Men's Basketball Hits Road In Search Of Sixth Win In Seven Outings Saturday As 25th-Ranked Skyhawks Tangle With American International In Northeast-10 Match-Up

February 16, 2006

2005-2006 Stonehill College Men's Basketball

3:30 p.m. EST

THE GAME: Stonehill hits the road in search of its sixth victory in the last seven outings this afternoon as the 25th-ranked Skyhawks square off with the American International Yellow Jackets in a Northeast-10 Conference encounter. Stonehill, in sole possession of second place in the league standings, enters today's action after posting a 68-58 Northeast-10 triumph over Southern New Hampshire on Wednesday evening at Merkert Gymnasium, as junior Soap Toun (Cranston, R.I./Cranston East) paced four players in double figures with a career-high 17 points and seven rebounds for the Skyhawks, who also received a career-best 14 points and four caroms from freshman Matt Hall (Springfield, Mass./Springfield Central). Hall, who canned an 80-foot buzzer beater right before the half, and Toun combined for six of Stonehill's nine three-pointers on the night, as the Skyhawks also received 13 points from senior Marquis Taylor (Los Angeles, Calif./Naval Prep) and 10 points, eight assists, five rebounds and three steals from senior Chris Kraus (Markham, Ont./Markham District). Freshman Colin Scanlon (Centreville, Va./Flint Hill) grabbed a career-high seven rebounds for the hosts, who posted their first victory over the Penmen since November 1999. American International, winners of four of its last five outings, enters today's action after posting a 65-45 Northeast-10 triumph over LeMoyne on Wednesday evening here at Butova Gymnasium.

LAST MEETING: Stonehill and American International last met on January 5th at Merkert Gymnasium, and the Skyhawks posted a 68-52 victory over the Yellow Jackets. Senior co-captain Sean Nelson (Milford, Mass./Milford) netted 13 points in the win for Stonehill, which also received 10 points from Chris Kraus as well as eight points and eight rebounds from Marquis Taylor.

THE SERIES: Stonehill and American International are meeting for the 55th time this afternoon, and the Yellow Jackets hold a 28-26 edge over the Skyhawks in the all-time series between the schools.

THE SKYHAWKS: Taylor leads Stonehill in scoring and rebounding at 16 ppg and 6.8 caroms per contest, while Nelson follows at 13.4 ppg and adds 5.7 rpg. Junior Lance Clarke (Somerville, Mass./Cambridge Rindge & Latin) is next at 11.3 ppg, while Kraus is also in double figures for the Skyhawks at 10.6 ppg while adding 5.8 assists per game.

THE YELLOW JACKETS: Senior John Huggins leads American International in scoring at 21.5 ppg, while junior Jenar Harrison is next at 11.5 ppg. Junior Magen McNeil follows at 10.1 ppg, while senior Dexter Gregory paces the Yellow Jackets on the boards at 8.1 caroms per contest.

HEAD COACH DAVID McLAUGHLIN: David McLaughlin is in his third season as Head Men's Basketball Coach at Stonehill College. A 1997 graduate of Colby, McLaughlin has guided the Skyhawks to a 44-25 (.638) mark during his tenure after previously serving as an assistant coach, including Stonehill's first 20-win season in seven years last winter. McLaughlin, who is assisted by Derik Malone, Josh Meyer and Mike Harding, is 3-2 during his career against AIC.

HEAD COACH ART LUPTOWSKI: Art Luptowski is in his seventh season as Head Men's Basketball Coach at American International College. A 1973 graduate of Bloomsburg, Luptowski has compiled an overall mark of 93-103 (.474) during his tenure with the Yellow Jackets, while his career collegiate mark in 17 seasons, including 10 at Franklin Pierce, stands at 285-200 (.588). Luptowski, who is assisted by Andy Burkholder and Mike Labrie, is 8-5 during his career against Stonehill.

POLL POSITION: Stonehill is once again the only school to have both its men's and women's basketball squads ranked in their respective Division II national polls, as the Skyhawk men checked back into the NABC Top 25 at the number #25 position in this week's poll. The Stonehill women have been ranked as high as ninth this season, while the men's team has been rated as high as 10th.

THEY CALL IT THE STREAK: Stonehill's recent 12-game winning streak matched the longest such skein in school history, as the 1970-71 squad also posted 12 consecutive victories during that campaign. The Skyhawks have posted a 12-game win streak and an eight-game win skein under David McLaughlin's guidance in the last calendar year alone.

