Star Iowa RB transfers to Stony Brook

By our friend Greg Logan, Newsday greg.logan@newsday.com

Stony Brook football is poised to take a step toward national prominence with the official announcement coming Wednesday that former Iowa running back Marcus Coker has enrolled as a transfer student.
SBU coach Chuck Priore confirmed Monday that Coker is joining the team.
Coker rushed for 1,384 yards and scored 15 touchdowns as a sophomore last season, trailing only Heisman Trophy finalist Montee Ball of Wisconsin in Big Ten rushing.
Coker was investigated, but not charged, in an alleged sexual assault Oct. 28 in Iowa City, police said.
"The investigation is closed because the victim didn't want to press charges," Sgt. Denise Brotherton of the Iowa City police department said Monday.
Priore said he and SBU administration officials investigated Coker's background before clearing him to begin classes Monday.
The police inquiry first was reported in the Iowa City Press-Citizen on Jan. 10, the same day Coker requested and was granted a release from his football scholarship.
Coker played in five games after the alleged incident but was suspended from the Insight Bowl, which the Hawkeyes lost to Oklahoma on Dec. 30, for an unspecified violation of team rules.
"There was an accusation made in Iowa City, but no criminal charges were brought against Marcus," said Coker's lawyer, Leon Spies. "He chose to withdraw from the University of Iowa. He has had a great deal of support here within the university community and from family and friends. Everyone is heartened to know he is going to pursue his college career."
Coker will not be available for comment until spring practice in March. But the 6-foot, 230-pound running back from Beltsville, Md., said in a statement: "I'm very grateful to coach Priore and Stony Brook University for this opportunity. I've become aware of Stony Brook's growing football program and outstanding academics. I'm excited for spring practice and the chance to help my teammates win a fourth straight Big South championship."
Hawkeyes coach Kirk Ferentz said in December that he anticipated Coker would return to the team, and an Iowa spokesman Monday confirmed Coker was not asked to leave school. Coker chose to make a fresh start at Stony Brook, where he is eligible to play immediately after switching from the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) to the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS).
"I did due diligence with the resources I had to really look at his character and his family background," Priore said. "After the research I did into the allegations, I was comfortable he would be somebody that would be a positive role model moving forward at Stony Brook University. He's a very good student in the classroom, a very reserved, quiet kid.
"When I met with him, most of the conversation for three hours was about, what do we offer academically? 'How many credits will transfer, and can I graduate on time?' He's exactly on schedule to graduate in eight semesters."
Coker was pursuing a double major in physics and astronomy at Iowa and is expected to follow a similar academic track at Stony Brook. He could leave early for the NFL draft, but Priore said Coker plans to stay two years to complete his degree.
The addition of Coker cushions the blow of losing running back Brock Jackolski, who accounted for more than 2,400 combined yards last season, to graduation. Coker joins running backs Miguel Maysonet, who rushed for 1,633 yards and 15 touchdowns, and JeVahn Cruz, who averaged 11.1 yards per carry in limited action.
"He'll help us continue to do what we do best -- attack defenses with the run game," Priore said.
The Seawolves' passing game also should benefit from the addition of another prominent transfer in former Maryland wide receiver Adrian Coxson. The 6-foot, 205-pound Baltimore native caught four passes for 90 yards and one touchdown as a redshirt freshman. He was a consensus four-star recruit out of high school and signed with Florida before transferring to Maryland.

Stony Brook Men's hoops draws Northeastern in BracketBusters

Stony Brook will renew series with former America East foe on Feb. 18 at 1 p.m.

The Stony Brook men's basketball team will play at Northeastern on Saturday, Feb. 18 after drawing the Huskies in the annual Sears ESPN BracketBusters event. The game is scheduled for 1 p.m. at Matthews Arena.
This will be the first meeting between these two teams since March 5, 2005, when the two teams both competed in America East. The Huskies lead the all-time series 6-3 and won the last five matchups.
Northeastern is a member of the Colonial Athletic Association and currently sports an 11-10 overall record and a 7-4 conference mark, good for fifth place in the standings.

The Huskies and Seawolves have two common opponents this season. NU defeated Boston University on Nov. 11 and topped Vermont on Dec. 30.

This is Stony Brook's second appearance in BracketBusters. Last season, the Seawolves lost a nailbiter to Manhattan at home, 64-63 in overtime. As part of the BracketBusters agreement, Northeastern will return the game and travel to Stony Brook during the 2013-14 season.

Stony Brook, under seventh-year head coach Steve Pikiell, is enjoying an outstanding season, behind a defense that's currently ranked 21st in the nation in points per game allowed at 59.3. The Seawolves are 13-7 overall and 8-1 and in first place in America East. Stony Brook has won 10 of its last 11 games, and the Seawolves will go for their 11th straight home victory Wednesday against Binghamton at 7 p.m.

Stony Brook Men's Basketball heads to Northeastern for 2012 Bracketbuster game on Feb. 18th

Stony Brook women’s coach Spallina officially named Long Island Lizards head coach

Stony Brook women’s lacrosse head coach Joe Spallina (Rocky Point) has been named the head coach of the Long Island Lizards men’s lacrosse team, a member of Major League Lacrosse (MLL), the franchise announced Monday.Coaching the Lizards will be in addition to his duties as the head coach at Stony Brook, and he will not miss any Seawolves practices or games. The MLL season runs from the end of April to the end of August.
“I am very excited to be able to lead the Long Island Lizards, a very proud and storied lacrosse franchise. Although my first priority is to be the head coach of the women’s lacrosse team at Stony Brook, I look forward to working with the Lizards to achieve great success in Major League Lacrosse.”
Spallina previously served as an assistant coach for the Lizards over the last two seasons. In 2010, he helped lead the Lizards to the MLL championship game.
Spallina will take over a Lizards team that has former Seawolves star Timmy Trenkle on the roster and just drafted current Seawolves seniors Kyle Moeller and Robbie Campbell.
Spallina is in his first season at Stony Brook and will have 13 returning letterwinners and 14 newcomers during the 2012 season, including four transfers from Adelphi, which he led to three consecutive NCAA Div. II national championships and had an overall 73-2 record. Spallina and the Seawolves will open the 2012 campaign against Colgate on Feb. 11.

2012 STONY BROOK BASEBALL PREVIEW

College Baseball Insider - Your Home for College Baseball

Stony Brook beats BU in first-place showdown

By our friend, Greg Logan, Newsday greg.logan@newsday.com

It was easy to tell a lot was on the line in Friday night's America East first-place showdown between Stony Brook and Boston University when Terriers star Darryl Partin missed a three-pointer and then body-slammed the Seawolves' Tommy Brenton. Somehow, Stony Brook survived a 17-0 second-half run by BU to pull out a 66-57 victory before a sold-out Pritchard Gym crowd of 1,630 and ESPNU's cameras. Despite going 10:18 without a field goal during BU's comeback, Stony Brook (13-7, 8-1) finished on a 19-6 run in which Bryan Dougher scored seven of his 20 points.
Brenton had nine points, eight rebounds and four steals for the Seawolves, who have won 10 of their last 11. Partin topped the Terriers (11-12, 7-2) with 21 points and six rebounds, and the Seawolves held point guard D.J. Irving to seven points.
BU's winning streak ended at seven games. Stony Brook also ended a four-game losing streak against the Terriers, who beat the Seawolves in the conference final last season and knocked them out in the semifinals the previous season. It was a much-needed breakthrough for Stony Brook against its nemesis.
"Absolutely," Brenton said. "The coaches have been reminding us all season about the streak. We needed this one bad."
Brenton didn't even mind roughhousing with Partin. "He was going for the ball," Brenton said with a smile. "The game was up and down. Without the crowd, our sixth man, it would have been rough. This was like a championship college game. I'm sure we'll see them again."
Stony Brook and BU rank 1-2 in the America East in field-goal defense, but they couldn't stop each other in the first half as the Terriers shot 59.1 percent to the Seawolves' 51.9 as SBU took a 37-33 halftime lead. Dougher scored eight points to spark a 10-0 burst for a 47-34 lead, and that led to an outburst by BU coach Joe Jones that drew a technical foul. That set off the Terriers' 17-0 run, which gave BU a 51-47 lead with 6:03 remaining.
"I got my first tech of the year," Jones said. "Our guys started going after rebounds harder and defended better. We tend to play in spurts. It was as intense as I thought it was going to be. [Stony Brook] plays as hard as any college basketball team in the country."
Dave Coley's foul shot ended the Seawolves' drought. Coley found Al Rapier for a dunk at 4:12 that was the first SBU field goal in 10:18 and Coley tied the score at 54 on a jumper.
Dougher took over from there to get Stony Brook to the finish line first.
"Basically, it's about everyone keeping their poise," Dougher said. "We get a little déjà vu. It's happened before. It showed a lot about the character of the guys."

