WLAX WINS AT BINGHAMTON TO OPEN AMERICA EAST PLAY

Cook, Petersen have big days in women's lacrosse win over Binghamton - Stony Brook Official Athletic Site

STONY BROOK MLAX OPENS AMERICA EAST PLAY WITH 13-5 WIN OVER VERMONT

Rooney, Campbell, Bellando lead Men's Lacrosse past Vermont, 13-5 - Stony Brook Official Athletic Site

SBU's Steve Pikiell: 'I'm not going anywhere'

NEW ORLEANS -- Stony Brook basketball coach Steve Pikiell, who has become a hot commodity for mid-major schools with coaching vacancies, isn't going anywhere. In fact, Pikiell is in the process of negotiating a new contract with the Seawolves. Pikiell's name has been associated with job openings at Miami of Ohio in the Mid-American Conference and Duquesne of the Atlantic-10 in rumors circulated via Twitter. Schools commonly hire outside consultants to reach out to potential candidates before making formal contact, but Pikiell said he hasn't interviewed with anyone.
"I'm not going anywhere," said Pikiell, who was in New Orleans Saturday to give a clinic for challenged kids before attending the Final Four games. "I love my job, and we've got a great recruiting class coming in. My name's getting mentioned for jobs because a lot of outside people are involved with schools."
Pikiell's recruiting class is headed by big man Jameel Warney and point guard Carson Puriefoy III and includes wing man Ryan Burnett and shooting guard Ahmad Reid, who has a verbal commitment. They join a program that just won its second America East regular-season title in three seasons.
"Steve and I have talked, and we're re-doing his contract," said Stony Brook athletic director Jim Fiore, who also is attending the Final Four. "I firmly expect him to be here in the future. We're making this a great job for him. The recruiting class is committed to him, and Steve's really excited."
Stony Brook's decision to upgrade Pikiell's contract is a sign it can compete with any school from a one-bid league, but continued success could one day position Pikiell to make the jump to a major conference. "If a huge job opened up, I'd have to listen," Pikiell said. "But I like where I am."

Alan and Carol Koch create scholarship endowments for men's & women's hoops

Alan Koch '71, and his wife Carol, have pledged a $250,000 donation towards the endowment of one scholarship each for both the Stony Brook men's & women's basketball teams. The scholarships, which become Stony Brook's 14th and 15th endowed scholarships, will be named the Alan Koch Family Basketball Scholarship Endowment.
Endowments provide a permanent source of income which is used to fund and support the mission of Stony Brook University Department of Athletics. Donors who provide a gift to fund an endowment become permanently linked with the Stony Brook Intercollegiate Athletic program and help support multiple generations of student-athletes.
"We are grateful for Alan and Carol's incredible generosity, leadership and support of Stony Brook University Basketball," Stony Brook Director of Athletics Jim Fiore said. "This gift will have a profound impact on our men's & women's basketball programs for generations to come. Alan is a great example of an alumnus who is engaged with his alma mater and is passionate about its future success. On behalf of our University, I thank Alan and Carol for their generous support and hope that this gift will serve as a catalyst for many more former student-athletes and friends to continue to come back and give back to our incredible University and athletics program."
"I can't thank Alan and Carol enough for their support of our men's basketball program," head men's basketball coach Steve Pikiell said. "Their generosity will help us continue to make unprecedented progress as a basketball program. Also, it is rewarding for me as a head coach when former student-athletes are engaged with their alma mater and with the program. We want our student-athletes to be engaged with the university during their time here and long after they have graduated because they aren't just Seawolves while they are here, they are Seawolves for life."
"I truly would like to thank Alan and Carol for their generosity and support of the women's basketball program," head women's basketball coach Beth O'Boyle said. "It has been so wonderful getting to know Alan this past year. He clearly defines the term 'engaged alumnus.' This incredibly generous gift will have such a positive impact on our student-athletes and our program's future success."
Alan was a three-year letterwinner for the Stony Brook men's basketball team from 1968-71, playing one season for head coach Herb Brown and two seasons for legendary head coach Rollie Massimino. He was a part of back-to-back Knickerbocker Conference titles and helped lead the Patriots (Stony Brook's former nickname) to the 1970 NCAA Small College Tournament. In Alan's three seasons on the team, Stony Brook was 49-25 (.662). Alan graduated from Stony Brook with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Secondary Education.
"Endowing a scholarship for Stony Brook University men's & women's basketball student-athletes was an opportunity to give back to my alma mater and impact the lives of future Seawolves," Alan said. "I remember my time as a student-athlete at Stony Brook very fondly, and I learned numerous life lessons from those experiences. I understood the value of how important preparation was and how to work together in a team environment to achieve common goals. I believe competitive activities help prepare you for future success, and I hope that this gift will help Stony Brook student-athletes achieve that success in the same way I have."
After graduating from Stony Brook, Alan started coaching high school basketball at Harborfields high school in Greenlawn, N.Y. He then earned his MBA at Adelphi University and secured a position with Citibank in the credit card division. After spending 10 years with Citibank in various assignments around the country, he joined Bank of America in San Francisco, spending 20 years with the bank in various management positions before retiring in 2003 as a Senior Vice President.
After settling into retirement, Alan got back into coaching at his daughter's middle school. He is currently the assistant varsity girls coach at St. Mary's College High School in Berkeley, Calif., where he has helped the team to four straight Northern California Division 4 Championship appearances. The program has won two of those four championships and was state championship runner-up in both years.
Alan and his wife, Carol, reside in Oakland. Their daughter, Katie, just completed her studies at the San Francisco School of Digital Film.

Stony Brook and CAA: Here we go again - Newsday.com

By Marcus Henry

Photo credit: Kevin P Coughlin

We’ve beaten this dead horse several times. But based on recent published reports, a Stony Brook move to the CAA could happen sooner than many expected.
Why? CBSsports.com reported that VCU, George Mason and Butler are in discussions to join the Atlantic-10. Neither VCU nor George Mason plays football, but it would still leave the conference short two basketball teams.
With Georgia State set to begin CAA play in football this fall, the conference will have 11 teams for next season. That number will be trimmed to 10 once Rhode Island football leaves for the Northeast Conference in 2013.
Having 10 teams still works, but there is still a chance that Villanova could join the FBS ranks and jump to the Big East for football. With that being a possibility, the CAA could get preemptive.
This is where Stony Brook comes in. After a banner football season that included the Seawolves make the FCS playoffs and winning a game, they could be a great fit in the CAA. Stony Brook basketball has improved by leaps and bounds since Steve Pikiell took over.
There are some things Stony Brook must consider before such a move, however. Hofstra is at a disadvantage in basketball, because so many of the CAA’s programs are located in the south. Georgia State, James Madison, Old Dominion, Towson, UNC Wilmington, VCU, George Mason and William & Mary all play south of Delaware.
There are a few close rivalries with Delaware, Drexel and Northeastern, but that is it. Most of Hofstra’s road games require a lot of travel. And the CAA men’s basketball tournament is played in Richmond every year. Not exactly a home court advantage for the Pride. The same would hold true for Stony Brook if it were to join.
Word out of Stony Brook is that the school would push for a two-division CAA football league to defray travel costs. That makes perfect sense for the Seawolves. But would the CAA go for it?
It's unclear if Stony Brook would push for the same split-division format for basketball. The CAA would be down to 10 teams in basketball if VCU and George Mason were to bolt. The league could get away with 10 teams, but would more than likely want 12 teams, meaning Stony Brook could get a call at some point.
Stay tuned.