REGIONAL RANK AND FILE: Stonehill is ranked second in the fifth NCAA Division II Northeast Regional rankings released by the NCAA Division II Men's Basketball Committee on Wednesday, as the Skyhawks have held the top spot in the region on two occasions. The NCAA Northeast Regional rankings, with records listed through games played as of February 12th, are as follows:

1Bentley18-616-6

2Stonehill18-518-5

3Saint Anselm16-616-6

4Bryant17-717-7

5Massachusetts-Lowell18-718-7

6Adelphi19-418-4

7Saint Rose17-717-7

8Queens (New York)17-517-5

9Bridgeport17-917-8

10Philadelphia U15-915-7

REGIONAL PROWESS: Stonehill is 6-3 against regionally-ranked teams this season, as the Skyhawks swept a pair of contests from Saint Anselm and Bryant while splitting two games with UMass Lowell and notching a single triumph over Saint Rose.

NATIONAL RANK AND FILE: Stonehill is ranked 25th in this week's National Association of Basketball Coaches Division II national poll released on Tuesday afternoon, as the Skyhawks return to the top 25 after a three-week hiatus and have been ranked as high as 10th. Prior to December 20th, the last time Stonehill appeared in the NABC Top 25 came in March 1998 during the Skyhawks' NCAA "Sweet Sixteen" campaign. Here is the February 12th NABC Division II national poll:

RankSchool (first place votes)RecordPointsPrevious Rank

1Fort Hays State, Kan. (8)22-12002

2Western Washington 19-21864

3Barton, N.C.20-11858

4Delta State, Miss.22-11679

5Saint Joseph's, Ind.22-216510

6Virginia Union18-31531

7Southwest Baptist, Mo.21-214411

8Seattle Pacific, Wash.19-31375

9Montevallo, Ala.21-31356

10tSouthern Ill. Edwardsville20-311818

10tSouthern Indiana23-31183

12Tarleton State, Texas20-411115

13Winona State, Minn.19-410813

14Grand Valley State, Mich.20-310516

15Findlay, Ohio21-3967

16Northern State, S.D.20-39512

17Minnesota State-Mankato19-55522

18Armstrong Atlantic State, Ga.18-541NR

19Alderson-Broaddus, W. Va.18-43817

20Bentley, Mass.18-636NR

21Shippenburg, Pa.19-435NR

22Truman State, Mo.19-53219

23Alabama-Huntsville19-53014

24Clayton State, Ga.19-42720

25Stonehill, Mass.18-522NR

Others Receiving Votes: Grand Canyon 16, Rollins 16, Alabama-Huntsville 15, Cal State-Bakersfield 15, West Liberty State 11, Sonoma State 9, Ferris State 5, Columbus State 3, Ashland 1, Saint Anselm 1, Presbyterian 1.

GENERATION GAP: Stonehill's 14-1 start to the season was the Skyhawks' best in 56 years, as the first Stonehill was 15-1 under Head Coach George Sullivan during the 1949-50 season.

CONFERENCE RANK AND FILE: In conference statistics released through games of February 12th, Stonehill leads the Northeast-10 in field goal percentage defense (.411), three-point field goal percentage defense (.304), assists (17.09 apg), assist-to-turnover ratio (1.28) and defensive rebounds (26.35 drpg). Mike Lauricella continues to lead the league in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.57), while Chris Kraus and Marquis Taylor are ranked second in assists (5.70 apg) and defensive rebounds (5.52 drpg), respectively.

NCAA RANK AND FILE: Stonehill is ranked in five team categories in the latest NCAA Division II national statistical leaders through games of February 12th, as the Skyhawks are 19th in free throw percentage, 28th in won-lost percentage, 32nd in scoring defense, 34th in field goal percentage defense and 41st in three-point field goals per game.. Individually, Chris Kraus is ranked 20th in assists and 41st in steals.

MORE RANK AND FILE: Five Stonehill athletic teams have now cracked the top 10 in their respective sports during the 2005-2006 academic year: Field Hockey (#4), Men's Cross Country (#9), Men's Basketball (#10) and Women's Basketball (#9). The defending national champion Skyhawk women's lacrosse team has been picked as the top-ranked team in Division II circles as well in the Lacrosse Magazine pre-season poll.

BIG D-MAC ATTACK: After winning just 14 games in a two-and-a-half year stretch, Stonehill has posted a 39-13 (.750) mark in its last 52 contests under David McLaughlin's tutelage dating back to November 2004.