RED-OUT SOLD OUT FRIDAY NIGHT... MBB: Boston (7-1) at STONY BROOK (7-1) 8:45 p.m. on WUSB and ESPNU

By our friend, Greg Logan, Newsday
If there's one America East team standing between Stony Brook and an NCAA Tournament berth, it's Boston University. The Terriers came back from a 15-point deficit to beat the Seawolves by two in the conference championship game last March, hitting two free throws with 2.4 seconds left; knocked SBU out in the semifinals the previous season and are the only America East team to beat Stony Brook this season. The conference's NCAA berth won't be decided until tournament time in March, but the first-place battle between Stony Brook and BU Friday night at 9 is a true grudge match that should keep sold-out Pritchard Gym roaring and prove entertaining for the national television audience watching on ESPNU and listening on WUSB

The Seawolves (12-7, 7-1 America East) have won nine of their past 10 games, with their only loss in that stretch coming by a 61-55 score at BU (11-11, 7-1).
The Terriers are riding a seven-game winning streak since losing their conference opener at Vermont, and they own a four-game winning streak against Stony Brook.
"They're going to be right there at the end of the day, so you can't really lose any games if you want to win the league," Seawolves coach Steve Pikiell said. "It's an important game for us for a lot of reasons. It's important for us to continue winning home games."
Stony Brook is 9-0 at home, and school officials are encouraging fans to wear red to help create a raucous atmosphere. "Our students are just back from a six-week winter break," Pikiell said. "It's a tough place to play when the students are involved."
A check of conference statistics shows how closely matched the two teams are. Stony Brook and BU are running 1-2 in scoring defense, scoring margin, field-goal percentage and field-goal defense. Terriers leading scorer Darryl Partin (19.8) and Seawolves leading scorer Bryan Dougher (13.7) are the two most prolific three-point shooters in the league.
Although the Terriers have an inside presence in forwards Patrick Hazel and Dom Morris, they are a more perimeter-oriented team. Stony Brook relies on balanced production up front from forwards Al Rapier (9.4 points, 5.2 rebounds), Tommy Brenton (7.9, 8.1) and Dallis Joyner (7.9, 6.3) along with guard Dave Coley (9.4, 3.9), and the Seawolves have a deeper bench.
"Partin is the player of the year in the league, and D.J. Irving is the fastest point guard in the league," Pikiell said. "We've talked about how we're going to defend them and have changed a few things."

RED-OUT SOLD OUT FRIDAY NIGHT... MBB: Boston (7-1) at STONY BROOK (7-1) 8:45 p.m. on WUSB and ESPNU

MENS SOCCER WELCOMES TWO TRANSFERS

Men's soccer welcomes two transfers for the 2012 season - Stony Brook Official Athletic Site

Stony Brook cruises past Hartford....RED-OUT FRIDAY NIGHT!

With Boston University coming to town tomorrow night -- for a sold-out game to be broadcast on ESPNU -- Stony Brook might have glanced past struggling Hartford. There were moments in the first half Wednesday night when the "trap game" cliché looked to be applicable. But the Seawolves shot well enough in the second half to breeze past the Hawks, 60-37, at Pritchard Gym.
Stony Brook (12-7) improved to 7-1 in the America East, its best conference start. It has won three straight and is rolling just in time for its anticipated matchup with BU, with which it is tied for first.
Bryan Dougher scored a season-high 23 points (including five threes) to make up for a shaky first half in which Stony Brook scored only 24 points and committed 10 turnovers. The Seawolves made 14 of 22 from the field in the second half.
"We held them to 18 in the first half, that's a good number, but 24 points is a little low," Dougher said. "We had way too many turnovers. We needed to fix a couple things on the offensive end."
But the defense is why Stony Brook keeps winning. Entering Wednesday night , the team was 15th in the nation in scoring defense (60.7 points per game) and led the America East in rebounding margin and turnover margin.
The constant perimeter activity and strong presence in the paint smothered the undersized Hawks. Hartford (4-16, 4-4) shot only 31 percent from the field, committed 16 turnovers and was outrebounded by 16.
"If we play defense like we did tonight, as we have been, we'll be fine," coach Steve Pikiell said.
The Seawolves have not allowed more than 60 points for three consecutive games. Hartford's 37 were the fewest by a Stony Brook opponent since the Hawks scored 35 in a loss here last January.
"We really hang our hat on the defensive end," Dougher said. "Our goal is to keep their score low and our offense will take care of itself."
After Hartford went scoreless for the game's first five minutes, the Hawks seemed to build some momentum heading into halftime. Back-to-back Dougher three-pointers quickly settled that. The Seawolves jumped out on an 18-7 run that effectively put the game away.
Stony Brook center Dallis Joyner had nine rebounds and three blocks. "I knew I just wanted to hit the boards no matter what," he said.
After avoiding the upset, the stage is set for Friday's's game, which has been circled for a while.
"It'll be a challenge," Pikiell said. "They have the best team in the league until someone proves differently."

Reid Sets a New Mark

Ahmad Reid went into Tuesday night’s game against Millbrook needing only 19 points to become the school’s all time leading scorer – a mark that was set 24 years ago by Melissa DelValle. Reid came out strong, scoring 15 first half points, but Berkshire still trailed 36-30 going into the half.
The senior swingman opened the second with a quick three followed by a subsequent lay-up to sound the buzzer and claim the title as the Berkshire School’s all time leading scorer.
Reid wasn’t done yet though as he would rattle off 12 more points to finish with 32 points, 8 rebounds, and 8 assists to lead Berkshire to a 69-65 win over Millbrook.
The New York native ran with the Long Island Lightning Dingle on this summer’s AAU circuit and made a verbal commitment to Stony Brook late last month.
Reid has now scored 1472 points over the course of his three year career at Berkshire.

Jorge Posada announces retirement

Jorge Posada was tired. Not tired of playing baseball. He might never get tired of that. But he was tired of doing everything that he needed to do to prepare himself to play baseball. When Posada didn’t push himself to do baseball workouts in the off-season, his inaction provided the answer that he knew was looming. It was time to retire.So Posada, the passionate player who reveled in being a catcher and being a Yankee, will never play another Major League game. We will never see him trace his children’s initials in the dirt again. We will never see him hold a bat with his bare hands again. We will never see him lumber around the bases like a reckless locomotive again. We will never see him contribute something vital to a win again.
Every player is supposed to care about winning. But there are some players who care more than others. Posada was one of those players who cared a bit more. As a boy in Puerto Rico, Posada watched how his father hated losing in softball and adopted that same feisty approach. If Posada played a sport, he decided then that he was playing to win. Posada carried that attitude throughout his glorious career with the Yankees, a career that began and ended with the same team.
When Posada officially announced his retirement on Tuesday at Yankee Stadium, the Yankees placed five World Series trophies on a table beside him. While Posada was a bit player in 1996, he was an important part of the championship teams in 1998, 1999, 2000 and 2009. The Yankees paid Posada a major compliment by positioning that impressive hardware near him. No one needed a reminder about Posada’s desire to win, but the trophies provided it anyway.
If I had to pick a few words to describe Posada, I would pick passionate, proud, stubborn and honest. Posada was drafted as an infielder in the 24th round in 1990, but he somehow became one of the best offensive catchers of his era. A second baseman from a community college isn’t supposed to forge a career that ends with him being mentioned in the same sentence as Yogi Berra and Bill Dickey. But Posada, the son of a scout, made the unthinkable a reality.
A few minutes into Posada’s press conference, his eyes turned red and he began to weep. Then he cried again and again. It wasn’t surprising that Posada, an emotional man, was emotional on the day where he said good-bye to baseball. It was the only sport Jorge, Sr. allowed his son to play because his goal was to turn the kid into a Major Leaguer. The lifelong Yankee said there wasn’t a Plan B.
Now Posada needs a Plan B. But he doesn’t have a post-baseball plan yet, other than spending more time with his family. He was tired of preparing for baseball, not tired of baseball. But that fatigue helped Posada make his decision. We will never see Posada play again. The player who cared more than most knew it was time to retire, retire as a Yankee.