Softball blasts Hartford, 10-0, to earn weekend sweep

Box Score
Stony Brook, N.Y. - The Stony Brook softball team dominated from start to finish on Sunday, pounding Hartford, 10-0, to pick up its seventh straight win and earn a series sweep to open conference play. Freshman Shayla Giosia hit two homers and knocked in four runs as Stony Brook improved to 17-6 on the season.
After outscoring Hartford (4-17) by a 7-1 margin in two games on Saturday, the Seawolves again exerted their dominance, scoring three runs in each of the first three innings and adding another in the fourth to complete the rout.
Freshman Allison Cukrov (Irvine, Calif.) completed a scoreless weekend with five more shutout innings; in three appearances against the Hawks, Cukrov struck out 11 and allowed eight hits in 15 innings pitched.
Senior Bernadette Tenuto (Audubon, N.J.) knocked in the first run of the day with a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the first. Sophomore Jessica Combs (Hammonton, N.J.) followed with an RBI double to make it 2-0, before freshman Lauren Kamachi (Surrey, British Columbia) scored Combs with an RBI single to right.
Giosia doubled the advantage in the second with the first of her two home runs, a three-run shot to left-center. Stony Brook would go deep two more times in the game as senior Lauren Maloney (Las Vegas, Nev.) hit her second bomb of the series in the third to make it 8-0, before Giosia hit another pitch out on the very next at-bat.

The Seawolves added a 10th run in the fourth when sophomore Nicole Schieferstein (Seaford, N.Y.) tripled to deep center, bringing in sophomore Nicole Hagerty (Sicklerville, N.J.).

On the day, Stony Brook had 10 hits in 20 at-bats and received multi-hit performances from Giosia, Combs and senior Suzanne Karath (Fishkill, N.Y.) The Seawolves' 1-3 hitters (Karath, Maloney and Giosia) combined to go 5-for-6 with eight runs and six RBI.
Stony Brook will travel to Iona for a mid-week non-conference doubleheader on Wednesday at 2:30

Stony Brook women back on track - Newsday

When they were winning national titles in women's lacrosse at Division II Adelphi, Claire Petersen and Demmianne Cook were always on the winning side of lopsided scores. Now in Division I with Stony Brook, the pair recently experienced the other side with losses to some of the division's elite programs. It did not overwhelm the Seawolves, who now are back to their regular schedule. "If you want to be the best, you have to play the best,'' said Petersen, who had a goal and six assists in Stony Brook's 17-5 victory over visiting Marist Saturday. "These highly ranked teams are better competition, so it's only going to make us better.''
Stony Brook (6-3) started the season 5-0, including a triumph over Johns Hopkins. That led to the Seawolves' first appearance in the national rankings, albeit a short-lived one. There was a one-goal loss to No. 5 Duke, followed by a 17-4 loss at No. 6 Florida and a 21-7 loss at No. 4 Maryland.
"It's good that we got to play against such talented teams,'' Petersen said, "because it raises our level of play.''
That was evident against Marist (1-8). Petersen immediately went to work, feeding Amber Kupres 2:49 into the game for the first of Kupres' career-high four goals. Petersen assisted on all four of the freshman's goals, the last coming with 53 seconds left in the game.
Kupres said the team derived only positives from playing Maryland.
"It was a good experience for us to play such a highly ranked team,'' she said. "To see the speed of the game and hopefully grow as a team to one day be like Maryland and hopefully beat them one day. It wasn't super-disappointing. We grew together as a team.''
Cook also scored four goals against Marist, increasing her team-leading total to 33.
After the road trip, Cook was glad to see the team return to form. "Today was really important for us,'' she said. "We hadn't scored in double-digits the past three games, so coming back and scoring 17 goals really got us going.''
With conference play about to begin, coach Joe Spallina believes a winning streak is in store. "The schedule is set up appropriately," he said. "Having played against the best of the best, we should be able to go out and do what we do. We expect to be in the NCAAs. We expect to win the America East. I think we are set up to have a great run here.''
Notes & quotes: Starting goalkeeper Frankie Caridi, who has missed the last four games with an injury to the ACL in her right knee, is expected to return Saturday against Binghamton in the Seawolves' first America East game. Before that, Stony Brook visits Iona on Tuesday.

Men's Lacrosse edged by Bryant, 10-9, in 2 OT

Final Stats
Smithfield, R.I. - Stony Brook junior Sean Brady (Huntington Bay, N.Y.) was outstanding in goal, finishing with 10 saves, but Bryant's Matt Larson scored 35 seconds into double overtime to lift the Bulldogs (5-2) past the Seawolves (1-7), 10-9, Saturday at Bulldog Stadium. Redshirt freshman Mike Rooney (East Islip, N.Y.) tallied his third hat trick of the season to lead all players.
Stony Brook trailed by as many as three goals, 5-2, 6-3 and 7-4. Sophomore Cole Millican(Sunrise, Fla.) gave Stony Brook its first lead since 1-0, 8-7, after scoring his second transition goal of the season. It was the third straight game with a point for the defensive midfielder, who capped the four-goal rally.
Brady, who relieved senior Ryan Keneally(St. James, N.Y.) to start the third quarter, played a sensational third period. He stopped all three shots he faced as Stony Brook dominated Bryant in the third.
After going scoreless for more than 24 minutes, Bryant answered with a goal in transition to tie the game at eight. But Brady was up to the task. A save on a shot by Alex Zomerfeld led to a fast break opportunity for the Seawolves. Brady found junior JJ Laforet (Georgetown, Ontario), and the long stick midfielder scored his first career goal in 31 games.
After a Stony Brook turnover, Colin Dunster scored with 16 seconds left in regulation to tie the game at nine.
Brady stopped Dunster with two seconds left to send the game into overtime.
Brady made two sensational saves in the first overtime, one on Dunster and one on Travis Harrington.


Larson scored the game-winning goal 35 seconds into the second overtime. Mason Poli escaped two Stony Brook defenders off the face-off and found Larson for the score.

"Sean was terrific for us in the second half," coach Jim Nagle. "We struggled with some defensive lapses in the first half, but that's not an excuse. We're eight games into this season. But I still think we're heading into the right direction going into conference play."
Bryant scored five straight to take a 5-2 lead with 9:52 left in the second quarter. Sophomore Matt Bellando (Miami, Fla.) ended a 15-minute drought after he scored in transition off a pass from redshirt freshman Mike Rooney (East Islip, N.Y.). The Bulldogs answered with a goal 18 seconds later to re-take a three-goal lead.
Rooney and Bellando connected again for a goal as Bellando found Rooney from nine yards out to make it 6-4.
Rooney's goal at 2:23 of the second quarter made it a 7-5 game.
Just 46 seconds into the third quarter, Rooney recorded his third hat trick of the season to cut the Bryant deficit to 7-6. Senior Russ Bonanno (Seaford, N.Y.) tied the game at seven with his 11th of the season.
Junior Nick Watson (Manchester, England) supplied the Stony Brook offense in the first quarter, scoring both of the Seawolves goals.
Stony Brook opens America East play Saturday, March 31 against Vermont at Kenneth P. LaValle Stadium. Face-off is scheduled for 1 p.m.

Balanced scoring effort leads women's lacrosse to win over Marist

Final Stats
Stony Brook, N.Y. - Freshman Amber Kupres (Ronkonkoma, N.Y.) and junior Demmianne Cook (Nesconset, N.Y.) each had a game-high four goals and junior Claire Petersen (Wantagh, N.Y.) added a goal and six assists to lead the Stony Brook women's lacrosse team to a 17-4 victory over Marist Saturday at LaValle Stadium. The trio headlined eight different Seawolves goal scorers.

