Horsey (Wyncote, Pa.) fell one assist shy of tying her career-high of eight. Senior Joia Daniels (Silver Spring, Md.) scored in double-figures for the fourth-consecutive game by adding 10 points.

Stony Brook's next game will be on Wednesday night when it travels to take on Boston University at 5:30 p.m.

Stony Brook Picked Third in Softball Preseason Coaches' Poll

Seawolves open season on February 19

Cambridge, Mass. - Coming off its first regular season conference championship, Stony Brook's softball team was picked to finish third in the America East Preseason Coaches' Poll on Thursday. The Seawolves, who received one first place vote, finished just two points behind top-pick Albany and one point below Boston University. UMBC, Maine, Hartford and Binghamton round out the poll.

Stony Brook has 11 players returning from last season's record-breaking squad, including six starters. Senior Alyssa Struzenberg (Cooper City, Fla.) will lead an experienced rotation which posted a conference-best 2.05 ERA last season, while senior Vicki Kavitsky (Cherry Hill, N.J.) will pace an offense that scored more than five runs a game in 2009.

SBU opens its season on February 19 against Toledo in the Charlotte First Pitch Classic. The Seawolves' first America East series will be at UMBC on March 27.

2010 America East Preseason Coaches' Poll
1. Albany (3) 32
2. Boston University (3) 31
3. Stony Brook (1) 30
4. UMBC 19
5. Maine 15
6. Hartford 14
7. Binghamton 6

Men's Basketball Rolls to 83-64 Victory Over Maine

Men's Basketball Rolls to 83-64 Victory Over Maine
Seawolves shoot season-high 53.3 percent from the field.

Post Game Press Conference Box Score
Stony Brook, N.Y. - Senior Muhammad El-Amin (Lansing, Mich.) (24 points) and junior Chris Martin (Springfield Gardens, N.Y.) combined for 47 points to lead the Stony Brook University men's basketball team to its sixth straight win with a 83-64 victory over the Maine Black Bears before a raucous sellout crowd at Pritchard Gymnasium on Wednesday night. The Seawolves, whose starters accounted for 78 of their 83 points, improved to 17-7 overall and 9-2 in the America East.
"We played together tonight and I like the way we really defended in the first half," Stony Brook head coach Steve Pikiell. "It was a terrific win for our guys in a great atmosphere against a very good and well coached Maine basketball team."
Martin scored 19 of his season-high 23 points in the first 20 minutes for the Seawolves, who led by as many 23 points in the first half. Stony Brook shot a season-high 53.3 percent from the field and went 8-for-14 from beyond the arc. El-Amin scored 20 of his points in the second half and tied a season-high with eight rebounds.
The 17 wins are the most since Stony Brook joined the America East while the nine conference wins is a program record. Stony Brook's 16 wins over Division I opponents is its most since moving to Divison I in 1999. The America East leading Seawolves are now 10-1 at home, matching their best 11-game start at home since 2000-01.
Stony Brook jumped to a 7-2 lead in the first two minutes but Maine answered with nine of the next 13 points to tie the game at 11 with 14:12 to go in the first half. But the Seawolves then took control, running of 13 straight points over the next five minutes. Sophomore Dallis Joyner (Norfolk, Va.) and Martin combined for eight points in the run.

Maine closed within eight on a Murphy Burnatowski lay-up with 4:20 remaining but Martin answered with a three from the right corner and sophomore Bryan Dougher (Scotch Plains, N.J.) then followed with another three to kick start a 15-0 run that sent SBU into the break with a 42-19 lead.
The Black Bears tried to get back in the game over the opening minutes of the second half, getting within 14 on three from Gerald McLemore with 12:49 to go. But Brenton knocked down a three from the right wing on the Seawolves ensuing possession and El-Amin then converted a fast-break lay-up off a feed from Martin to push the Stony Brook lead back to 19.
El-Amin followed with back-to-back three-pointers to give SBU a 66-42 lead with 9:40 remaining. The Seawolves coasted from there, building their lead to as much as 30 on another El-Amin three with 4:12 left.
Martin finished the game 10-for-14 from the field and was named Stony Brook's America East Player of the Game. Joyner added 14 points for the Seawolves, who out-rebounded Maine 39-22 and held the Black Bears to 33.3 percent shooting in the first half.
McLemore scored a team-high 22 points for Maine and was named its America East Player of the Game. Stony Brook out-scored Maine 42-26 in the paint and scored 28 points off 15 Black Bear turnovers.
Stony Brook returns to action on Saturday, hosting Binghamton at Pritchard Gymnasium. Game time is set for 7 p.m. and will follow the 4 p.m. SBU women's game against Maine.

