May 20, 2002

Stony Brook, N.Y. - Seventy-five seconds. That's how close the Stony Brook women's basketball team came to making history.

The Seawolves' improbable, exciting run through the America East Conference Tournament was capped off by a nail-biting, stomach-churning title game against tournament host Hartford, a game in which Stony Brook led throughout. With just 1:15 remaining, sophomore forward Danielle DeGiorgio drove the lane and netted a layup to give the Seawolves a 47-44 lead.

The seventh-seeded Seawolves, who had earned two straight upsets to advance to the championship, could not hang on for one more. In front of a raucous home court crowd, the fifth-seeded Hawks scored the game's final six points to win, 50-47, and earn an automatic berth to the NCAA Tournament.

For the Seawolves, it was a heartbreaking thought to think of what could have been in Stony Brook's first year as a member of the conference. Battling injuries and a thin roster, the Seawolves used just six players against Hartford, including three seniors who began their careers as Division II players. Stony Brook dominated its two previous opponents, handing second-seeded Boston University a 63-46 loss in the opening round and beating No. 6 New Hampshire, 65-54.

Early on against the Hawks, it looked as though the Seawolves were well on their way to the America East crown and the school's first-ever appearance in the NCAA Division I Tournament.

But fate turned its back on a team that saw not one, but two key players sidelined with ACL injuries. First, sophomore guard Theresa LoParrino, known for her uncanny marksmanship from three-point range and explosive scoring ability, suffered a torn ACL in late February. Then starter/reserve Jennifer Metz, who embodied the heart and dedication of this year's Seawolves, went down with the same season-ending--and in Metz's case, career-ending--injury in the semifinals against New Hampshire.

For a team who wasn't planning or expected to advance to the championship game, the Seawolves still felt somehow cheated with the runner-up trophy in their hands instead of the America East crown.

However, the Seawolves proved something to not only their fans, but to themselves:

It's only a matter of time before Stony Brook cuts down the nuts and hoists its own championship trophy.

MARCH MADNESS: With No. 7 seed Stony Brook and No. 5 seed Hartford squaring off in the America East Tournament title game, the lowest seed out of each bracket advanced to play for the conference crown and automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. The matchup was the perfect conclusion after a regular season that came down to the last day of games to determine the seeds for the tournament.

NOT BAD FOR STARTERS: The Seawolves advanced to the championship in just their first season of competition in the America East. Stony Brook recorded consecutive convincing victories to advance; SBU never trailed in a 63-46 win over second-seeded Boston University was behind just twice against No. 6 New Hampshire, each time by a single point. The Seawolves became the first Stony Brook team to win in the postseason at the Division I level, and the first to win a game in the America East Conference Tournament.

IT'S BEEN AWHILE: Before this year's tournament, the Seawolves had not advanced to the postseason since the 1996-97 campaign, when Stony Brook played in the New England Collegiate Conference Quarterfinals at the Division II level. Franklin Pierce posted a 50-48 victory over the Seawolves in that game. Stony Brook had not won a postseason game since 1994, when the Seawolves advanced to the second round of the New York State Women's Collegiate Athletic Association (NYSWCAA) with a 67-41 win over Albany.

TURNING IT UP AT TOURNAMENT TIME: Stony Brook's back-to-back wins in the tournament marked the first time the Seawolves had won consecutive games since January, when Stony Brook defeated Hartford, 75-66 (Jan. 26), and Princeton, 75-63 (Jan. 29). After that, the Seawolves won just five of their next 14 games to conclude the regular season.

FIRST TIME CROWNING: Neither Hartford or Stony Brook had ever won an America East title before this year's championship. Hartford's win gave the school its first-ever NCAA Tournament appearance.

NECK AND NECK: After dominating their previous two opponents, Stony Brook battled Hartford in a close game throughout. The contest saw 10 ties and 12 lead changes, with the largest advantage just five points held by Stony Brook with just four minutes left in the game.