The win snaps a three-game losing streak for the Seawolves and improves their record to 6-3 on the season. Stony Brook had played its last four games against nationally ranked opponents. Marist falls to 1-8 on the year.

For Kupres, the four goals are a career high. She has now recorded a hat trick four times this season, including in each of the last two games. Cook improved her season goal tally to 33 after her sixth hat trick of the year. Junior Janine Hillier (Farmingdale, N.Y.) and freshmen Michelle Rubino (East Setauket, N.Y.) and Kelly Kuerner (Lake Grove, N.Y.) each had two goals, and sophomores Alyssa Cardillo (Farmingdale, N.Y.) and Jessica Romano (Massapequa, N.Y.).

Marist was led by Amanda Tuck's two goals. Red Foxes goalkeeper Ashley Casiano made 16 saves as the Seawolves were constantly peppering her with shots. Stony Brook outshot Marist 42-11 for the game.

"It was good for us to get back into the win column today," head coach Joe Spallina said. "We had eight different goal scorers and a great defensive effort. We got great looks on the offensive side; we just need to get better with our shot placement. Overall, it's good to get back on our home field and get back to our winning ways."

Kupres got the Seawolves on the board less than three minutes into the game after taking a Petersen pass from behind the net and slicing the ball past Casiano for the goal. After a Cook free position goal, Kupres repeated the same result off a pass from Petersen at 21:16 to put the Seawolves on top 3-0.

After Rubino made it 4-0 with an unassisted goal at 18:16, Marist responded with a pair of goals, one from Tuck and the other a free position shot from Shannon Haas to cut the deficit to two, 4-2.

Cook scored for the Seawolves at 13:37, and Marist answered at 12:31 on Sabrina Mattera's goal to make it 5-3.

That was as close as Marist would come to the Seawolves, who ended the first half with three unanswered goals. Petersen assisted on a pair of them, including one to Kupres with two minutes left that sent Stony Brook into halftime leading 8-3.

Tuck scored the first goal of the second half for Marist, but Stony Brook put the game away with four more consecutive goals, the final one at 17:03 as Romano rocketed a shot through defenders from about 10 yards away past Casiano to make it 12-4.

The Seawolves next play on Tuesday at Iona at 3 p.m. It will be their final tune-up before conference play begins next Saturday, March 31, at Binghamton.

Stony Brook Baseball rallies past Columbia for doubleheader sweep

Game 1 Box Score
Game 2 Box Score
New York, N.Y. - Senior Sal Intagliata drove in the go-ahead run with two outs in the ninth as the Stony Brook baseball team rallied from a 10-4 deficit to defeat the Columbia Lions, 11-10, and complete a doubleheader sweep of the Lions on Friday afternoon. The Seawolves won the opener, 6-5.
Junior Maxx Tissenbaum (Toronto, Ontario) went 3-for-5 with three RBI in the second game after collecting two hits in the openers. The Seawolves (14-6) have won five straight and eight of their last nine.
Sophomore Joshua Mason (Woodland Hills, Calif.) tossed 3.0 innings to earn the victory in game two after picking up the save in the opener. Sophomore right-hander Brandon McNitt (Chino Hills, Calif.) allowed just one earned run in 5.2 innings to pick up the victory in the first game.
The Seawolves jumped to a 4-1 lead in the second game but the Lions scored six runs in the fifth and then added three more in the sixth to take the 10-4 lead.
Stony Brook answered back with three runs in the seven on a RBI double from freshmen Steven Goldstein (East Meadow, N.Y.) and a two-run homer from Tissenbaum. SBU added three more runs in the eighth, tying the game at 10 on two-out RBI single from Tissenbaum.
Mason retired the side in order in the bottom of the eighth and Nivins then reached first with one out. Nivins reached second on a groundout to short from freshman Cole Peragine (Belle Ewart, Ontario) before scoring on Intagliata's single to left.
Junior Jasvir Rakkar (Brampton, Ontario) relieved Mason to start the ninth and pitched around a one-out walk to seal the victory for the Seawolves.

The Seawolves jumped to an early lead in the opener, scoring two runs in the first on a two-run double from Krause. SBU added a run in the third on an RBI single from sophomore Anthony Italiano (Sayville, N.Y.).
Nivins pushed the Stony Brook lead to 5-0 in the third with a two-run single. Columbia slowly chipped away though, cutting the SBU lead to 6-2 following an RBI single from Alex Black in the sixth.
The Lions then got within 6-4 in the seventh on a one-out two-run single from Daria Pizzano off SBU junior left-hander G.C. Yerry (West Shokan, N.Y.). Columbia then loaded the bases with still only one out.
Mason got Billy Rumpke to ground into a fielder's choice for the second out but a run came home on the play to bring the Lions within a run with runners now on first and third.
Mason got Aaron Silbar to line out to center though for the final out of the game.
The Seawolves return to action on Sunday, traveling to Holy Cross for a doubleheader. First pitch is set for 1 p.m.

Congrats WUSB Program Director Isobel Breheny-Schafer being honored by Town of Brookhaven

TEBOW TIME HITS NEW YORK!

Siena survives Men's Lacrosse, 12-11

Loudonville, N.Y. - Junior Nick Watson (Manchester, England) scored a career-high three goals and three other players had two goals apiece, but Siena's Bryan Neufeld totaled five goals and three assists to lead the Saints (4-3) to a 12-11 comeback win over the Stony Brook men's lacrosse team Tuesday at the Siena Turf Field.Senior Junior Jeff Tundo (Orchard Park, N.Y.), senior Russ Bonanno (Seaford, N.Y.) and redshirt freshman Mike Rooney (East Islip, N.Y.) each scored two goals for the Seawolves (1-6), who tallied four man-up goals, the most since scoring four against Siena in 2010.
Stony Brook is 1-6 in its last seven one-goal games, including a 1-3 record this season.
Siena outscored Stony Brook, 4-0, in the fourth quarter after trailing by as many as four, 9-4.
After leading 5-4 at halftime, Stony Brook exploded for six goals, two on man-up, in the third.
Watson's third of the game gave the Seawolves the five-goal lead. Siena scored two straight to cut it to 9-7, but Bonanno's 10th goal of the season made it 10-7.
Sophomore Matt Bellando (Miami, Fla.) made it 11-7 with 25 seconds left in the third quarter, but Colin Clive answered with three seconds left in the quarter to cap a 10-goal period.
"I thought we completely stopped playing and got tight," head coach Jim Nagle said. "Our conference season starts on March 31, and we'd better get things right."
Neufeld scored two goals in the final period, including the game winner with 7:02 left. Stony Brook had two shots in the final two minutes but both were saved by Tom Morr, who finished with 15 saves.

Stony Brook travels to face Bryant on Saturday, March 24 at 1:00 p.m.