STONY BROOK RED-OUT FRIDAY NIGHT!

Stony Brook to RED-OUT BU Friday night - Stony Brook Official Athletic Site

CONGRATS NY GIANTS...BEAT THE PATRIOTS

Crowley scores 5th in OT as Philly tops Washington

Former Stony Brook Lacrosse All-American Kevin Crowley scored his fifth goal of the game 3:27 into overtime to give the Philadelphia Wings a 10-9 win over the Washington Stealth on Saturday night at the Wells Fargo Center.Crowley, who also drew an assist needed just over seven minutes to record a natural hat trick. He scored off his own rebound 78 seconds into the contest, extended Philadelphia’s lead to 2-0 at 7:02 after a challenge call was ruled inconclusive, then scored eight seconds after that to complete his second hat trick in as many pro indoor games.
His short-handed tally midway through the fourth quarter gave the Wings a 9-7 lead.
On Thursday, Crowley was named NLL rookie of the week after scoring five goals with three assists in a Week 2 loss to Rochester in Week 2.
Drew Westervelt had a hat trick, Brendan Mundorf scored twice and Brandon Miller made 48 saves for Philadelphia (1-1).
Cam Sedgwick and Matt Beers each scored two goals for Washington (0-2), which got 34 saves from Tyler Richards

Stony Brook beats Maine, 58-52 for eighth win in the last nine games

Orono, Maine - Junior Tommy Brenton (Columbia, Md.) had nine points, a season-high 15 rebounds, four assists and four steals to lift the Stony Brook men's basketball team to a 58-52 win over Maine Saturday afternoon at Memorial Gym.

The win is Stony Brook's eighth in its last nine games and improves to the team's conference-leading record to 6-1. It is Stony Brook's seventh win over Maine in the teams' last 10 meetings, three of those now coming in Orono. The 6-1 mark is Stony Brook's best seven-game America East start in program history.

Senior Dallis Joyner (Norfolk, Va.) scored 10 points to lead the Seawolves. Brenton, senior Bryan Dougher (Scotch Plains, N.J.) and sophomore Dave Coley (Brooklyn, N.Y.) all scored nine points. The Seawolves overcame 32.8 percent shooting by outrebounding Maine, 43-40, including grabbing 17 offensive boards that led to 12 second chance points.

Stony Brook overcame 16 turnovers by turning up the defense on a Black Bears squad that came into the game averaging 73.4 points per game. Maine committed a season-high 22 turnovers that led to 16 Seawolves points. Maine was just 18-for-50 (36%) shooting from the field.

"This game was a grind on the road against a very talented Maine team," head coach Steve Pikiell said. "We told ourselves that we needed a team effort to come away with a win, and that's what we got. Ten players played, and they all contributed points. We rebounded the ball very well, and we forced them to make turnovers. I'm proud of the effort."

Both teams struggled to shoot and hold onto the ball in the first half. Stony Brook was just 7-for-30 from the field and committed 11 turnovers. Maine was only 7-for-22 from the field and gave the ball away 14 times.

Neither team could get a basket for the game's first five minutes. Sophomore Anthony Jackson (Columbus, Ohio) nailed a three-pointer at 14:20 to finally give the scoreboard a crooked number.


Unfortunately for the Seawolves, that was their biggest lead of the first half. Neither team could generate enough offense to push past its opponent. Maine took its first lead of the game on a pair of Raheem Singleton free throws at 8:26 that made it 10-9. The Bears then had their biggest lead of the half, five points, after Justin Edwards drained a three-pointer.

On back-to-back possessions, senior Al Rapier (Chicago, Ill.) hit a layup, and Brenton hit a putback dunk after a Dougher miss to tie the game at 20-20, one of eight offensive rebounds Brenton had. The half ended with Xavier Pollard converting a layup in transition to send the Black Bears into halftime leading 22-20.

In the second half, the Seawolves got the offense going quickly as Coley put up six points as part of an 11-2 run to open the half. His basket at 15:41 made it 31-24 Seawolves.

Maine responded with back-to-back three-pointers from Singleton to cut SBU's lead to one, 31-30, but the Seawolves took control of the game with a 17-5 run. After Alasdair Fraser dunked the ball to make it 39-32, Stony Brook, Joyner responded with a dunk of his own at 10:43. The teams traded free throws, but the Seawolves capped the run as Rapier threw up a one-handed dunk off an assist from Coley, and Dougher drained a three-pointer to give SBU its largest lead of the game, 13, and make it 48-35 with 6:43 to play in the game.

Maine stayed within striking distance and closed the gap to four, 50-46, with 2:18 to play after a Pollard layup, but the Seawolves put the dagger in the game moments later. With 10 seconds left on the shot clock, Brenton inbounded the ball to Dougher on the wing, and the senior sniper converted the three-point attempt to make it a seven-point game again, 53-46. Stony Brook then made its free throws to finish the game off.


Stony Brook now heads back to New York for a three-game homestand, beginning Wednesday against Hartford at 7 p.m.

STONY BROOK ATHLETICS...BEST COLLEGE SPORTS PROGRAM ON LONG ISLAND

Best College Sports Program on Long Island

Rapier, Brenton lead Stony Brook past UNH

By Greg Logan, Newsday
It's not that Stony Brook no longer is dangerous from three-point range, at least not as long as senior Bryan Dougher is around. The difference from recent years is that the Seawolves no longer rely on three-pointers to generate as much of their offense.
In a game in which Dougher suffered through a 4-for-15 shooting drought and the Seawolves matched those figures from three-point range, errant long-distance shooting didn't matter. That's because Stony Brook overpowered New Hampshire, 61-52, with the front-line combination of Al Rapier, Tommy Brenton and Dallis Joyner.
Rapier led the Seawolves (10-7, 5-1 America East) with 14 points and nine rebounds. Brenton had nine of his 13 points in a 22-9 run that began the second half and gave Stony Brook its biggest lead over the Wildcats (6-10, 1-4) at 48-33. Rapier and Brenton combined to shoot 11-for-13 from the field, and Brenton had seven rebounds to help give Stony Brook a 32-21 advantage on the boards.
Dougher scored 10 points and Joyner had eight points and five rebounds. Stony Brook outscored UNH 34-18 in the paint and had a 21-4 margin in second-chance points.
Comparing this season's edition to recent Seawolves teams, coach Steve Pikiell said: "We're a different team; we're bigger. We've got three good post-up guys.''
That is a luxury in the America East Conference. The 6-5 Brenton missed last season with a dislocated knee, and when he returned this year, he shifted from power forward to small forward because of the 6-8 Rapier's improved play. At 6-7, 275 pounds, Joyner is a space-eater in the middle.
With the Seawolves coming off their first conference loss Saturday at Boston University, it was important for them to start fast against a team that always gives them fits. "It was a tough loss, but it motivated us,'' Rapier said.
Rapier and Joyner scored every point in Stony Brook's opening 12-5 salvo, using a variety of post moves. "Every game, we look inside to Al and Dallis,'' Brenton said. "Both of them shoot over 50 percent.''
Brenton also shoots better than 50 percent, and his 5-for-5 night didn't hurt. That's where the Seawolves went in the second half. "I was trying to be more aggressive,'' Brenton said. "I didn't want Al and Dallis to do all the work.''
In the final eight minutes, UNH put together a 19-11 run to move within 59-52, making four three-pointers in that stretch and going 9-for-22 overall. Alvin Abreu (20 points) and Patrick Konan (15) totaled 13 points in that span, but the Wildcats couldn't prevent Stony Brook from improving to 8-0 at home to maintain its grip on first place.