Martin, El-Amin help Stony Brook bury Maine

By Greg Logan, Newsday

For a team that is unaccustomed to such a height as first place in the America East and the notion of a big game with implications that extend to a possible postseason bid, Stony Brook handled the pressure remarkably well in an 83-64 victory over third-place Maine last night at Pritchard Gymnasium. The students rose to the occasion, too, nearly filling the joint on a snowbound night.
It's hard to imagine a more complete game than the one the Seawolves (17-7, 9-2) played. Chris Martin scored 19 of his 23 points in the first half, and Muhammad El-Amin heated up to, oh, infra-red in the second half with 22 of his 24 points, including a 4-for-4 performance from deep in three-point range.
When the Wolves weren't putting the ball in the hole, they were hounding the Black Bears (16-9, 8-4) relentlessly on defense. Maine shot only 33 percent from the field in the first half, and the Bears committed 15 turnovers that nullified any threat of a comeback.
The Seawolves also got 14 points from Dallis Joyner and 10 from Bryan Dougher, and Tommy Brenton was tough inside with seven points, eight rebounds, four steals and three assists. Gerald McLemore topped Maine with 22 points.
"We were excited about the crowd and the atmosphere," Stony Brook coach Steve Pikiell said. "We had a blizzard outside, but the students and the community came. So, I'm very appreciative of their efforts, and I think they appreciated how we played.
"I like the way we defended in the first half; we outrebounded them . We've had some games like this, but the whole package of running, getting off to a good start and getting a really good win in a great atmosphere against a good team that beat Boston College . . . we played well."
What wasn't to like? With El-Amin and Dougher drawing Maine's defensive attention early, Martin was aggressive in penetrating the lane to get his shot. When the Bears switched to a 2-3 zone during a 13-0 Wolves run, Martin completed a three-point play for an early 24-11 lead.
Stony Brook's defense forced 12 first-half turnovers, and Brenton was everywhere, getting steals, going to the offensive boards and feeding his teammates for layups. "I like to do the small things that help the team," Brenton said. "I got lucky with a few rebounds and steals."
Maine's switch to zone temporarily slowed the Wolves, but when Martin hit the only three he took from the corner, it ignited a 15-0 Stony Brook run to finish the first half with a 42-19 lead. At that point, El-Amin had only two foul shots and was 0-for-3 from the field, but that didn't last.
Maine surged to cut Stony Brook's lead to 55-41, but Brenton hit a three and then El-Amin went off, scoring 13 straight Seawolves points, including three from NBA three-point range. That made it 71-45, and the Bears could have boarded the bus home right then.
"Mo was quiet in the first half, but he was lighting it up in practice," Pikiell said. "He was due, and his teammates did a good job of finding him when he was ready to score."
Looks like the Seawolves might be ready for bigger things.

Women's Basketball Falls in Overtime to Albany, 59-52

Jeter grabs her 500th career rebound

Box Score

Albany, N.Y. - Junior Kirsten Jeter (Elmont, N.Y.) recorded a double-double with 19 points and 15 rebounds, but it wasn't enough as Albany outscored Stony Brook's women's basketball team 11-4 in overtime to pull out a 59-52 victory on Wednesday night in SEFCU Arena. Jeter's 14th rebound gave her 500 for her career. Albany's Ebone Henry, who sent the game into overtime with a layup with 21 seconds remaining, led all scorers with 26. With the loss, Stony Brook falls to 7-17 (5-7 America East) while Albany improves to 8-15 (1-9).

Stony Brook led by as many as ten with 7:58 remaining in the second half, but behind 16 points from Henry, Albany clawed its way back into the game. The Great Danes used a 9-0 run, capped by a three from Charity Iromuanya, to pull within one with 3:47 remaining. As a team, Albany shot 61.5% from beyond the arc for the game.