Baseball rolls to doubleheader sweep of Yale

Game 1 Box Score
Game 2 Box Score
Stony Brook, N.Y. - The Stony Brook University baseball team combined for 23 runs and 23 hits on Sunday, coasting to a doubleheader sweep of the Yale Bulldogs at Joe Nathan Field. The Seawolves hit three home runs on their way to a 13-2 win in game one before blanking the Bulldogs, 10-0, in the second game.
Junior Travis Jankowski (Lancaster, Pa.) reached base in all six of his plate appearances including a home run in the opener and scored four runs. Juniors William Carmona (Hempstead, N.Y.) and Maxx Tissenbaum (Toronto, Ontario) also went deep in the opener and each had four hits and three RBI in the doubleheader.
Junior right-hander Jasvir Rakkar (Brampton, Ontario) allowed just four hits in 7.0 shutout innings to earn the victory in game two. Senior right-hander Evan Stecko-Haley (Coral Springs, Fla.) gave up two runs and six hits in 6.2 innings to earn the victory in the first game.
The Seawolves (11-6) jumped on the Bulldogs early in the opener, scoring three runs in the first highlighted by a two-run homer from Carmona. Tissenbaum added a solo shot in the third and Jankowski then hit a two-run long ball in a three-run fifth that put Stony Brook up 7-0.
SBU added six runs in the sixth to put the game away. Stecko-Haley did not walk a batter and struck out seven.
The Seawolves grabbed an early lead in the second game as well, scoring two runs in the first on a RBI double from Carmona and a run-scoring single from freshman Kevin Krause (Staten Island, N.Y.).

Stony Brook then took control with five runs in the fifth, sending 10 batters to the plate. Tissenbaum and freshmen Steven Goldstein (East Meadow, N.Y.) and Cole Peragine (Belle Ewart, Ontario) each had run-scoring hits in the inning.
Rakkar, meanwhile, cruised through his seven innings after getting out of a second and third, no out jam in the first. Rakkar struck out six and walked just one.
SBU returns to action on Tuesday, traveling to take on Fordham.

Floyd basketball coach Robert Hodgson dies

Robert Hodgson, the longtime boys basketball coach at William Floyd High School, died late Saturday afternoon at Stony Brook University Hospital.
Hodgson was admitted to the hospital last Sunday, the day after Floyd, the Suffolk Class AA champion, lost to Baldwin in the Long Island title game. The 63-year-old coach had complained of chest pain.

The wake will be Wednesday from 2-4 and 7-9 p.m. at Roma Funeral Home in Shirley. A funeral service will be held at 10 a.m. Thursday at St. Jude's Roman Catholic Church in Mastic Beach.

"He was such a dedicated coach," said longtime friend Paul Longo, who worked with Hodgson for the past 24 years in the Floyd district. "Our William Floyd community has lost a coach who was committed to the student-athletes of our district. He was loved by his players and had built the basketball program into a very successful one."

Hodgson, a 1967 West Islip graduate, turned the Floyd basketball program into a perennial contender. He led Floyd to the Suffolk Class AA title when the Colonials defeated Central Islip at Farmingdale State. Floyd, the Suffolk League I champion, had a record of 20-3.

Cukrov tosses no-hitter as softball sweeps Holy Cross

Box Score
Stony Brook, N.Y. - Freshman Allison Cukrov (Irvine, Calif.) fired her first-career no-hitter as the Stony Brook softball team powered by Holy Cross, 7-0 and 10-1, to sweep a doubleheader on Saturday at University Field.
Cukrov was dialed in from the outset, striking out seven of the first nine batters she faced. A second-inning walk and a fourth-inning hit-by-pitch were the only baserunners Holy Cross (2-12) could muster against the Seawolves' freshman phenom, as Cukrov retired the final 12 batters she faced to complete the no-hitter. Cukrov finished with 10 strikeouts and lowered her season ERA to 1.51.
The Seawolves' (12-6) offense also did its part to give Cukrov plenty of run support, scoring once in the first and plating two runs each in the fourth, fifth and sixth. Freshman Shayla Giosia (Runnemede, N.J.) went 3-for-3 in the first game and knocked in a run in the first inning to give the Seawolves the lead. After plating two runs via error in the fourth, the Seawolves tacked on another run in fifth on an RBI triple by senior Lauren Maloney (Las Vegas, Nev.). Maloney then trotted home on a wild pitch to make it 5-0.
Senior Suzanne Karath (Fishkill, N.Y.) knocked in a sixth run in the bottom of the sixth with an RBI single and Stony Brook added its final tally on a passed ball to make it 7-0.
In the second game, Holy Cross opened the scoring with a two-out homer in the top of the first, but Stony Brook scored 10 unanswered runs to end the game after five innings.
Senior Bernadette Tenuto (Audubon, N.J.) and junior Gina Bianculli (Oakdale, N.Y) both hit their first home runs of the season as the Seawolves' bats exploded for 11 hits. Tenuto and Bianculli each went 2-for-3 with two runs scored in the second game, while Giosia, Karath and sophomore Jessica Combs (Hammonton, N.J.) also recorded multi-hit performances.


Junior Taylor Chain (Gloucester, N.J.) earned the win, scattering four hits, while striking out seven to pick up her second victory of the season.

The Seawolves return to action on Wednesday with a doubleheader at Fairfield starting at 2 p.m.

Towson edges Men's Lacrosse, 10-9

Final Stats


Stony Brook, N.Y. - Despite cutting a four-goal, fourth-quarter deficit to one, the Stony Brook men's lacrosse came up one-goal short, losing to Towson, 10-9, before 2,488 fans at Kenneth P. LaValle Stadium on Saturday. Redshirt freshman Mike Rooney (East Islip, N.Y.) recorded his third hat trick of the season for the Seawolves (1-5). Andrew Hodgson and Matt Hughes each totaled two goals and assist for the Tigers (3-3).
Sophomore Matt Bellando (Miami, Fla.) scored both of his goals in the fourth quarter, and Rooney added another as Stony Brook cut Towson's 10-6 lead to one with 3:59 left in regulation.
Both teams traded possessions before a Stony Brook turnover gave Towson the ball with just over a minute left. Towson's Thomas DeNapoli had an open net to score on with 39 seconds left, but freshman Bryan Judge (Melville, N.Y.) forced the turnover. Senior Kyle Moeller (South Setauket, N.Y.) picked up the ground ball and found sophomore Cole Millican (Sunrise, Fla.) in transition. As Millican dodged his defender, Towson's Sean Sheehe was called for a push, putting Stony Brook man-up for the final 29 seconds of the game.
Stony Brook missed the cage on its next three shots, but junior Nick Watson (Manchester, England) took a pass from the door step with two seconds. Watson appeared to score, but the officials ruled that the ball had not crossed the goal line as time expired.
"I thought we did some things well, but we still must commit ourselves to the right style of play," coach Jim Nagle said. "Fundamentally, we getting better, but it's not where it needs to be."
Tundo added two goals and an assist for a second straight game for Stony Brook, which led only once, 1-0. Tundo's first goal of the afternoon tied the game at four, but Towson scored three straight times to lead 7-4 at halftime.
Rooney and Tundo each scored in the third quarter, but the Tigers' Matt Hughes scored back-to-back goals to give the visitors its biggest lead of the game, 10-6, with 8:19 left in the fourth quarter.
Towson won the ensuing face-off, but senior Greg Miceli (King City, Ontario), who totaled a career-high seven ground balls, caused a turnover, igniting a fast break. Senior Jared LeVerne (Jericho, N.Y.) found Bellando in transition for the score and Stony Brook's first in nearly 15 minutes.
The two Bellando goals and Rooney's score capped a three-goal outburst in just 1:08.
Stony Brook had eight shots in the 2:57 of regulation. Towson's Andrew Wascavage played the final three quarters, stopping 11 shots. Junior Sean Brady (Huntington Bay, N.Y.) finished with seven saves.
Senior Russ Bonanno (Seaford, N.Y.) tallied an assist for a sixth straight game. Millican, LeVerne and sophomore Jak Wawrzyniak (Manchester, England) each recorded their first points of the year.
Stony Brook is on the road for two games next week, beginning Tuesday at Siena at 3 p.m. The game will be televised live on Time Warner Cable Sports. Fans with Time Warner Cable in the Empire State can find the game on the following channels.
Albany - Channel 3 (SD) and 1803 (HD)
Buffalo - Channel 13
Rochester - Channel 26
Syracuse - Channel 13
New York City/Hudson Valley - Channel 197