Stony Brook grinds out a 61-52 over UNH

Inside game helps Stony Brook grind out a 61-52 win over New Hampshire

Stony Brook, N.Y. - Fueled by 14 points from senior Al Rapier (Chicago, Ill.) and 13 points from junior Tommy Brenton (Columbia, Md.), the Stony Brook men's basketball team defeated New Hampshire, 61-52, to notch its ninth straight home victory Monday night at Pritchard Gymnasium. Brenton and Rapier were part of an inside offense that outscored UNH in the paint, 34-18.

Stony Brook remains in first place in America East at 5-1 and is 10-6 overall, the fourth consecutive season Stony Brook has reached double-digit victories. The Seawolves are three wins away from tying the program's Div. I record 12-game home unbeaten streak that spanned from Nov. 29, 2000-Dec. 4, 2001.

Stony Brook continued its strong play on the boards, outrebounding an opponent for the ninth straight game after a 32-21 edge over UNH. The Seawolves also continued their dominance on the offensive glass with 14 offensive rebounds that turned into 21 second chance points. Stony Brook had a decisive advantage at the free throw line, going 11-for-14 there versus 3-for-6 for UNH.

Eight Seawolves scored in the well-balanced offensive effort as the team shot 46 percent for the game (23-for-50) and was particularly strong on its two-point shots, going 19-for-35 from inside the arc (54.3%). Senior Bryan Dougher (Scotch Plains, N.J.) contributed 10 points to reach double-digit scoring for the 14th consecutive game. Rapier, Stony Brook's America East Player of the Game, finished with nine rebounds, and Brenton chipped in seven.

Senior Alvin Abreu led the Wildcats with 20 points and was named his team's America East Player of the Game. Sophomore Patrick Konan added 15 for a Wildcats team that shot nearly 48 percent for the game (20-for-42), but relied too heavily on outside shots (9-for-22 from three-point range).

"It was a nice win for us against a tough team," head coach Steve Pikiell said. "I thought we did a good job on the glass against a team that does a good job boxing out. We kept them off the foul line, which was important. We did a good job defending without fouling. Now, we're on to the next game, a tough game at Maine."

Stony Brook (10-7) and New Hampshire (6-10) held each other scoreless for the first two minutes. Rapier gave the Seawolves an early 6-3 advantage with three straight baskets in the paint. Senior Dallis Joyner (Norfolk, Va.) scored the next four points to extend the Seawolves lead to 10-5 with 14:12 remaining in the first half.

Sloppy play plagued the Wildcats for much of the first half. UNH turned the ball over five times in the first ten minutes, but a Seawolves turnover ignited the UNH offense and resulted in a lay-up by Chandler Rhoads, followed by an Abreu three-pointer to close the gap to 14-10 with 9:14 left in the first half.

The Wildcats knotted the score at 14-14 on a Brian Benson putback off his own missed free throw. Dougher ended the Seawolves' scoring drought with a three-pointer to put SBU up 17-14. The two teams kept pace with each other for the remainder of the first half, and Stony Brook held a 26-24 lead at the intermission.

SBU came out of the locker room strong as Brenton went strong to the hoop and connected on a layup and drew a foul. He completed the three-point play with a free throw to make it a 29-24 ballgame.

After Abreu made it 36-31 with a layup, Stony Brook went on a 12-3 run that gave the Seawolves a 15-point cushion. A Brenton-to-Joyner alley-oop at 10:10 made it a double-digit lead for the first time in the game. SBU quickly regained possession after another Wildcat turnover, and sophomore Anthony Jackson (Columbus, Ohio) tallied a trey to make the score 46-33 with 9:16 left. Rapier completed the run with a pair of free throws to give the Seawolves their largest lead of the game at 48-33.

The Wildcats hung around by making a few three-pointers. Konan hit a triple at 3:21 to close the gap to within nine, 52-43, but Dougher immediately responded with his basket from behind the arc to give the Seawolves another double-digit lead.

Twice New Hampshire got within seven towards the end of the game, but Stony Brook hit six free throws in the game's final two minutes to seal the victory.

Stony Brook will next look to notch a conference road win against Maine this Saturday at 1 p.m.

Stony Brook rally falls short, loses to BU 61-55

Sophomore Dave Coley (Brooklyn, N.Y.) scored a career-high 21 points, and the Stony Brook men's basketball team fought back from a 14-point, first-half deficit, but it was not enough as Darryl Partin scored 16 of his 18 points in the second half to lead Boston University to a 61-55 win over the Seawolves Saturday at Case Gym.

The loss snaps Stony Brook's six-game winning streak and gives the Seawolves their first loss during America East play (4-1). The Seawolves, who are 9-7 overall, have now lost five straight games to the Terriers, who improved to 3-1 in league play and 7-11 overall.

Coley finished 8-for-16 from the field and 2-for-4 from three-point range for his 21 points. Senior Bryan Dougher (Scotch Plains, N.J.) added 14 points, and senior Al Rapier (Chicago, Ill.) chipped in 10.

Partin was 8-for-17 from the field for his 18 points, and D.J. Irving added 11.

"We got beat by a good team today," head coach Steve Pikiell said. "You can't spot a team a 14-point lead and expect to win. That wasn't like us. Usually, we defend the ball even when we're not scoring. But I liked how we fought back and got back into the game. We just fell short."

Boston University jumped out all over the Seawolves in the early going, as SBU made just two of its first 11 field goal attempts while turning the ball over nine times in the game's first 13 minutes. Irving got the Terriers going with a long three-pointer just as the shot clock buzzer sounded to put BU on top 8-2.

The Terriers extended that lead to 14 after Matt Griffin hit a mid-range jumper and then drained a three-pointer that made it 19-5 with 9:58 left in the first half.

Stony Brook fought back with a 13-5 run to close the half, including seven points from Coley, who fought his way through traffic to the basket for a layup with 2:38 left to make it 26-18, and then sophomore Anthony Jackson (Columbus, Ohio) stole an inbounds pass and took it home for a layup with 1:28 to play, sending the Seawolves into halftime down only six, 26-20.

The second half was a slugfest for both teams, and the Seawolves got right back into it with help from Dougher, who sank a three-pointer to open the half. Coley twice got the Seawolves to within one point, but the Terriers continually answered with big baskets. After Coley had a putback jumper to make it 28-27, Partin dropped in a three-pointer to make it a two-possession game again.

With 11:20 to go, Dougher again sank a three-pointer, and Coley actually tied the game with a jumper to make it 38-38. But again Partin was there to make a play, as he sank a jumper and then drilled a three-pointer off a rebound in transition to put the Terriers back up 43-38 with 9:00 to go.

A Partin jumper was sandwiched by three-pointers from Coley and Dougher, leaving BU with a one-point lead, 47-46, but the Terriers got inside layups from big men Dom Morris and Patrick Hazel to give BU a 51-46 lead with 5:34 to play.

Stony Brook gave it one more chance as Coley drove into the lane, hit a tough layup and drew a foul. He completed the three-point play with a free throw and made it a one-point game, 53-52, with 1:59 to go in the game.

Boston University went right back to Partin, who came off a screen and smoothly sank a jumper off the glass to put the Terriers on top 55-52. Dougher missed a game-tying three-pointer, and the Terriers went 6-for-6 from the free throw line to seal the victory.

Stony Brook outrebounded its opponent for the eighth straight game, winning the battle on the glass, 31-28, but it was the Terriers who had more second chance points, 13-10. The Seawolves committed 15 turnovers, 11 in the first half, that led to 12 BU points. Stony Brook shot 40.7% for the game and was 7-for-19 from three-point range.

The game did not feature many fouls, outside of Stony Brook fouling at the end of the game to try to stay in it. BU went to the line 10 times, making nine. SBU was 4-for-5 from the line, the five attempts tying a season low.

Stony Brook has only 48 hours until its next game, as it takes on New Hampshire Monday at Pritchard Gym at 5 p.m. The game will be televised live on Optimum Local Channel 118. All tickets are $10 and can be purchased online at GoSeawolves.org/tickets or at the ticket window on Monday, beginning at 4 p.m.

