2008 Northeast-10 Men's Basketball
Tournament Championship
Semifinal Round
No. 5 Stonehill (18-13) at No. 1 Bentley (28-0)
Thursday, March 6, 2008, 7:00 p.m.
Dana Center, Waltham, Mass.
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How We Got Here
After finishing the regular season at 16-13, fifth-seeded Stonehill
has won two contests in the 2008 Northeast-10 Men's Basketball
Tournament Championship to advance to the semifinal round. The
Skyhawks scored a 69-63 home win over No. 12 seed American
International last Saturday before hitting the road on Monday and
defeating No. 4 seed Pace, 60-47 to set up tonight's game with No.
1 seed Bentley.
Only Once Before
The Skyhawks and Bentley have only met once before in the
Northeast-10 Tournament, that coming in 1989 when Stonehill
registered a 116-111 win. The Falcons got their revenge later that
season when they posted a 129-118 win in the NCAA Regional
Consolation Game.
Crown-ing Achievement
Its been 17 years since the Skyhawks laid claim to the
Northeast-10 Tournament championship crown. Stonehill actually won
the first two titles behind Roland Fiore and Bob Reitz and then
again in 1989 with Jon Cronin leading the way. The Purple and white
advanced to the title game in 2005-06 but were upset by St. Anselm.
With all that said, the Skyhawks' three titles are tied for the
second most behind only the seven owned by the Hawks.
Remember When ...
The last time Stonehill advanced to the Conference
semifinals was in the 2005-06 season when they defeated Bryant
67-56 behind senior Marquis Taylor's 20 points and six rebounds.
The Skyhawks eventually fell to St. Anselm in the championship game
but advanced to the Final Four before bowing out to NCAA Champion,
Winona State (Minn.).
What's With Winona?
Ironically, Winona State, which ended the Skyhawks bid for a
national championship in 2005-06, also ended the Falcons bid to
hoist the trophy last season with a 64-51 win in the Elite Eight.
14 In A Row
The No. 1 ranked Falcons have won 14 straight games over
the Skyhawks, including a pair of victories this season. During the
winning streak, Bentley's average margin of victory is 22.7 points.
Off And Running
In the two meetings this season, Bentley has outscored the Skyhawks
144-88. In the first half alone the edge is 75-28.
Face The Nation
Stonehill has played the nation's top two teams three times this
season. According to the NABC Division II Coaches' Poll, Bentley is
No. 1 and Grand Valley State is No. 2. In addition to their two
Conference meetings with the Falcons, the Skyhawks squared off
against the Lakers in the Disney Tip-OffClassic in November. GVSU
took the contest, 76-72, despite 21 points from Nick
Smith (Colonia, N.J./Colonia).
Regionally Speaking
Stonehill is currently ranked ninth in the most recent release of
the NCAA Regional Rankings. However, those ranking don't include
Monday's win over Pace because they are compiled on games through
Sunday.