Steve Pikiell has turned it around at Stony Brook

There is no NCAA Tournament appearance in his resume, but Stony Brook University men's basketball coach Steve Pikiell certainly has transformed the program in his seven years on the job.
The Seawolves won the America East Conference regular-season title for the second time in three years and acquitted themselves well in the NIT, losing by two points to Seton Hall, a Big East team that entered the game with 20 victories.
Pikiell thought back to his first year at Stony Brook, in the 2005-06 season, when his team went 4-20 and lost by 30 points to UMBC in the conference tournament's play-in game.
"We were walking out after the game and [an observer] thought we were maybe in the conversation for worst team in the history of the league,'' he said. "We were in that conversation. We weren't close to the number eight team; we just lost by 30. I didn't realize how far we were from the eighth-place team.''
It took until January for Pikiell to earn his first victory that season. "We were struggling having people come to games, we were struggling on the recruiting trail,'' he said. "It took me four years to get my neighbors to come to games. Now they don't miss games. It's been an education -- one at a time.''
Athletic director Jim Fiore extended Pikiell's contract after that first season. "He inherited arguably the worst basketball team in the country,'' Fiore said. "I believed in him. He earned my trust. You judge somebody in their most difficult times.''
The change started to take shape with the recruiting class of Bryan Dougher, Dallis Joyner and Tommy Brenton. "This class changed the culture,'' Pikiell said. "Basketball became important; they were all from winning programs. They all wanted to be here. They had other choices and they said yes to us.
"Past players that we had here thought they belonged at other places. They thought they belonged at St. John's, yet St. John's didn't recruit them. Thought they belonged at Villanova, but Villanova didn't recruit them. They thought they were doing us a favor. I know that was the mentality when we first came here.
"We had to get overachievers. Bryan Dougher, overachiever. Dallis Joyner, overachiever. Tommy Brenton, overachiever. Danny Carter, overachiever. We had to get a group of those kids. We have all the intangibles. Good chemistry, great locker room. Kids that are unselfish. We had nine guys lead us in scoring this year. Nine, on a roster that plays 11. They are not caught up in individual stats.''
Pikiell was 20-67 in his first three years, 75-51 in the last four. He has two 22-win seasons and two NIT appearances in the last three years. And he's come up just short of an NCAA appearance the last two years with a two-point loss to Boston University last season and Saturday's 51-43 loss to Vermont.
"I'm a worker and an obstacle guy and that's all I've had to do since I've been here,'' he said. "I'm a blue-collar person -- nine brothers and sisters, paper route, nothing's been easy. I had a positive approach to everything. I knew it would get better. Obviously, it can't go in the other direction. Honestly, I really believed in myself and I believed in my staff. I believe in the university.''
Pikiell suspects he lost some recruits over the years because of delays in the renovation of Stony Brook Arena, though the team has made Pritchard Gymnasium a huge home-court advantage.
"Kids don't come out and tell you why,'' Pikiell said. "I've lost a kid here because at one school, they had a bathroom in their dorm room. Kids are 17 years old, they make decisions, the least of which are usually common-sense reasons. They make a decision on they had a great weekend, it was a great party. There's a bathroom in their room.
"We had a kid up from Texas. His high school gym seats 5,000. I know when he came in and looked at Pritchard, he wasn't that excited. The asset is the school and the people here.''
There also is the ever- present identity issue. "People don't know enough about the school until they come out here,'' he said. "People think Stony Brook is a Stonehill, a small private school with a brook running through it. That's what people think. Stonehill, Slippery Rock, Stony Brook.
"Once they come here, they see this is a major pubic university with 25,000 students. A great campus, near the water, close to the train, with great education and great people. Then they look at you a little differently.''

Coker looks for fresh start at Stony Brook

When Stony Brook opens spring football practice Friday, all eyes will be on running back Marcus Coker, a Big Ten star who transferred to the Seawolves on Jan. 30 after a controversy at Iowa.
After being suspended for Iowa's appearance in the Insight Bowl for a violation of the university's student-athlete code of conduct Dec. 20, Coker asked to be released from his scholarship Jan. 10. It was reported that same day by the Iowa City Press-Citizen that he had been the subject of an Iowa City police department investigation into an allegation of sexual assault against him on Oct. 28. Coker was investigated but not charged. Police said the case was closed because the alleged victim declined to press charges.
In his first interview since transferring, Coker said to Newsday that he told his side of the story to University of Iowa officials during their investigation, and he tersely acknowledged that the suspension was a factor in his decision to leave.
Asked for his account of the allegation against him, Coker said, "I don't think it matters. It's in the past, and I've moved on."
Coker explained why he made the move to Stony Brook, where he doesn't have to sit out a season because he's moving down from FBS to FCS football. "It was just time for a change," he said. "It was time for a fresh start, being able to get closer to home."
Home for Coker is in Beltsville, Md., where the 6-foot, 230-pound running back starred at DeMatha Catholic high school in nearby Hyattsville, Md.
"I've gone home the past two weekends, and my mom's been loving it," Coker said. "She'll actually be able to come and see my games. In high school and Boys and Girls Club, she came to every game and every practice. So it was really tough on her [to attend only two Iowa games]."
Although he has made the move to Long Island, Coker understands he hasn't distanced himself from the controversy over how he left Iowa. Asked how it feels to do a Google search of his name and see stories about his suspension, he grimaced.
"It's one of those things that makes me sick when I thought about it at first," Coker said. "You just have to keep on doing what you're doing. You can't worry about what other people have to say."
Coker expressed his feelings most strongly in a farewell post on his Facebook page Jan. 10: "I really wish I could tell u guys wats goin on cuz its really ridiculous to b punished for somethin I didnt do." The post has since been taken down.
As part of the recruiting process, Stony Brook investigated Coker's background. Seawolves coach Chuck Priore said it involved the dean of students, university police department, university lawyers, faculty representative, athletic director and himself all speaking to their Iowa counterparts.
"You don't make these decisions based on the person," Priore said this week. "You make these decisions based on the information. We tried to gather both sides of it . . . We couldn't find a person who would say a bad thing."
But uncomfortable questions may persist for Coker, who was second in Big Ten rushing with 1,384 yards plus 15 touchdowns last season, especially if he attracts more attention to Stony Brook football. "It comes with the territory," Coker said. "The type of person I am, I get knocked down and I get right back up and move on."
Coker no longer will be serenaded by 70,000 Iowa fans at Kinnick Stadium. LaValle Stadium holds only 8,000, but the people who matter most will be there.
"My whole family will be up here every weekend coming to the games," Coker said. "I'll have my mom, my brother and his wife, and distant cousins will come up here, probably 20 plus. It will be nice.''