Van Dalen To Run At Millrose Games

New York, N.Y. - Senior Lucy Van Dalen (Wanganui, New Zealand) has been invited to run in the 105th Millrose Games at the New Balance Track & Field Center at the Armory. Van Dalen will be part of the inaugural New York Road Runners' Wanamaker Metric Mile for Women."I have watched the Millrose Games as a spectator for the past few years so to be running in the 1500m this year is very exciting for me,'' Van Dalen said in a statement. "The Millrose Games is such a prestigious event and I feel honored to be able to participate it in. I feel that my training is going very well at the moment as I prepare for the NCAA Championships, so depending on how the race develops at Millrose, I feel that I will be prepared to run well."
The Wanamaker Metric Mile is equivalent to the 1,500, a race Van Dalen shined in at the NCAA Outdoor Championships. Despite finishing second in the event in a time of 4:15.33, her personal best is a 4:11.59, set in Padova, Italy last summer.
"Lucy's invitation is great news, not only for her, but for the program and Stony Brook University," head coach Andy Ronan said. "It's a reflection of how far she has come as an athlete and the respect the program is gaining. It will be an exciting evening and I know she will do herself and Stony Brook proud."
The American collegiate record is 4:10.20, set in 1985 by Clemson's Tina Krebs. World Champion and USA Olympian Jennifer Simpson, who has a personal best of 3:59.90 in the 1500, also will run in the race.
The race is scheduled for 8 p.m. on February 11.
The Millrose Games, the most historic indoor track & field event in the world, is in its first year at the Armory after 98 years at Madison Square Garden

2011 America East Championship Game REMATCH preview...

AExtra: Seawolves and Terriers Tangle on ESPN3

UMBC rallies past women's hoops

Baltimore, Md. – Junior Dani Klupenger (Aurora, Ore.) scored a team-high 17 points but the UMBC Retrievers rallied from a 10-point first half deficit and defeated the Stony Brook University women's basketball team, 73-47, on Thursday night at the RAC Arena. "I'm proud of the way our team competed tonight but we just didn't execute on offense like we needed to after the first 10 minutes of the game," Stony Brook head coach Beth O'Boyle said. "Give UMBC credit, they're a good offensive team and they showed it in the second half. But we'll get back to work tomorrow and get ready for BU on Saturday."
Klupenger went 6-for-10 from the field including 5-for-6 from three while senior Whitney Davis (Muskegon, Mich.) chipped in with 10 points. Stony Brook (4-13, 1-3 AE) held UMBC to 26.9 percent shooting in the first half but the Retrievers (9-8, 3-1 AE) shot 58 percent in the second half.
Stony Brook came out on fire, hitting 10 of its first 15 shots to jump to a 24-14 lead just past the midway through the first half. Klupenger did much of the damage, connecting on her first four field goal attempts all from three.
But the Seawolves then went cold, going scoreless over the 9:11 of the half as UMBC ended the period on a 10-0 run and teams went into halftime tied at 24.
Michelle Kurowski opened the second half with a jumper to give the Retrievers their first lead since the early going as UMBC scored scored nine of the first 11 points to take a 33-26 lead.
Stony Brook got within 37-34 on a three and a jumper from Klupenger but UMBC then rattled off nine straight points, taking a 46-34 advantage on a Lauren Chase three with 12:36 remaining.
An inside hoop from junior Taylor Burner (Port Jefferson, N.Y.) ended the UMBC spurt and cut the Seawolves deficit to 10. The Retrievers followed with eight more unanswered points though to take a 54-36 lead with 9:06 left.
Stony Brook got no closer than 16 the rest of the way as UMBC handed the Seawolves their third straight loss. Erin Brown led the Retrievers with a game-high 20 points.
The Seawolves return to action on Saturday, hosting Boston University at Pritchard Gymnasium. Game time is set for 2 p.m.

Stony Brook routs UMBC, undefeated in league

By MARCUS HENRY marcus.henry@newsday.com
Stony Brook started hot, never looked back and made history Wednesday night as four players reached double figures in a convincing 89-49 win over host University of Maryland Baltimore County in an America East game.
It was the sixth straight win for Stony Brook, which improved to 9-6 overall and 4-0 in the league.
It is the Seawolves' best start in the America East since joining the conference in 2001, and their largest margin of victory since becoming a Division I program in 1999.
"I liked the way we played tonight," Stony Brook coach Steve Pikiell said. "We played outstanding defense in the first half, and I liked our shot selection on offense. Everyone made positive contributions tonight, making it a total team effort. We now have to prepare for a tough Boston University team."
It was the most efficient game of the season for Stony Brook as every player on the roster scored.
Bryan Dougher led the Seawolves with 15 points on 4-for-6 shooting, Al Rapier and Marcus Rouse had 12 points each and Tommy Brenton chipped in 11 points, six rebounds and five assists.
Dallis Joyner had nine points and nine rebounds and Anthony Jackson scored nine points for the Seawolves.
Stony Brook led 41-19 at the half.
The hot shooting continued into the second half as the Seawolves, who shot a season-high 58.9 percent from the field, took an 83-43 lead with 3:22 to go.
Ryan Cook had 14 points and Brian Neller added 13 for UMBC (2-14, 1-3).

Stony brook Men's hoops routs UMBC, 89-49, to win sixth straight game

The Seawolves are now 4-0 in America East for the first time ever.
Final Stats

Catonsville, Md. - The Stony Brook men's basketball team shot a season-high 58.9 percent from the field and limited UMBC to 32.8 percent shooting in a 89-49 rout over the Retrievers Wednesday night at the Retriever Activities Center. Senior Bryan Dougher (Scotch Plains, N.J.) led all scorers with 15 points and was one of four Seawolves in double figures.

Stony Brook has now won six consecutive games and is now 4-0 in America East for the first time in program history. The 40-point margin of victory is Stony Brook's largest ever against a Div. I opponent.

In addition to Dougher's 15, senior Al Rapier and junior Marcus Rouse each had 12 points. Junior Tommy Brenton added 11 points, six rebounds and five assists. Senior Dallis Joyner barely missed a second-consecutive double-double with nine points and nine rebounds. Sophomore Dave Coley chipped in eight points and a career-high five assists. All 12 Seawolves scored in the game.

"I liked the way we played tonight," head coach Steve Pikiell said. "We played outstanding defense in the first half, and I liked our shot selection on offense. Everyone made positive contributions tonight making it a total team effort. We now have to prepare for a tough Boston University team."

The Seawolves had an 11-8 lead in the early going when they took over the game with a 13-0 run with a variety of baskets. Dougher started the run with a layup and a pair of free throws. Then sophomore Anthony Jackson (Columbus, Ohio) hit a floater in the lane to make it 17-8.

Rouse then really pushed things in SBU's favor as he had a steal that led to a Rapier layup and then had a three-pointer and mid-range jumper to finish the run and put the Seawolves on top 24-8.

Back-to-back three-pointers from Rouse and Dougher extended the lead to 21, 33-12, and then the Seawolves scored seven of the half's final 10 points, ended by a Brenton layup, to go into halftime leading 41-19.

In the second half, UMBC got as close as 15 points. Ryan Cook drilled a three-pointer with 16:06 to go to make it 45-30 Seawolves, capping an 11-4 Retrievers run.

However, the Seawolves then blew the game open with some great interior offense. Rapier put in a pair of layups at 11:18 and 10:39, sandwiched around a Joyner three-point play that extended SBU's lead to 24, 58-34.

Those points were in the middle of a 28-5 Seawolves run that put the game well out of reach. Dougher finished the run with a three-pointer at 5:08 that made the score 78-39. Dougher finished his career 14-for-24 (.583) from three-point range all-time at UMBC.

The Seawolves made 18 of 27 shots (66.7%) in the second half to pull away to the 40-point victory.

Stony Brook now will focus on playing two games in three days this holiday weekend, beginning Saturday at Boston University at noon. The game will be steamed live online on ESPN3.