JORDAN NAMED ALL-MET: Forward Sherry Jordan received NIT/Metropolitan Basketball Writers Association honors to cap off an outstanding sophomore campaign. Jordan was voted to the first team by area head coaches. Jordan, who averaged 17.1 points and 7.9 rebounds to lead the Seawolves this season, was joined on the team by Michelle Cappadona of Monmouth, Tamika Dudley of Long Island, Rosalee Mason of Manhattan and Player of the Year Felicia Harris of St. Peter's.

DOUBLE HONORS FOR JORDAN: Not only was Sherry Jordan named first team All-America East, but she also earned All-Tournament Team honors after her stellar performance during the Seawolves' improbable run to the championship game. Jordan's all-conference recognition marked the first time a Stony Brook student-athlete received first-team honors in the America East. Jordan was one of the conference's best players all season, leading the America East in steals (2.67 per game), while ranking third in scoring and fourth in rebounds. During the tournament, Jordan averaged 19.3 points and 10.0 rebounds while playing all but one minute of the Seawolves' three games.

GEORGE NAMED THIRD-TEAM: In addition to Jordan's all-conference honors, senior center Jill George was named third-team All-America East. George led the league all season in rebounds (9.1 per game), blocks (1.5) and offensive rebounds (4.13).

BY GEORGE SHE'S GOT IT: After a senior season in which she averaged 8.3 ppg and 9.1 rpg, Jill George became the program's all-time blocks leader and finished fourth on the all-time rebounds list. George's 119 career blocks is tops on the all-time list, and she finished with 719 career rebounds for fourth-most in Stony Brook history. In addition, her .482 career field goal percentage ranks second all-time.

COMING UP JUST SHORT: Sherry Jordan finished her sophomore season with 992 career points, just eight points shy of becoming only the second player in Stony Brook women's basketball history to reach the 1,000-point plateau in two seasons. Jordan tallied 512 points this season, the eighth-best single-season effort in school history.

TENACIOUS D: The Seawolves' outstanding defense both throughout the regular and postseason proved to be essential to victory. Stony Brook stole the ball a season-high 21 times against BU in the fournament's first round and also forced a season-high 29 turnovers. The Seawolves followed that up with 12 steals against New Hampshire in the semifinals. On the season, Stony Brook was 11-2 on the year when posting 10 or more steals.

STREAKS: Stony Brook's wins and losses this season seemed to come in bunches. SBU opened the season 1-3, but then the Seawolves won eight of their next nine games. After that, the Seawolves won just five of their final 14 regular-season games.

THREE FOR THREE: Stony Brook's 14 losses this season marked the highest total since the Seawolves joined the ranks of Division I in the 1999-2000 season. However, SBU's three consecutive winning seasons is the first time the Seawolves have managed that feat since 1992-93 through 1994-95. SBU posted an 18-10 finish in its first year and a 16-12 overall record last year. The combined 50 wins is also the most over a three-year stretch since 1988-89 through 1990-91, when Stony Brook combined to win 53 games.

CENTER OF ATTENTION: Senior Jill George was the Seawolves' only steady contributor at the center position this season, with the senior playing the entire 40 minutes of 11 games. George started all but one game the past two seasons and set a new single-game career-high this season with 16 rebounds on two occasions. That total ties the second-best single-game performance in Stony Brook history. She also set new single-game career-highs in assists (5) and blocks (5) this year. The two-year team captain recorded double-digits in rebounds on 11 occasions this season and recorded 15 career double-doubles, eight of which she earned this year.

FORCE IN THE POST: Senior Jill George swatted five shots against Binghamton on Feb. 28 to tie her single-game career-high. George, who registered all five blocks in the first half of play, became Stony Brook's all-time blocks leader against Maine on Feb. 9, collecting three rejections to give her 100 in her career. George bested the old record of 98, held by Erika Bascom who recorded that total from 1991-95.

MAKING A COMEBACK: The Seawolves mounted their biggest comeback of the season (14 points) against Northeastern on Feb. 17. The Huskies led by as many as 14 in the first half and held a 34-24 lead at halftime. But the Seawolves outscored NU 44-24 in the second stanza, including a 17-2 spurt, for their 13th win on the season.