Stony Brook proves itself in NIT loss

In the black-and-white world of wins and losses, almost doesn't count. So, the fact that Stony Brook came back from a 10-point deficit and a horrific start to "almost" upset No. 1-seeded Seton Hall in a first-round NIT game Tuesday night in the Pirates' Walsh Gym doesn't matter to the bottom-liners. The Seawolves' 63-61 loss is a loss is a loss forever in the record books.But the way Stony Brook came back and fought to get two last second shots, one to win and one to go to overtime, said something about the Seawolves' character. And the way they dominated a Big East team on the boards -- 44-23 overall and 19-2 on the offensive glass -- said something about their ability. And the fact they did that after Dave Coley and Dallis Joyner (pictured) fouled out said something about their heart.
It was a heart that was broken when Bryan Dougher's possible game-winning three with four seconds left missed and then was broken again when Tommy Brenton's tip hung teetering on the rim before falling out at the buzzer. But there was no doubt this performance left a much better taste than Stony Brook's 51-43 loss to Vermont in Saturday's America East title game.
That's especially true for seniors Dougher, Joyner, Al Rapier and Danny Carter. When Stony Brook fell behind 12-2 at the start while shooting 1 for 10 and committing nine turnovers in the first nine minutes, it seemed the Seawolves were in for a flogging. Instead, they came back brilliantly to lead three times in the second half before tying the game at 46 with 10:13 left to play. Then, they went down by seven and still came back with a chance to win.
"It's definitely more satisfying," Dougher said, comparing it to the Vermont loss. "I'm proud of the way we fought, and I'm proud of where the program is heading."
Dougher scored 12 points, adding four more three-pointers to his career Division I records in total points and in threes at SBU. Joyner, who had 14 points and nine rebounds going against Herb Pope of Seton Hall (20-9) distinguished himself in his final game.
"It was exciting to see we could play with a Big East team," Joyner said. "They're bigger and they play a different style of defense than we see in America East. They press up, and me and Tommy had room to maneuver."
Joyner was referring to Tommy Brenton, who came in as part of the same class but has one more year of eligibility after missing last season with an injury. Brenton had 13 rebounds, seven assists and three steals and made the Pirates miserable the same way he does to America East opponents.
Coach Steve Pikiell, too, could be proud of the rebounding numbers against big brother from the Big East. If the Seawolves had shot a little better than 37.7 percent and cut down on their 18 turnovers, they might very well be advancing to face Massachusetts in the second round instead of Seton Hall.
By definition in his job, Pikiell is a bottom-liner. "Bryan got a great look at it, and Tommy did a great job of getting a second look," Pikiell said. "It didn't go our way."
Asked if he felt the Seawolves proved something after their disappointing loss to Vermont denied them the school's first NCAA bid, Pikiell said, "I wanted to win the game, and I think we were good enough. And I wanted to keep coaching this team. It's sad it's over, but I'm proud. I like where our program is."
Thinking of the terrific recruiting class on the way that is headed by post man Jameel Warney and point guard Dave Pureifoy and the fact that 6-10 redshirts Anthony Mayo and Scott King should be ready for expanded roles, Pikiell added, "In the future, we're going to be more talented, and we're getting bigger and better."
As Dougher said previously, this is the end for his class but the beginning for the Seawolves' basketball program.

Stony Brook can't finish late, falls to Seton Hall in NIT

SOUTH ORANGE, N.J. -- Following a rough start in which Stony Brook fell behind by 10 points to Seton Hall after committing nine turnovers and shooting 1-for-10, the Seawolves came roaring back last night to lead three times in the second half and take their first-round NIT game down to a final possession. But Bryan Dougher's potential winning three bounced out, and Tommy Brenton's tip to tie it fell off the rim as time expired. The Pirates of the Big East escaped with a 63-61 victory over the America East regular-season champs.
"I didn't really get the shot I wanted at the end," said Dougher, who was contested at the top of the arc by Aaron Cosby.
Asked how long Brenton's tip seemed to sit on the rim, Dougher added, "Forever. I thought it was going to drop. But I'm proud of the way we played."
Dallis Joyner led SBU with 14 points and had nine rebounds, Marcus Rouse scored 13, Dougher totaled 12 points to add to his school Division I career scoring record, and Tommy Brenton added 13 rebounds, seven assists and three steals. Jordan Theodore led the Hall with 21 points, and Herb Pope added 20.
SBU pounded the Big East team on the boards 44-23, including a 19-2 advantage in offensive rebounds.
Stony Brook (22-10) was making its second NIT appearance in three years, against Seton Hall (21-12), which has seven NCAA banners, including a 1989 runner-up finish, and 16 NIT banners hanging in the rafters of ancient Walsh Gym. The Hall had lost 11 straight NIT games dating to its last win in 1956, but the Pirates advance to meet UMass.
SBU looked completely overmatched physically in the first nine minutes against Seton Hall's full-court press and extended zone defense. "We had a little jitters early," said Dougher, a Scotch Plains, N.J., native who grew up a Pirates fan and who had upward of 40 friends and relatives in the stands. "Once we settled down, we were able to overcome it."
It was Dougher who finally hit a three with 11:04 left in the first half to start a 14-6 run that cut the Hall's lead to 18-16 when Joyner made a foul-line jumper. Every time the Pirates started to inch away, the Seawolves fought back, pulling within two four more times before the half when Rouse hit a corner three at the buzzer to cut Seton Hall's lead to 32-30.
"When Bryan hit that three," Joyner said, "Pope said to me, 'When he hits threes, you guys get going, don't you.' "
Did they ever. Stony Brook led three times early in the second half and then tied it for the last time at 46 on a three by Dougher with 10:13 to play. The Hall put together a 7-0 run that ended with two technical foul shots by Theodore for a 53-46 lead after Stony Brook point guard Dave Coley fouled out at 8:07 and protested too much. The Seawolves later lost Joyner to fouls with 1:43 left.
"That was our first technical this season," SBU coach Steve Pikiell said of the call by the Big East crew. "It was tough to lose Dave because he can go by guys, and I would have loved to have Dallis at the end of the game. We were going for it on the last shot because I wanted to win. I didn't want to go to overtime the way the whistle was being blown. I'm sad it's over, but I'm proud of these guys."

N.J. product Dougher excited about playing Seton Hall in NIT (Newsday)

Stony Brook University guard Bryan Dougher knows all about Seton Hall, the Seawolves' opponent in the first round of the NIT. Dougher, from Scotch Plains, N.J., grew up rooting for the Pirates. Interest in the team started with his parents, who attended the university.  Cheering for the Pirates ceases Tuesday night when the teams meet at Walsh Gymnasium. "Everyone was texting me, 'How great would that be, beating my parents' alma mater,' " Dougher said Monday.
Dougher's father, Kevin, was a team manager and practice player for Seton Hall. His mom, Donna, was a cheerleader at the university. Longtime family friend Jay Boyle, whom Bryan calls Uncle Jay, played for the Hall in the late 1970s.
Before Bryan left to begin his career at Stony Brook, he was a fixture at Seton Hall games. "My best friend had season tickets, so we used to go to every home game," he said. "I know the team pretty well. I check almost every game they play."
Teammates Lenny Hayes and Eric McAlister also are from New Jersey. Jameel Warney, Stony Brook's top high school recruit, is a senior at New Jersey's Roselle Catholic.
Both teams anticipated being in the NCAA Tournament. Seton Hall (20-12) thought it had enough of a resume to join the nine other Big East teams that were selected. Stony Brook (22-9) won the America East regular-season title but lost the conference tournament final at home to Vermont.
"We don't want our season to end, and I know they were disappointed about not getting into the tournament," Dougher said of Seton Hall. "I know they are going to be ready to play. I saw a couple of things about how disappointed their seniors were and how ready they are to win the NIT. We've got to really get up for this game."
Stony Brook coach Steve Pikiell said there is no reason for his team to view the NIT as a consolation tournament.
"There's 11 conference champions playing in this tournament and 25 teams with 20 wins or more," he said. "The names LSU, Oregon, Tennessee, it's like an unbelievable tournament. It really is.
"I told our guys, 'You have one day to feel sorry for yourself. We're one of 100 teams playing. Let's go.' You're playing Seton Hall, a real name school."
Seton Hall had an erratic season, starting off 15-2 before a six-game losing streak. In the Big East Tournament, it beat Providence before losing to eventual champion Louisville.
The Pirates could present big matchup problems for the Seawolves. "They've got two [potential] pros I'm worried about,'' Pikiell said, referring to guard Jordan Theodore and 6-8 forward Herb Pope. "UConn people say [Theodore] is the best point guard in the Big East. Pope is the [second] best rebounder. Herb Pope looks like he's three people. We have to work on ball-screen coverages, we've got to double down in the post, we've got to work on post rotations. We can't guard the guy by ourselves. And Fuquan [Edwin] is [second] in the country in steals.
"What are we going to throw at them? The kitchen sink.''
Dougher is excited about the prospect of playing his hometown school. "If there was one team that I wanted to play, it was definitely Seton Hall," he said. "When it popped up on the screen, I was pretty excited about it."