STONY BROOK FOOTBALL FINISHES #18 IN FINAL FCS FOOTBALL POLL

The Sports Network - Football Championship Subdivision

Seawolves Fan Recap: Albany at STONY BROOK

The College Hardwood: SUNY Supremacy (Recap of Albany vs. Stony Brook)

STONY BROOK FOOTBALL RANKED #20 IN FINAL FCS POLL

FCS Football Top 25 Rankings | College Sports Madness

Stony Brook's bench helps beat Albany, 81-68

By Greg Logan, Newsday
If there was a cautionary note in Stony Brook's opening two America East wins over Vermont and Binghamton, it was the lack of production from a bench that contributed a grand total of eight points in those games. But the Seawolves looked like a deep, well-rounded team in an 81-68 domination of Albany that included a 25-point boost from the bench Sunday at Pritchard Gym.
With the score tied at 12 midway through the first half, Anthony Jackson and Marcus Rouse entered, and Stony Brook's offense took off like a rocket on a 19-6 run that put the Seawolves in control, 31-18.
Jackson hit three consecutive shots from three-point range during that stretch and Rouse scored six of his eight points. They combined to shoot 7-for-8 as Stony Brook (8-6 overall, 3-0 America East) shot 72 percent from the field while running up a 44-33 halftime lead over the Great Danes (10-7, 2-1).
Jackson shot only 1-for-12 from the field in his previous five games, but he was 4-for-4 in his 11-point game against Albany as Stony Brook built a 23-0 advantage in bench points in the first half.
"Coach [Steve Pikiell] preaches to be a hunter in practice and look to score, and I tried to bring it to the game," Jackson said. "Our second wave did what it was supposed to do."
"They came out in attack mode," Pikiell said of his reserves. "I tell them they don't get as many trips to the plate as they would like, but when they do get up to the plate, I want them swinging. I don't want them holding the bat on their shoulder. They did a good job of giving us a lift."
Holding a big lead has been a challenge in the past, but this time, SBU's starters built on it. The Seawolves put together a 21-10 run to build their biggest lead at 55-37 with 15:57 remaining, and the Great Danes never got closer than nine points the rest of the way as Stony Brook earned its fifth straight victory.
Bryan Dougher hit two three-pointers coming out of intermission on his way to a 19-point effort that included 5-for-9 shooting from beyond the arc. Center Dallis Joyner had his third career double-double with 15 points and 11 rebounds.
"It was a big step for us," Joyner said. "I told the team before the second half, 'Nobody should be more hungry than us.' We had 20 minutes to play hungry basketball, and that's what we did."
Although Albany's Gerardo Suero scored 28 points and got solid help from Logan Aronhalt (18) and Mike Black (14), Joyner was a presence in the middle, blocking Suero on one drive and altering several other shots.
It was a statement game for the Seawolves, who figure to contend for the conference title along with Albany, Maine and Boston University.
"Coach always preaches to beat a team at least once so that, when we see them in the conference tournament, they know we beat you before and we can do it again," Joyner said. "So it was big."

Stony Brook wins fifth straight game, beats Albany 81-68

Stony Brook, N.Y. - Senior Bryan Dougher (Scotch Plains, N.J.) scored 16 of his team-high 19 points in the second half, and senior Dallis Joyner (Norfolk, Va.) added 15 points and 11 rebounds as the Stony Brook men's basketball team won its fifth straight game and stayed perfect in conference play with an 81-68 victory over the Albany Great Danes on Sunday at Pritchard Gymnasium.

The Seawolves are 3-0 in America East for just the second time in program history (also during the 2009-10 season) and hold a half-game lead over Maine for first place in America East. The team also extended its home winning streak to eight consecutive games, including a perfect 7-0 mark this season.

Stony Brook shot a season-high 56.4 percent from the field including a blistering 72 percent in the first half. The Seawolves also hit a season-best 10 three-pointers in just 16 attempts (62.5%). The last time SBU hit 10 three-pointers in a game was also against Albany back on March 5, 2011. Stony Brook also outrebounded Albany, 38-28, and had 18 assists to just 11 turnovers.

Dougher went 7-for-13 from the field and hit all five of his threes in the second half while sophomore Anthony Jackson (Columbus, Ohio) chipped in with 11 points, all in the first half.

"I liked the way our played defense today. We defended enough to hold Albany under their season average in points and shooting, and I thought that was the difference. Our offense did a great job today, but our defense is what won us the game."

Albany used the three-point shot to stay in the game early as their first four field goals came from long distance.

Mike Black's second three of the game tied the score at 12-12 just over eight minutes in, but Stony Brook went on a 19-6 run over the next five minutes sparked by three straight three-pointers from Jackson and six points from junior Marcus Rouse (Upper Marlboro, Md.).

A driving lay-up from junior Tommy Brenton (Columbia, Md.), who had six points, six rebounds and seven assists, gave SBU its largest lead of the game, 31-18, with 7:04 remaining, but Albany out-scored the Seawolves 12-6 over the next four minutes to trim its deficit to seven.

Senior Danny Carter (Windsor, England) answered with Stony Brook's fifth three-pointer of the half, and Joyner then sandwiched two inside hoops around a Logan Aronhalt three as SBU took a 44-33 lead into halftime.

The 44 points matched a season-high for a half, as all nine Stony Brook players that played in the opening half scored led by Jackson's 11.

SBU continued its hot shooting at the start of the second half as Dougher hit two threes in the first three minutes of the period before Rouse hit another jumper to give the Seawolves a 55-37 advantage, their largest lead of the game.

Stony Brook was leading, 59-42, following a Joyner dunk, but the Great Danes outscored SBU, 18-10, over the next eight minutes to cut the Seawolves lead to nine on a Black lay-up with 5:40 left in the game.

Dougher then bookended a 10-4 Stony Brook spurt with his fourth and fifth threes of the half that gave Stony Brook a 79-64 lead, and Albany got no closer than 13 the rest of the way.

Stony Brook will go for its sixth straight win on Wednesday, traveling to take on UMBC. Game time is set for 7 p.m

Stony Brook Women’s Hoops falls to Albany

Stony Brook, N.Y. (Jan. 8, 2012) – Stony Brook University's women's basketball team dropped its second straight game, falling to the Albany Great Danes, 57-32, in an America East conference match-up on Sunday afternoon at Pritchard Gymnasium. Ebony Henry led Albany with 20 points and six rebounds as the the Great Danes (9-7, 3-0 AE) shot 54.5 percent from the field. Senior Destiny Jacobs (Glen Burnie, Md.) led SBU (4-12, 1-2 AE) with nine points.
"Give Albany credit, they're a terrific basketball team and they showed it today," Stony Brook head coach Beth O'Boyle said. "We'll go back and work hard at practice this week and get ready for UMBC on Thursday."
Albany bolted out to an 11-4 lead five minutes in but Stony Brook held the Great Danes to just one field goal over the next eight minutes and clawed to within 13-10 on a put-back hoop from senior Whitney Davis (Muskegon, Mich.).
Lindsay Lowrie's second three of the game ended the Albany drought and sparked a 12-2 run that gave the Great Danes a 25-12 lead with three minutes to go in the half.
Junior Sam Landers (Springfield, Va.) drilled a three with just over a minute left to halt the Albany run and Jacobs followed with a baseline jumper as SBU went into the break trailing 26-17.
Stony Brook shot 40 percent in the opening half but the Great Danes shot 62.5 percent and went 4-for-6 from three.
The Seawolves trimmed the Albany lead to 30-23 six minutes into the second half following two free throws from junior Jessica Previlon (Brooklyn, N.Y.).
But Albany held the Seawolves scoreless over the next eight minutes, scoring 20 straight points to put the game away. Henry had 12 points in the run.

The Great Danes out-rebounded Stony Brook, 28-20, and scored 26 points of 23 Seawolves turnovers.

Stony Brook return to action on Thursday, traveling to take on UMBC. Game time is set for 7 p.m.

Brenton's double-double leads Stony Brook past Binghamton

Junior Tommy Brenton (Columbia, Md.) scored a season-high 17 points and grabbed 13 rebounds, and the Stony Brook men's basketball team used a late 10-0 run to pull away from Binghamton and win 60-54 Thursday night at the Events Center.

The Seawolves have now won four straight games and picked up their first road victory of the season. It was the program's first-ever win at the Events Center and first win at Binghamton since Jan. 15, 2002, a span of nine games. SBU is also now 2-0 in America East play for just the second time in program history (2009-10).

Brenton's 17 was among four Seawolves to score in double figures. Sophomore Dave Coley (Brooklyn, N.Y.) had 12 points, senior Bryan Dougher (Scotch Plains, N.J.) added 11 points, and senior Al Rapier (Chicago, Ill.) chipped in 10.
Stony Brook survived seven Binghamton three-pointers in the game. The Bearcats shot better from outside the arc (43.8%) than inside the arc (41.4%). Robert Mansell led Binghamton with 22 points.