SBU would rebuild its lead back to five behind four free throws from senior Crystal Rushin (Valley Stream, N.Y.), but another three from Iromuanya put the score at 48-46 with 2:26 remaining. Two minutes later, sophomore Tamiel Murray (Teaneck, N.J.) picked up a loose ball with the shot clock winding down and put up a short jumper that bounced off the rim. Senior Joia Daniels (Silver Spring, Md.) battled for the rebound, eventually forcing a jump ball, which kept the Seawolves in possession with the lead.

With just 33 second remaining, Albany was forced to foul senior Misha Horsey (Wyncote, Pa.), whose first attempt at the one-and-one rolled around the rim and out. Albany grabbed the rebound and Henry raced down the other end of the court for the game-tying layup. Freshman Sam Landers(Springfield, Va.) had a chance to win it for Stony Brook in regulation, but her three-point attempt from the corner fell just short.

Henry would score seven points in overtime and the Seawolves went 0-for-5 from the field as the Great Danes slowly pulled away for the victory. Jeter was named the America East Player of the Game honors for Stony Brook, while Henry earned the honor for Albany.

While the Seawolves shot just 27% from the field for the game, their defense was impressive, recording a season-high 17 steals. 13 of those came in the first half, however, as SBU outscored Albany 17-0 in points off turnovers. After committing 17 turnovers in the first half, Albany had just eight in the second, limiting the Seawolves to just five points off turnovers.

Stony Brook's next game is on Saturday at 4:00 p.m. against Maine in Pritchard Gymnasium. The game is part of a double-header with the men's team, which plays Binghamton at 7:00 p.m. Tickets can be purchased online at www.goseawolves.org or by calling 631-632-WOLF.

Joe Nathan Earns American League Rolaids Relief Man Award

Nathan shares the award with Mariano Rivera.

Stony Brook, N.Y. - Former Stony Brook University baseball great and current closer for the Minnesota Twins, Joe Nathan `97, was recently named the recipient of the 2009 American League Rolaids Relief Man Award at the New York Baseball Writers Association banquet at the New York Hilton. Nathan shared the award with the New York Yankees' Mariano Rivera.

The honor capped a spectacular season for Nathan, who was named to the 2009 American League All-Star team and helped the Twins to the AL Central title. He finished the season with a 2.10 ERA and compiled 47 saves in 52 opportunities.

The Rolaids Relief Man Award is an annual Major League Baseball (MLB) award given since the 1976 MLB season to the top relief pitchers of the regular season. The award is based on statistical performance, rather than votes as each save is worth three points; each win is worth two points; and each loss is worth negative two points.

Nathan was a two-time Academic All-American in his time with the Seawolves and was also inducted into the Stony Brook Athletics Hall of Fame on Dec. 6, 2006, when he became the first former Stony Brook student-athlete to have his number retired.

Defense Leads Women's Basketball to 74-60 Victory Over Binghamton

Murray grabs career-high 11 rebounds

Stony Brook, N.Y. - Junior Kirsten Jeter (Elmont, N.Y.) poured in 17 points and sophomore Tamiel Murray (Teaneck, N.J.) grabbed a career-high 11 rebounds as Stony Brook University's women's basketball team defeated Binghamton, 74-60, on Saturday afternoon in Pritchard Gymnasium. The Seawolves' defense forced Binghamton into 22 turnovers while tying a season-high with 13 steals. With the victory, Stony Brook moves to 7-16 (5-6 America East) while Binghamton drops to 8-15 (4-6).

"Our defense was key tonight," said head coach Michele Cherry. "We did a great job of keeping them off balance on offense by switching defensive looks. We also did a great job of controlling the boards led by Tamiel and Destiny."

Stony Brook's offense came out hot, hitting its first four field goal attempts to grab a six point lead in under 2:30 of play. The Seawolves used a balanced scoring attack in the first half as eight different players made field goals. Senior Joia Daniels (Silver Spring, Md.) led the attack with six points on 3-of-3 shooting.

SBU's lead would grow to as many as ten in the first half when sophomore Destiny Jacobs (Glen Burnie, Md.) grabbed one of her 11 rebounds on the night for an easy put-back with 7:58 remaining.

After scoring 14 points off turnovers in the first half, Stony Brook recorded its first points of the second half when junior Misha Horsey (Wyncote, Pa.) picked the pocket of Binghamton's point guard for a wide open layup. Horsey's bucket gave the Seawolves a 32-23 lead and the steal was one of her game-high four on the night.