Stony Brook Men's hoops draws Seton Hall in the NIT

Stony Brook, N.Y. - The Stony Brook men's basketball team, making its second national postseason tournament appearance in the last three years, has drawn Seton Hall in the first round of the 2012 Postseason NIT. The Seawolves will take on the Pirates Tuesday night at Walsh Gymnasium in South Orange, N.J., at 7:15 p.m., live on ESPN3 and WUSB 90.1 FM.

This is Stony Brook's second NIT appearance in the last three seasons, having also played in 2010 when the Seawolves hosted Illinois in the first round at Stony Brook Arena. The Seawolves qualified for the NIT by winning the America East regular season championship.

Stony Brook and Seton Hall have met two prior times, with the Pirates winning both matchups, the most recent one coming Dec. 31, 2002. The Pirates are 20-12 this season and were 8-10 in the BIG EAST.

Should Stony Brook defeat Seton Hall, the Seawolves will advance to face either No. 4 Mississippi State or No. 5 Massachusetts in the second round.

This season, the Seawolves are 22-9 overall and 14-2 in America East, the program's best record in the league since joining in 2001. Stony Brook has won 19 of its last 22 games and sports one of the nation's best defenses, allowing only 59.0 points per game. In this 22-game stretch, Stony Brook has not allowed an opponent to score 70 points, and 14 times, the team has held its foe under 60 points.

Part of Stony Brook's defense has been its rebounding prowess. The Seawolves rank fifth in the nation in rebounding margin at +7.9, and they have outrebounded their opponents in 27 of 31 games this season.

Stony Brook is led by first-team All-America East senior Bryan Dougher (Scotch Plains, N.J.), who just became the school's all-time leading Div. I scorer with 1,597 points. Joining him on the All-America East first team is junior Tommy Brenton (Columbia, Md.), who is also the 2012 America East Defensive Player of the Year. The Seawolves are also led by third-team All-America East senior Dallis Joyner (Norfolk, Va.), who was the conference's leader in field goal percentage at 60 percent.

The Seawolves are under the direction of seventh-year head coach Steve Pikiell, who has built the Stony Brook program from the ground up, taking over a team that had never finished better than sixth in America East to winning two regular season championships in three seasons. In each of those regular season championship years, Pikiell has been named America East Coach of the Year.

Stony Brook already refocusing on NIT

The disappointment was evident. Bryan Dougher's voice broke once, then a second time when he was asked how it felt to lose a game that prevented Stony Brook University from obtaining the ultimate prize in college basketball.             There will be no NCAA Tournament bid for Stony Brook after Saturday's 51-43 loss to Vermont in the America East Tournament championship game, but there is little time to grieve. The season is not over. Stony Brook has a spot in the NIT.
By winning the America East regular-season title, the Seawolves gained an automatic bid to the NCAA's other dance. Pairings will be announced Sunday night.
The secondary prize began to resonate with the players when coach Steve Pikiell said, "Last year at this time, our season was done.''
When it lost to Boston University by two points in the conference championship game a year ago, Stony Brook had nowhere to go. That is not the case this time. "I don't think we'll ever get over it,'' Dougher said of again being denied the NCAA bid, "but we have to put it past us and focus on whoever we have in the NIT. We're excited to keep playing. You never want your college career to end. To have an extra game or how many we win, that's exciting for us.''
Stony Brook has not had an NCAA bid in 13 Division I seasons. The program earned five bids in D-III, the last in 1990-91 under coach Joe Castiglie.
Dougher, a senior guard, was held to eight points Saturday but now holds the team's D-I record for most career points with 1,597. With at least one more game in the NIT, that number figures to increase.
Senior forward Dallis Joyner said, "I'm going to try to go into the NIT with the most positive view I can. You don't want to lose your last game. I'm going in the NIT and play my heart out, get a win, a few wins.
"Our first goal was to win the conference because you are assured postseason play. Obviously, we wanted the NCAA bid really bad, but we just weren't able to get it. Now we'll fall back on what we worked for all season.''
For junior guard Lenny Hayes, it's about keeping the uniform on. "A lot of teams are done right now,'' he said. "So it's a positive that we get to keep on playing.''
Pikiell knows the best way to distance the team from the Vermont loss is to accentuate the positive of the NIT. "They'll get up for it,'' he said, "and I'll get up for it, too.''
It will be the Seawolves' second NIT appearance. They hosted Illinois two years ago, playing competitively in a 76-66 loss before 4,423 at Stony Brook Arena. "We proved we can hang with the big boys,'' Dougher said. "Hopefully we'll get a home game. Wherever we go, we're going to play hard.''
Pikiell wants his team to realize that making the NIT is not a secondary achievement.
"It was a huge thing to win the conference,'' he said. "In leagues like this, to lock up a postseason anything is huge. I never brought it up, never talked about it, but it was a huge accomplishment.
"Brian's a great leader, Dallis is great, they all want to play. We'll get them together, we'll watch the NIT pairings. We'll have a great week of preparation and have some fun with it. We're still playing, we're excited about that. We got a postseason bid. We're going to go and try to play great in the NIT.''

CONGRATS, LUCY VAN DALEN...NATIONAL CHAMPION

Dream ends as Stony Brook falls to Vermont...headed to NIT next week...Announcement - Sunday, ESPNU - 9 p.m.

Final Stats

Stony Brook, N.Y. - The Stony Brook men's basketball team fell behind Vermont by 17 points, only to come back and get as close as four points, but could not complete the comeback, losing to the Catamounts, 51-43, in the final of the America East Championship Saturday in front of a sold-out Stony Brook Arena crowd of 4,423.

Despite the loss, Stony Brook (22-9) has still won 19 of its last 22 games and, by virtue of its regular season championship, has earned an automatic bid into the NIT.

Sophomore Dave Coley (Brooklyn, N.Y.) and senior Al Rapier (Chicago, Ill.) each scored 10 points to lead the Seawolves, who could not get anything going on the offensive end. Stony Brook shot just 29.3 percent for the game, including 4-for-19 from three-point range.

Senior Bryan Dougher (Scotch Plains, N.J.) scored eight points on the day. His first three-pointer of the game pushed him past D.J. Munir to become the program's all-time leading Div. I scorer. Dougher now has 1,597 points for his career with at least one more game to play.