A GRAND ENTRANCE: Marquis Taylor became the 30th player in Stonehill men's basketball history to reach the 1,000 career point plateau with a 15-point performance in the Skyhawks' 82-64 win over Assumption on January 10th. Dezmond Morgan was the last Skyhawk to reach that plateau, as he did so last season ironically in a January match-up with Assumption. Here are the members of Stonehill's 1,000 Point Club:

1.Mike Allocco2,3991969-73

2.Jon Cronin2,3011988-92

3.Bob Reitz2,2181979-83

4.Bill Zolga1,8221977-80

5.Mike Barros1,6791984-88

6.George Peterson1,6041964-67

7.David Donnelly1,4981995-99

8.Ed Grzembski1,4861987-91

9.Brian Cronin1,4741985-89

10.Dick Munson1,4481962-65

11.Leo Denault1,3981958-61

12.Paul Sincero1,3681950-53

13.Chris Butler1,3621991-95

14.Ron Richards1,3021965-68

15.Bob Duarte1,2791983-87

16.Tony Fiore1,2551981-85

17.Jason Jacobsen1,2271988-92

18.Kyle Quimby1,1851999-03

19.MARQUIS TAYLOR1,1802002-06

20.Art Horan1,1211968-71

21.Dezmond Morgan1,1192001-05

22.Derrik Jerman1,098 1989-93

23.Henry Jackson1,0901970-73

24.Jamal Gomes1,0821991-95

25.Howie Bain1,0631971-74

26.Lorenzo Lapido1,0611990-94

27.Adrian Machado1,0431992-96

28.Rollie Hollins1,0211971-74

29.Charlie Simonds1,0111973-77

30.Justin LoVerme1,0071997-01

AYE, AYE CAPTAINS: Seniors Mike Lauricella (Norwood, N.J./Don Bosco) and Sean Nelson (Milford, Mass./Milford) have been named as co-captains for the 2005-2006 edition of Stonehill men's basketball. Lauricella, who also served as a Skyhawk captain last season, averaged 2.3 points and 2.2 rebounds off the bench last season, while Nelson added 5.6 points and 3.4 caroms per contest in a reserve role as well last winter for Stonehill.

SKYHAWK TALK: Chris Kraus notched his third career double-double with 16 points and 10 assists in the February 7th setback at UMass LowellLast Saturday's triumph at Franklin Pierce was Stonehill's third in the last four meetings with the RavensAll three of Stonehill's series victories against Saint Rose have come during David McLaughlin's tenure as head coach Taylor matched his career-high effort in the scoring column with 26 points in the February 1st win over Pace, as he also netted 26 points against the Setters in an overtime victory last season in PleasantvilleThe January 16th win over Saint Anselm was Stonehill's first over the Hawks at Merkert Gymnasium since December 9, 1997 and gave the Skyhawks a regular season series sweep of Saint Anselm for the first time since the 1990-91 campaignStonehill has won six straight in the series with Saint Michael's dating back to January 2003Clarke hit the 20-point plateau in a game for the second time this season in the January 10th triumph over Assumption, as he matched his career-high set on opening night (November 18th) against MolloyThe January 7th victory was Stonehill's 36th in 60 series meetings with 2005 NCAA national runner-up Bryant, as the Skyhawks have swept the last two regular season series match-ups (four contests) from the Bulldogs The Skyhawks have assisted on over two-thirds of their field goals on the season, notching 407 assists on 613 field goals through 24 gamesThe Skyhawks have led at the half in 17 of their 24 outings to date Prior to last season, Stonehill's last 20-win campaign came in 1997-98 when the Skyhawks won the Northeast-10 regular season crown en route to a berth in the NCAA Division II "Sweet Sixteen" The Skyhawks have eclipsed the 80-point plateau on 21 occasions in McLaughlin's 69-game tenure as head coach.

SKYHAWKS ON THE WEB: For the second straight season, Stonehill basketball can be accessed on the world wide web through Free Teamline, a service of TRZ Sports of Kent, Ohio. A total of 15 Skyhawk regular season men's basketball broadcasts will be available throughout the 2005-2006 season via Free Teamline by accessing the official Stonehill Athletics website at www.stonehillskyhawks.com, powered by Presto Sports. Returning to call all of action of Stonehill basketball once again this winter is the tandem of Charlie Bergeron and Brian Buckley, who have served as the voices of Skyhawk Basketball since 1998.

WHO'S NEXT: Stonehill closes out regular season play on Tuesday, February 21st when the Skyhawks travel to Worcester, Mass. to take on Assumption in a Northeast-10 outing at Laska Gymnasium that tips-off at 7:30 p.m. EST.