Behind 13 second-half points from Jeter, SBU's cushion would reach as many as 21 points with 5:35 remaining. Binghamton would make a late rally, however, as they scored 18 points over the next 4:30 minutes to pull within ten at 68-58. Stony Brook would make 6-of-9 free throw attempts down the stretch though as the Seawolves held on for the victory.
Adding nine points and three steals to her 11 rebounds, Murray was named the America East Player of the Game for Stony Brook. Darryll Peterson earned the honor for Binghamton by scoring 14 points and grabbing eight rebounds. Horsey and Daniels joined Jeter in double-figures with ten points each.

National Girls and Women in Sports Day Clinic A HUGE SUCCESS!

Stony Brook, N.Y. - Stony Brook University's Department of Athletics will still be holding its National Girls and Women in Sports Day Youth Clinic today in the Indoor Sports Complex. Registration for the clinic begins at 10:30 a.m. and it culminates with a women's basketball game against Binghamton at 2:00 p.m.

Girls and boys between the ages of 6 and 13 are invited to participate in the Sports Clinic. Stony Brook student-athletes from many different sports will lead the clinic. Sneakers and play clothes are required, and there is a $5 admission fee that includes the clinic, a t-shirt, a ticket to the Stony Brook women's basketball game, and a goodie bag for each clinic participant.

Stony Brook lands eight area football players

By BOB HERZOG bob.herzog@newsday.com

Quick SummaryStony Brook seizes opportunity by signing eight top area recruits, including three former Hofstra players.

Stony Brook University is becoming a desirable destination for Long Island high school football teams. The demise of Hofstra's football program combined with the continued improvement at Stony Brook has created a perfect storm of opportunity for the Seawolves, who Wednesday signed five L.I. players on National Signing Day.

JeVahn Cruz of Half Hollow Hills West, the little quarterback who guided the Colts to the Class III Long Island Championship and shared the Hansen Award, is the headline local recruit for Stony Brook. Cruz expects to be utilized as an all-purpose back, running the ball, catching passes and returning kicks.

Joining Cruz at SBU next fall are defensive end Kevin Hauter of Floyd, running back Davon Lawrence of Sachem North, linebacker Jawara Dudley of Roosevelt and offensive lineman Cody Precht of Harborfield.

Stony Brook also signed three L.I. transfers from Hofstra - running back Miguel Maysonet of Riverhead, running back/wide receiver Brock Jackolski of Floyd and defensive lineman Andrew Nelson of Uniondale.

Hills West's Cruz, four others sign with Stony Brook

By BOB HERZOG bob.herzog@newsday.com

For JeVahn Cruz, the decision to attend Stony Brook University was all about being on familiar ground.

See where All-Long Island football stars will play in college

The Half Hollow Hills West quarterback, who capped a spectacular senior year by leading the Colts to the Long Island Championship at Stony Brook's LaValle Stadium, was one of five L.I. high school players who signed with the Seawolves Wednesday on national signing day.

The others were Floyd defensive end Kevin Hauter, Sachem North running back Davon Lawrence, Roosevelt linebacker Jawara Dudley and Harborfields offensive lineman Cory Precht.

Not only will Cruz be playing on the fast turf he so enjoyed last November, he will be playing in the familiar spread offense and will be in a comfortable position. And it's not quarterback. "I won't miss it. I only played it last year," Cruz said at a signing ceremony at Hills West. "I was a running back all my life until last year."

Cruz said he was told he would be used as a slot receiver, running back and kick returner. "Anything to get me the ball," Cruz said.

Stony Brook coach Chuck Priore concurred. "He's not coming here as a quarterback," Priore said. "But we recruited him as a kid who's exciting with the ball in his hands. We want to get him the ball in space - screens, reverses, speed sweeps. And we want him to make an impact on special teams. The Wildcat could be another potential role. The important thing is to create situations where he makes us tougher to handle as an offense."

Lawrence fits into that category as well. "He may be the sleeper of our class," Priore said. "He's got something about him when he runs with the football that really excites me. He doesn't look like he's running fast, but he runs past people. He's an effortless type of runner - not flashy like Cruz, but a consistent kid."