DOWN TO THE WIRE: The Seawolves' three-point losses against Hartford in the America East championship and New Hampshire on Feb. 12 marked the narrowest margin of defeat for Stony Brook all season. All of Stony Brook's other losses were by eight points or more. On the other hand, the Seawolves also won all of their games by at least seven points.

HIGH FIVE: A season-high five players out of the six who saw action against Princeton on Jan. 29 scored in double figures. Theresa LoParrino's 6-of-7 shooting from the line helped her tally a team-high 16 points. Danielle DeGiorgio finished with 15 points on 7-of-11 shooting from the field. Jill George earned her sixth double-double of the season with 14 points and a game-high 12 rebounds, while Sherry Jordan had 13 points, five rebounds, five assists and three steals. Sarah Burkett also got in on the action, scoring a season-high 11 points.

AIR JORDAN: The America East named Sherry Jordan its Player of the Week twice this season, once on Jan. 28 and also on Dec. 3. Jordan had an exceptional week to receive the honor for the second time, averaging 23.5 points, 9.5 rebounds and 2.0 steals in two games during that week. In a 71-59 loss to Vermont, Jordan scored a game-high 22 points on 10-of-23 shooting. She also collected seven rebounds and had two steals against the Catamounts. Jordan followed that up with a game-high 25-point performance against Hartford. Jordan also grabbed 12 rebounds for her sixth double-double of the season and shot a season-best 12-of-14 from the free throw line. Jordan received the honor in December after her MVP performance in the Seawolves' HIE Tournament. Jordan had 30 points against UPenn and 15 in the title game against Loyola Marymount.

SBU SIGNS FOUR: Four players signed national letters of intent to play basketball at Stony Brook in 2002-03. Asia Dowling, Mykeema Ford, Frani Geiger and Kelly McManus all committed to the Seawolves during the fall signing period. Dowling and Ford, teammates at Trenton Central High School in New Jersey, have led their team to a No. 1 ranking in the state and a perfect 7-0 record so far this season. Dowling averaged 13.5 points and 6.8 rebounds last year, while Ford averaged 20.5 points and 5.4 rebounds. Ford was named to the All-State second team in 2001. Frani Geiger entered this season with 990 career points, playing at both Rye Country Day School and Blind Brook High School. Kelly McManus was named to the New York State Sportswriters Association third team after her junior season at Pearl River (N.Y.) High School.

CRASHING THE BOARDS: The Seawolves outrebounded St. John's 45-26, the largest margin Stony Brook recorded on the boards this season. The Seawolves collected 30 caroms on the defensive glass alone, compared to just 15 for the Red Storm. Stony Brook outrebounded its opponents six times this season, including all three games of the America East Tournament.

REPEAT PERFORMANCE: Sherry Jordan equaled her career-high of 15 rebounds against the Red Storm on Dec. 16, the second straight game she collected 15 boards. The sophomore posted double-digit rebound totals in seven games this season.

JORDAN REPEATS: Sherry Jordan received All-Tournament Team honors for the second straight weekend at the Hyatt Regency Invitational. Jordan's 22-point, 15-rebound performance in the consolation game against Hampton was highlighted by her 17 first-half points, including 3-of-5 three-point shooting. The sophomore was named MVP of the Holiday Inn Express Invitational the previous weekend.

SETTING NEW MARKS: Stony Brook achieved several season-highs against Hampton in the Georgia State Tournament in December. The Seawolves' 49 first-half points are the most they've scored in the first 20 minutes this season. Stony Brook totaled 52 points in the second half against UPenn on Nov. 30. The 28-point halftime margin was also the Seawolves' largest lead all season. Stony Brook's 51 rebounds, 21 assists and 11 blocks were also season-highs.

JORDAN ADDS RECORD: Sherry Jordan's 30-point performance against UPenn tied the sixth-best individual game effort in Stony Brook women's basketball history. Jordan already holds single-game records for the fourth- and fifth-most points in a game with 32 and 31, respectively, both set last season.