"I liked the way Tommy played tonight, he gave us a huge lift," head coach Steve Pikiell said. "Binghamton was a tough team to play tonight; they were solid and shot the ball well. Fortunately, we made enough plays to come away with the win.

After a back-and forth first half, Stony Brook came out in the second half with a 12-4 run. Coley had six points during the streak, and Rapier punctuated the run with four free throws, the first two coming on an intentional foul by Ben Dickinson.
Binghamton then responded with an 11-0 run that was fueled by a set of three-pointers as Mansell hit one and Chris Longoria hit a pair. Alex Ogundadegbe's hook shot ended the run and gave the Bearcats a 43-39 lead.

It was 44-43 Binghamton when the Seawolves took over the game. Brenton made a move inside, faked a defender and passed out to Dougher in the corner, and Dougher drained a three-pointer to give SBU a 46-44 lead with 8:39 to go.

While the Bearcats missed six straight shots, the Seawolves built a nine-point lead. Brenton put back a Coley miss at 4:58 and then Rapier shot right past defenders in the lane for a dunk and the foul at 4:22. He made the free throw and put the Seawolves up 53-44.

Binghamton cut its deficit to five, 53-48, with 3:13 remaining, but neither team scored for almost two minutes until Dougher rattled off a three-point attempt that missed, but Brenton was there for a ferocious putback dunk at 1:37 to make it a seven-point game and take the air out of BU's sails.

Brenton hit three of four free throws at the end to seal the victory.

In the first half, Stony Brook scored the first two baskets of the game, but Binghamton quickly made a comeback and then was fueled by a 9-2 run that included three three-pointers from Jimmy Gray. The Bearcats went up 15-10.

Stony Brook fought back and briefly took a two-point lead, 23-21, after a Dougher three-pointer, but the Bearcats quickly responded on Mansell's three-pointer to make it 24-23 Bearcats.
Stony Brook led 27-26 after Joyner's hook shot and then seemed poised to add to that lead after grabbing a pair of offensive rebounds that led to nearly a minute of offensive possession time, but the Seawolves could not convert. Gray hit a long jumper just inside the three-point line to send the Bearcats into halftime up 28-27.

Stony Brook outrebounded Binghamton 36-25 and had 17 second chance points on 13 offensive rebounds. The Seawolves were 13-for-19 from the free throw line while Binghamton was 9-for-10.

Brenton now has 688 rebounds for his career, moving into fifth place all-time in Stony Brook history.


Stony Brook is back at home Sunday for another SUNY rivalry match, taking on Albany in the first game of a Seawolves Basketball doubleheader. Tip-off is at 2 p.m., and the game will be televised on Optimum Local Channel 118. For tickets, call (631) 632-WOLF or log on to GoSeawolves.org/tickets.

Stony Brook women’s hoops has three-game win streak snapped by Binghamton

Stony Brook, N.Y. – Stony Brook University's women's basketball team had its three-game winning streak snapped on Thursday night as Andrea Holmes scored 16 of her game-high 19 points in the second half to lead the Binghamton Bearcats to a 44-32 victory over the Seawolves at Pritchard Gymnasium.
"We competed hard tonight and our defense was outstanding but we just didn't make enough shots to win the game," Stony Brook head coach Beth O'Boyle said.
Junior Jessica Previlon (Brooklyn, N.Y.) led Stony Brook (4-11, 1-1 AE) with nine points and seven rebounds. The Seawolves held Binghamton (8-7, 2-0 AE) to 29.5 percent shooting, the sixth time in the last seven games that SBU has held its opponent under 35 percent shooting.
Binghamton jumped to a 10-4 lead but Stony Brook answered with seven straight points to take an 11-10 advantage midway through the half. Orla O'Reilly hit two free throws to end the SBU run but senior Tamiel Murray (Teaneck, N.J.) answered with a jumper to put Stony Brook back in front.
A three from junior Dani Klupenger (Aurora, Ore.) with under two minutes left in the half gave Stony Brook a 16-14 lead before the Bearcats scored six straight points.
But Previlon scored just before halftime as SBU went into the break trailing 20-18. Binghamton shot just 25 percent in the opening 20 minutes but went 8-for-12 from the foul line.
The Bearcats took control of the game to start the second half as Holmes scored 11 points over the first three minutes of the period to give Binghamton a 31-19 lead.
Klupenger ended the run with her second three of the game but BU scored the next five points to build its lead to 14 midway through the half.

SBU scored eight of next 10 points though, pulling within 38-30 on a Previlon put-back with 5:01 left.

But that is as close as the Seawolves would get as Binghamton held SBU without a field goal the rest way as the Bearcats pulled away for the 12-point victory.

Binghamton scored 17 points off 14 Stony Brook turnovers and out-rebounded the Seawolves, 41-38. Previlon and Holmes were named America East Players of the Game for their respective teams.

Stony Brook returns to action on Sunday, hosting the Albany Great Danes at Pritchard Gym. The contest will follow the men's 2 p.m. game and is scheduled to tip at 5 p.m.

HIGLIGHTS...STONY BROOK WOMEN WIN AT VERMONT, 54-47

Watch "Stony Brook women's basketball vs. Vermont highlights" on YouTube

Diary Series: Jay Young, Assoc. Head Coach - Stony Brook

As we recover from the egg nog, travel and “money”games of the holiday season, let’s journey off topic this month with a subject that is near and dear to my heart: my dog Nora.

No disrespect to my colleagues, but do we really need another blog about playing freshmen (usually not ready) or winning on the road (usually can’t)? It has all been written, heck, I’ve written it! This blog is about a man’s best friend and this coach’s best friend, his dog. My wife and I adopted Nora about a year and a half ago. She was found running along a Hoosier state highway, and ended up on doggie death row at the local pound. Since I have never successfully recruited a player from Indiana I figured this was a sure thing, certainly a dog in her predicament couldn’t say“no.” Nora is no Paris Hilton lap dog. She is a “dog’s dog,” a 90 pound Great Pyrenees that sheds like crazy, barks at strangers, and chases squirrels. You know you have a “real dog” when you ask for the extra large poop bags at PETCO.This is why Nora is the best friend a coach can have: she has never complained about meal money, getting more“touches” or having the offense run through her. Throw her a ball and she lays out for it. Two weeks ago one of our cats came running at her, and I swear she took a charge. Nora is like a Bo Ryan defense – remarkably consistent. Experience a bad loss – tail wags. Miss a big free throw down the stretch – tail wags. Put on a few pounds during the season – tail wags. You get the idea. Not once has Nora demanded that her son have more playing time…hell, she’s spayed! Talk about coachable; no one beats Nora. Stick a treat over her head and she will place her rear end on the floor with perfect precision for as long as it takes to please. It’s usually a struggle for our guys to play in a stance for 35 seconds. Nora is always willing to compromise. The other night I changed the TV from the Lifetime network to watch a Big East game; she could have cared less. Try doing that with your wife.
Every coach needs to own a dog; it should be mandatory therapy. Even Nora’s flaws are endearing. When she dribbles too much, you clean it up with a paper towel. I wish I could do that with our guards. Nora is not the brightest of dogs, and her listening skills need some work, but I’ve never worried about her being ineligible for anything. A sliding scale to Nora is that big contraption at the vet. Maybe it’s something about Nora being from Indiana, but I actually think she likes college basketball. Two weeks ago when the Hoosiers beat Kentucky on a last-second shot, she barked like crazy.
I think of what Nora’s life would have been like if we had not adopted her. The Humane Society estimates that there are some 6-8 million dogs in need of adoption every year. Many will be euthanatized because good homes cannot be found for them. We work in a hectic, high stressed profession where coaches are often judged on their win - loss record. A dog never judges. A dog wants to be fed, petted, walked and loved. Every coach could use a friend like that.

