Seawolf Notebook: Women's Basketball Coach Resigns, Men's Team Wins Double-OT Thriller

Women's Basketball

Following her team's ten-game losing streak, Stony Brook women's basketball coach Michele Cherry announced her resignation Sunday.

Cherry took over as head coach for the 2007-2008 season and has a record of 27-79 overall, 13-39 in the America East Conference. This season Stony Brook is 3-13 overall and at 0-4 is the only team without a conference win. The Seawolves recently lost to winless Vermont.

Cherry's best season was last year when the team went 10-20 (7-9, 4th place in conference). Before that the Seawolves were 8-23 (2-14) in her first season and 6-23 (4-12) in her second.

“At this time, it is in my best interest and in the best interest of Stony Brook women’s basketball that I step down,” Cherry said in a statement on the university's athletics website.

Assistant coach Evelyn Thompson will take over as head coach for the remainder of the season while the university conducts a national search for the next permanent coach. Thompson is in her second season as a Stony Brook assistant coach.

Cherry is the second Stony Brook coach to resign within the last two weeks. Men's soccer coach Cesar Markovic on Jan. 6 after seven years with the team.

New Hampshire 75, Stony Brook 68: New Hampshire started the contest with a 12-0 run that the Seawolves could not overcome, dropping their tenth straight game on Saturday. Senior Kirsten Jeter scored a career-high 27 points on 9-19 shooting. Stony Brook rallied late, cutting the deficit to three with 56 seconds remaining. However, Stony Brook was 0-2 with a turnover from that point on. Stony Brook forced nine more turnovers than its opponents but was outrebounded 47-30.

Vermont 57, Stony Brook 49: The Vermont Catamounts held Stony Brook to 27 percent shooting and earned their first victory of the season on Wednesday. Stony Brook's defense played admirably, holding Vermont to 30 percent shooting and 3-19 on three pointers, but the offense could not answer. In the first half Stony Brook went over ten minutes, more than a quarter of the game, without scoring a field goal. Whitney Davis scored a career high 19 points and Jeter netted 12 points, 10 rebounds and 5 steals.

Next in action: Tues., Jan. 18 vs. Albany, 7 p.m.; Thurs., Jan. 20 vs. Boston University, 7 p.m.; Sun., Jan 23 @ Maine, 1 p.m.

Men's Basketball

Stony Brook 64, New Hampshire 60 (2 OT): The Seawolf offense couldn't get going for the first 29 minutes of the game, but overcame a double-digit deficit to win a double-overtime thriller on Saturday. Down 30-16 with a little over 11 minutes to play, Stony Brook erupted for 28 points down the stretch to tie the game at 44. New Hampshire used only seven players in the fifty minute contest and was held to 5-13 shooting in the two overtime periods. Anthony Mayo scored two quick buckets to open up the second overtime and Marcus Rouse added a jumper to put the Seawolves up by six. The free throw shooting down the stretch kept the Wildcats from closing the gap as the Seawolves ended any hope of a third overtime. Stony Brook had previously dropped five straight overtime games, a streak dating back to March 7, 2008. The win also snapped Stony Brook's three-game losing streak.

Binghamton 57, Stony Brook 50: The Seawolves shot just 29 percent from the floor, including 0-10 from leading scorer Bryan Dougher, in a seven point loss last Monday. Rouse led the Seawolves with 14 points and Al Rapier pulled down a game-high 12 rebounds. Stony Brook was down by five with a little over four minutes to play when Dave Coley stole the ball and scored a fast break layup to cut it to 3. From that point on the Seawolves went 0-6 from the floor and just 2-5 from the free throw line. The defense played well in holding the Bearcats to 38.3 percent shooting and grabbed 20 offensive rebounds. Binghamton was lead by Moussa Camara's 28 points, nearly half that team's total.

Next in action: Mon., Jan. 17 vs. Albany, 5 p.m.; Thurs., Jan. 20 @ Boston University, 7:30 p.m.; Sat., Jan. 22 @ Maine, 7 p.m.