Vermont was led by Four McGlynn's 14 points. Brian Voelkel had 15 rebounds and seven assists and was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player.

"Give credit to Vermont, they were the better team today," head coach Steve Pikiell said. "If you don't score, you can't win the game, and today we could not find the basket. But I'm proud of our guys. They have had a great season, won 22 games, and we still have basketball left to play. We get to go to a postseason game when so many other teams are done for the year."

Shooting was the name of the game as the Catamounts hit their shots early on, and the Seawolves could not. Vermont built a 22-9 lead by making nine of its first 16 shots while SBU had just three field goals until Rapier made a layup at 5:56 to end UVM's run.

The halftime score was 26-19 in favor of the Catamounts as the Seawolves made just eight field goals.

In the second half, back-to-back three-pointers from junior Marcus Rouse (Upper Marlboro, Md.) and Dougher, cut SBU's deficit to six, 31-25, but McGlynn was a thorn in SBU's side, nailing a three-pointer at 16:07 and 14:09 to make it a 12-point game again, 37-25.

Vermont's lead grew to 17 when Voelkel hit a three-pointer at 9:56 to make it 46-29.

The Seawolves fought back as Coley nailed a three-pointer at 6:46 to make it a 10-point game. He then grabbed a Dougher miss on the offensive glass and put it back in at 6:06 and then grabbed a defensive rebound and went coast-to-coast for a layup and the foul. He completed the three-point play and all of a sudden SBU trailed by only six, 47-41, with 5:24 to go.

That would be the last field goal of the game by either team. Vermont went the last 9:56 without connecting on a field goal, but the Seawolves could not capitalize, missing their last seven shots.

Dougher was fouled on a three-point attempt and made two of three free throws to make it 47-43 Catamounts with 1:00 to play, but Vermont made four of six free throws to seal the win.

Stony Brook will make its second national postseason tournament appearance in the last three years and will find out its NIT opponent Sunday night on the NIT Selection Show, live on ESPNU at 9 p.m.

Matchups: Vermont at Stony Brook (Newsday)

America East Championship Game (WUSB)

Vermont Catamounts (22-11) at Stony Brook Seawolves (22-8)
KEY MATCHUP
Stony Brook F Al Rapier vs. Vermont F Brian Voelkel
Vermont coach John Becker believes it's vital to limit the low-post scoring opportunities of 6-7, 275-pound Seawolves center Dallis Joyner, so, he often will double-team Joyner with 6-7 forward Luke Apfeld and the 6-6 Voelkel. Catamounts wingman Brendan Bald, who was America East defensive player of the year in 2010-11, will have his hands full with Stony Brook small forward Tommy Brenton, who won the same award this season. That means the 6-8 Rapier, who has a knack for getting to the rim easily but doesn't always finish, might have ample scoring opportunities inside if Voelkel's attentions are divided. In a game between two grind-it-out, defense-oriented teams, the one that gets the most easy baskets inside figures to have the best chance of winning.
KEEP AN EYE ON . . .
Stony Brook -- Guard Dave Coley plays in the shadow of senior point guard Bryan Dougher, who needs two points to set the Seawolves' Division I career scoring record, but coach Steve Pikiell gave him the last shot against Albany in the semifinals because of his ability to create his own shot and break down a defense, which could be key with the Catamounts trying to control Dougher's three-point ability.
Vermont -- Freshman guard Four McGlynn, who is the Catamounts' second-leading scorer at 11.9 points per game, but he comes off the bench and gets fewer minutes than all-conference guard Matt Glass (12.1) and starting point guard Sandro Carissimo. McGlynn's 24 points killed SBU in a 19-point loss in Burlington.
THE "X FACTORS"
Stony Brook -- Although there will be a homecourt crowd approaching 5,000 in Stony Brook Arena, the comfort level won't be the same as 1,630-seat Pritchard Gym, where they went 13-0. Another "X factor" is the play of a deep bench, especially the offensive abilities of guards Anthony Jackson and Marcus Rouse and forward Lenny Hayes to light a spark.
Vermont -- Free throw differential worries Seawolves coach Steve Pikiell the most. Vermont averages 20.3 free throw attempts per game and makes .744 percent compared to 18.2 attempts per game for Stony Brook and a .690 percentage. "We've got to make sure they don't get to the free throw line, but that doesn't depend on your players sometimes," Pikiell said. "It depends on the referees. That's out of your control."
Prediction: Seawolves, 62-57
Vermont is a program that has been to the NCAA Tournament as recently as two years ago, and the Catamounts can draw on their 19-point homecourt win over Stony Brook on Feb. 12 for confidence. But Stony Brook has the best defensive and rebounding team in America East and has won 20 of 22 to reach this point, including a 9-2 mark away from home.

Campus buzzing as Stony Brook hosts America East final

Signs of Stony Brook's basketball success are all around as the Seawolves prepare to host the America East Conference championship game for the first time Saturday morning at 11 against Vermont. The school's first NCAA Tournament bid is on the line, and they expect a standing-room-only crowd approaching 5,000 in Stony Brook Arena, which has been refurbished at a cost of about $60,000 to accommodate the lights, cameras and action for ESPN2's national telecast. But athletic director Jim Fiore said there is one true measure of how far the program has come in seven seasons under head coach Steve Pikiell. "You know you're at a really fun point when there are people on line for tickets that you know are scalpers," Fiore said. "There's nothing you can really do about it. When your staff comes to the gym, there are guys waiting there that are going to sell tickets on e-Bay. I think we may have arrived."
Before Thursday's public sale, Fiore said the school took care of its season-ticket holders, students and university personnel. A total of 1,500 bracelets were distributed to students, and there is a waiting list for seats in the 4,400-seat arena, which has a concourse above the seating area for standing-room patrons. Under conference bylaws, the visiting team receives 600 tickets.
"They haven't requested any additional tickets, but they wouldn't get them if they did," Fiore said with a smile. America East officials have distributed 60 media credentials, which surpassed the previous high when former member Hofstra hosted the title game in 2000 and 2001.
"We could have sold 8,000 seats for this thing," Fiore added.
This game is a benchmark in the evolution of Stony Brook athletics. It also might be the final game in Stony Brook Arena in its current condition. It's expected that state funds for a $22 million renovation project that have been frozen since 2008 will be released later this year.
If Stony Brook loses to Vermont, it is guaranteed an NIT bid. In that case, it's possible the school could host a first-round matchup, as it did two years ago against Illinois. Fiore is hoping the Seawolves' next game will be in the NCAA First Four on Tuesday in Dayton, Ohio.
To make their first NCAA appearance, Stony Brook (22-8) must beat the second-place Catamounts (22-11) to record their 21st win in the past 23 games. Home teams have won 25 of 28 America East finals, including Boston University's victory over the Seawolves last season.
"It's huge," senior guard Bryan Dougher said of the homecourt advantage. "We've had a lot of home success over the past few years, especially this year going undefeated at home [13-0 in Pritchard Gym]. We'll be in front of our fans that have been so loyal these past few years. We're really excited about it."
Senior forward Dallis Joyner, whose buzzer-beating tip-in in a 57-55 semifinal win over Albany six days ago in Hartford gave No. 1 seed Stony Brook the chance to host the title game, said: "It's everything. You couldn't write it up any better. It's a euphoric feeling being able to go back home. Our fans really deserve it, and our coaches deserve it because they work so hard. It feels good to be able to pay those guys back with a home game for the championship in our last year."