Precht, a 280-pound lineman who will likely redshirt, could be opening holes someday for Cruz and Lawrence. "He impressed us last summer with his toughness," Priore said. "He may have been a little under-recruited. Offensive linemen are often the biggest secrets out there. I think he'll be a better college player than he was in high school."

Stony Brook also grabbed a couple of local kids to fortify its defense. Hauter, an All-Long Island player, has already gained 17 pounds to about 220 since the fall. The weight isn't over. "He'll have to be at 235 or 240 and play defensive end on the open side, away from the tight end," Priore said. "He's got some intangibles, too. He comes from a winning program. He's got the intensity level of a defensive player. And he'll outwork everybody on the field."

Dudley, originally signed by Hofstra, brings versatility to Stony Brook. "He'll play outside linebacker for us," Priore said. "In the 4-3 defense, you need athleticism at the position. And whether it was a fullback or as a linebacker, his acceleration allowed him to play in space."

Priore said the windfall of L.I. players this year was partly because of Hofstra's demise and partly because his own program is on the rise. "This isn't the same Stony Brook of three or four years ago," Priore said. "We won [shared] a conference championship. We have a full complement of scholarships. We're playing South Florida next year, Buffalo and Army the year after.

"We're a much, much better option as a football program to these kids," Priore added. "We always wanted the best kids on Long Island. Now, the interest is mutual. You have to get yourself to a winning cycle to get the local people to stay home. If you're not winning, they'll drive right by you."

Instead, they're exiting at LIE Exit 62 North.

Stony Brook Announces 2010 Football Recruiting Class

Class includes 10 local standouts

Watch Coach Priore talk about the 2010 recruiting class 2010 Schedule

2010 Recruiting Class

Stony Brook, N.Y. -
A total of eleven standout football players signed national letters of intent today with defending Big South Conference Champion Stony Brook, head coach Chuck Priore announced. The Seawolves incoming class includes ten high school football players and defensive lineman Andrew Nelson (Uniondale, N.Y.) who will transfer from Hofstra University to join the team in the fall. The newest additions to the football team represent the largest contingent of local talent since Priore took over as leader of the Stony Brook program.
"When you have the opportunity to win a championship, it's certainly going to affect the local recruiting landscape, and I think that's evident with the ten Long Island football players we were able to add to our program", Priore said. Included in the talented group of new Stony Brook players are five all-New York State selections including JeVahn Cruz (Wheatley Heights, N.Y.), Jawara Dudley (Queens, N.Y.), Kevin Hauter (Moriches, N.Y.), Davon Lawrence (Central Islip, N.Y.) and Devante Wheeler (Staten Island, N.Y.). Today's signing of Cruz, along with the addition of spring transfers Brock Jackolski (Shirley, N.Y.) and Miguel Maysonet (Riverhead, N.Y.), and current Stony Brook rising junior Edwin Gowins (Bellport, N.Y.), means that the Seawolves roster will boast the last four Hansen Award winners who have all been recognized as the top high school football players in Suffolk County. "It is always our goal to try and keep the best players here on Long Island", Priore said. "I think our offense and the way it is structured will continue to attract the great running backs on Long Island."

The Seawolves, who won the 2009 Championship in only their second year in the Big South Conference, will have an overall incoming class of 19 players including eight athletes who enrolled at Stony Brook for the spring semester and will be participating in spring practices. With 26 graduating seniors, the Seawolves were also looking to bolster their roster immediately. The seven mid-year enrollees are expected to bring valuable college playing experience to the roster immediately and will help fill some of the void left by Stony Brook's graduating players.
Coach Priore and the Stony Brook Seawolves will begin spring practice on April 7 with the spring game on May 1. All practices are held in Kenneth P. LaValle Stadium and are open to the public. The official practice schedule will be posted on www.goseawolves.org once finalized. The 2010 Stony Brook football season will kick off on Saturday, September 4 in Tampa, Florida when the Seawolves take the field against the University of South Florida in Raymond James Stadium. With the addition of 19 new football players to the 2010 Seawolves roster, Coach Priore is excited about the future of Stony Brook Football. "Winning the Big South Championship, having the full complement of scholarships and with South Florida, Buffalo and Army on our schedule for the next three years, our football program is well positioned to continue enjoying great success", said Priore. "The commitment that our University has given to football shows our local athletes, our fanbase and Stony Brook alumni that we're in a great situation to succeed."