A58 SENIORS LIKE THEIR CHANCES This maybeSBU’s best opportunity yettoreach the NCAA To urnament

BY GREG LOGAN Tomorrow [email protected] America East It’s “now or never” time for Quarterfinals Stony Brook senior Tommy Binghamton vs. Stony Brook

Brenton, who has led the Sea- Radio: WUSB (90.1), 6p.m. LLIVAN wolves to three America East SU regular-season basketball ti- D. tles in his careerbut never SEPH JO

has won the conference tour- BY nament, which begins tomor- NOWONLINE Follow @GregLogan1

row in Albany. PHOTO

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“Excitement and confidence” FI is how Brenton describes the Stony Brook “Personally, my focus and leadership is better than it’s ever been,’’ Stony Brook’s says. team mood, but the Seawolves basketball updates also live with the memory of im- this weekend. How tough is it to beat a of practice in big games this scoring and athleticism with for- mense postseason pain. good team three times in one year ... From our record, wards Scott King, Eric McAlister In 2010, they were the No. 1 season?“It’s really hard, espe- we’re great on the road —most and Anthony Mayo, and fresh- seed when they were upset in Hayes and Ron Bracey. cially when it’s goingtobeat road wins in the country.” man backup point guard Carson the semifinals by Boston Univer- For Rouse, it’s hard to differen- their place,” Brenton said of a These Seawolves have more Puriefoy III adds speed to go sity, 70-63. Brenton missed the tiate between his three America possible rematch with the winning ingredients than they with theexperience of guards 2011 tournament after sitting out East tourney losses. “All of them Great Danes. “If that opportuni- hadinthe past. The addition of Dave Coley, Anthony Jackson the season with adislocated were pretty painful,”hesaid. “I ty comes around, it will be a 6-8 freshman Jameel Warney in and Rouse. knee but shared the disappoint- remember allofthem quite well, challenge, but we’ve had alot the low post provides inside “We’re probably more talent- ment of seeing fifth-seeded SBU so we’re just trying to playwith ed this year,” Rouse said. surprisingly reach its first confer- that motivation this weekend. “Jameel Warney should be ence final, only to blow a That will be huge,not only for IS THIS STONY BROOK’S YEAR? freshman of the year; we have 15-point second-half lead in a me butfor the team, the coach- In the previous three seasons, the America East Tournament has Tommy Brenton; we have a 56-54 loss at BU. Then there was ing staff and everybody. Remem- been the place where Stony Brook’s dreams of afirst NCAA bid have strong bench. We have so last season’s 51-43 loss to Ver- bering that pain and not wanting gone to die. Here’s the litany of heartbreak: many weapons.” mont in the championship game to endure that. Not again.” 2010 –After winning the regular-season title behind Player of the Rouse added that everyone on at StonyBrook Arena, in which The quest to reach the NCAA Year Muhammad El-Amin, Stony Brook beat Albany in atough first- the team has one agenda: earn-

newsday.com theSeawolves shot 29.3 percent. Tournament begins anew for round game but then was upset, 70-63, in the semifinals by hot-shoot- ingthe NCAA bid. Brenton said That epitomized the pressure theSeawolves (23-6, 14-2) in a ing Boston University, which got 24 points from reserve Corey Lowe. his teammates havetalked about faced by aschool seeking its quarterfinal game against Bing- it until it has becomepart of the 2013 first automatic NCAA Tourna- hamton (3-26,1-13) at 6p.m. to- 2011 –Seeded fifth after Tommy Brenton missed the season with a collectivemindset. 8, ment bid. “Wehad everything morrow at SEFCUArena on the dislocated knee, Stony Brook upset Albany and No. 1seed Vermont Is his last chance the best goingfor us, ahome game, and Albany campus. If they win, to reach the title game at BU. The Seawolves had a15-point second- shot? “I’ve got to say yes,” Bren- Vermont came in and execut- they play in Sunday’s 7p.m. half lead but lost, 56-54, on two foul shots with 2.4 seconds left by ton said. “Personally, my focus MARCH ed,” Brenton said. “We couldn’t semifinal against the winner of John Holland, who had 23 of his 27 points after halftime. andleadership is better than it’s get it done. Seeing them cele- Albany (21-10, 9-7) vs. Maine ever been. So on apersonal confi- brateonour court, it was defi- (11-18, 6-10), which means Stony 2012 –Stony Brook won the regular-season title, survived afirst- dence level, Ifeel better about it FRIDAY, nitely hardfor me to swallow. Brook might have to win what round scare from Binghamton and then beat Albany, 57-55, on a ...Wehave the regular-season Hopefully,this year things can amounts to atrue road game for buzzer-beating tip-in by Dallis Joyner to host the title game for the title. That was our first goal. The be alittle different.” the right to host the conference first time. Vermont scored only five points in the final 9:55 but held on next one is the NCAA. Hopeful- It’s also the last chance for se- championship game on March for a51-43 win over the ice-cold Seawolves, who shot 29.3 percent. ly we canelevate our focus and

NEWSDAY, niors Marcus Rouse, Lenny 16 at . accomplish ournext goal.”