Rapier's 17 points lead Stony Brook

By JAMES CREPEA james.crepea@newsday.com
Al Rapier displayed his versatility Monday night. He acted as the point guard and took the ball upcourt, came off screens and drove in from the wings, and matched up on the inside and served as the center.
The 6-8 Rapier did it all, scoring 17 points, shooting 7-for-11 from the field and adding six rebounds for Stony Brook in a 65-59 America East Conference victory over Vermont at Pritchard Gymnasium.
Stony Brook coach Steve Pikiell was most pleased with his team's defensive play. The Seawolves (6-6, 1-0) held Vermont to 34 percent shooting from the field, and the Catamounts were 9-for-31 from two-point range.
"We played great defense, held them to a season-low 34 percent," Pikiell said. "I thought we had a good game plan on the defense end from the start."
Stony Brook's Dave Coley (15 points) matched up against Vermont's Brendan Bald, who came in averaging more than nine points a game but was held scoreless and shot 0-for-10.
"I just want to send a message to the league that I'm going to stop every team's best player," Coley said. "Start from tonight and here on out."
Rapier, a senior, finished two points shy of his career high. The Chicago native made a crowd-pleasing play late in the first half, dribbling around a screen before driving down an open lane and finishing with an authoritative dunk.
"We're at home, the fans come out and support us, so I got to give them their money's worth," Rapier said.
Vermont (6-9, 0-1) started the second half on a 12-4 run to take a 37-36 lead.
"They had the lead for a half a second. We scored right after that," Pikiell said. "We fouled them in the second half, we had no fouls in the first half and they're too good of a team to put them to the free-throw line as much as we did in the second half."
Stony Brook regrouped and took firm control when Coley stole the ball and went coast-to-coast, hitting a fading jump shot to the right of the basket. That gave the Seawolves their largest lead of the game at 56-44 with 3:38 to play.
"I'm a basketball player. That's a go-to move for me," Coley said. "I'm creative. Like Al, I got a little bit of tricks up my sleeve as well."
Vermont cut the gap to 61-57 with 22 seconds to play but could not get any closer.
Rapier scored seven of Stony Brook's first eight points and combined with Bryan Dougher (14 points) and Coley for 31 of Stony Brook's 32 first-half points.

Stony Brook wins America East opener and third straight overall by topping Vermont

Behind 17 points from senior Al Rapier (Chicago, Ill.) and 15 points from sophomore Dave Coley (Brooklyn, N.Y.), the Stony Brook men's basketball team opened American East play with a 65-59 victory over Vermont Tuesday night at Pritchard Gymnasium. The Seawolves remain undefeated at home and extended their win-streak at Pritchard to seven straight, dating back to last season.
Stony Brook has now won its last four conference openers and extends its overall winning streak to three games. The Seawolves held Vermont to its season low shooting percentage at 34 (18-for-53). The Seawolves shot 44 percent from the field and dominated in the paint, outscoring the Catamounts there 28-14. SBU also outrebounded UVM, 37-29.

In addition to Rapier, who was SBU's America East Player of the Game, and Coley's efforts, senior Bryan Dougher (Scotch Plains, N.J.) chipped in 14 points and four steals. Junior Tommy Brenton (Columbia, Md.) had an all-around effort with eight points, nine rebounds, four assists and three steals.

Vermont was led by America East Player of the Game Luke Apfield's 18 points and Sandro Carissimo's 16 points.
"We played very good defense tonight and held Vermont to its season-low for shooting," head coach Steve Pikiell said. "We continue to play well at home and we have to keep that home court advantage up. It was a good conference opener for us; Vermont is a good team that's going to win a lot of games."

Stony Brook (6-6) and Vermont (6-9) kept pace with each other throughout the first half. With the score knotted at 8-8 in the first half, Coley hit a fadeaway jump shot to put SBU up 10-8. Senior Pat Bergmann put in a layup with 10:50 to go in the first half to tie the score at 10 before Coley again gave the Seawolves a two point edge with a jump shot.

SBU led for the rest of the first half. Coley grabbed an offensive rebound and nailed another jump shot to extend the lead to 14-10. with 9:24 left in the first half. The Seawolves and Catamounts then exchanged threes as Dougher and Four McGlynn each made shots from behind the arc at 7:04 and 6:36, respectively, to make the score 19-16.

The Catamounts continued to stay within reach. A jumper by Matt Glass made it 26-22. After being fouled in the act of shooting a three pointer, Dougher nailed all three free throws to extend the Seawolves lead to 29-22.
The Seawolves went into the locker room with a 32-25 lead at the half.

Stony Brook scored quickly in the second half. Senior Dallis Joyner (Norfolk, Va.) dunked the ball to give SBU a 34-25 advantage, but the Catamounts went on a 12-2 run, culminated by a three point field goal by Clancy Rugg to put Vermont up 37-36.

Once again, the teams played back-and-forth basketball, but Stony Brook seemed to pull away with 12:19 to go in the game and the score tied at 40. Senior Danny Carter (Windsor, England) nailed a jumper to begin a 14-6 run for the Seawolves. Coley scored on a fastbreak jump shot following a Dougher steal to give SBU a 56-44 lead with 3:38 remaining.

Vermont hung in with the Seawolves to make it interesting. A three-pointer by Carissimo closed the gap to 61-57 with 17 seconds remaining, but Anthony Jackson (Columbus, Ohio) and Coley nailed their free throws at the end to put the Catamounts away for good.

The Seawolves will hit the road for an important conference game against SUNY rival Binghamton Thursday at 7 p.m. Stony Brook is back at home this Sunday against another SUNY rival, Albany, at 2 p.m.

STONY BROOK women’s hoops knocks off Vermont in conference opener

Burlington, Vt. – Junior Dani Klupenger (Aurora, Ore.) poured in a career-high 18 points and the Stony Brook women’s basketball team held the Vermont Catamounts to 28 percent shooting on its way to a 54-47 victory in the America East opener for both teams on Monday night at Patrick Gym.

Klupenger went 4-for-6 from three as the Seawolves (4-10, 1-0 AE) won their third straight game and defeated Vermont for the first time since 2006-07. Vermont entered the contest as the highest scoring offense in the America East but the Seawolves held them over 15 points below their scoring average.

Senior Whitney Davis (Muskegon, Mich.) added 11 points and junior Jessica Previlon (Brooklyn, N.Y.) chipped in with six points and nine rebounds. The three-game winning streak is Stony Brook’s first since 2008-09 and it was their first win in their last six America East openers.

Vermont led 27-25 with 12:30 to go in the game but Davis hit two free throws to tie the game and junior Taylor Burner (Port Jefferson, N.Y.) followed with an inside hoop to give SBU the lead. Klupenger hit two more free throws to push the Stony Brook lead to 32-28 with 9:21 remaining.

Another Burner hoop gave Stony Brook a 34-29 lead and junior Gerda Gatling (Woodbridge, Va.) dished off to senior Destiny Jacobs (Glen Burnie, Md.) for an easy basket to give the Seawolves a six-point lead with 5:30 left.

UVM cut the SBU lead to 36-33 with just over three minutes left but Previlon answered with an easy bucket on the other end and Klupenger followed with two free to push the Stony Brook lead to seven.

Sam Simononis hit a three for Vermont to make it 40-36 but Klupenger responded with another three to make it 43-36 with 2:08 remaining. Kayla Burchill hit another Vermont three to bring Vermont within four with 1:39 to go but Klupenger hit two free throws on the other end to make it 45-39.

Davis hit two more free throws to make it 47-39 but UVM scored five of the next six points to close within four again. But freshman Kellie Krueger (Wilsonville, Ore.) hit one of two freebies with 50 seconds left and Stony Brook then forced a Vermont miss on the other end to seal the victory.

SBU jumped to an 11-7 advantage midway through the first half as Vermont missed 11 of its first 14 shots. Both teams struggled to score over the next several minutes with Stony Brook holding a slim 13-10 lead with just under four minutes to go.

Lauren Buschmann hit one of two free throws with 3:48 left to break an over five minute Vermont drought but Klupenger banked in a three from the right wing to give SBU a 16-11 lead.

Klupenger drilled her third three of the half with just under a minute left and Davis followed with a long jumper with 19 seconds to go as SBU carried a 21-14 lead into halftime.

Stony Brook scored 10 points of nine Vermont turnovers in the opening 20 minutes and had 12 second chance points. SBU also forced UVM to shoot just 21.7 percent from the field.

Gatling hit two free throws a minute into the second half to push the SBU lead to nine but UVM went on a 13-2 run over the next six and a half minutes to take a 27-25 advantage.

The Seawolves return to action on Thursday, hosting Binghamton at Pritchard Gymnasium. Game time is set for 7 p.m.