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| Randall Stallworth had 15 points and seven assists in the Skyhawks' win over Bentley. |
Finally! Streaks End As Stonehill Stops Bentley
Waltham, Mass. - Senior reserve Nick Smith (Colonia, N.J.) came off the bench to score a season-high 18 points as Stonehill led by double digits for a large portion of the contest en route to a stunning 78-65 win over host Bentley that ended a pair of extended streaks on Saturday afternoon at the Dana Center.
With the win, the Skyhawks improve to 10-2 overall and 5-2 in Northeast-10 action and halt Bentley's 42-game home court winning streak - the longest in Division II. Also ended was the Falcons' 15-game winning stretch over Stonehill that went back to the 2001-02 season.
The Skyhawks raced out to a 32-19 lead following an 18-4 run that saw Stonehill force seven Bentley turnovers during the stretch. Smith, who scored 12 of his points in his 14 first half minutes, nailed back-to-back triples to ignite the spurt.
Undeterred, the Falcons went on a 14-0 run that spanned into the second half and featured seven straight points from Lew Finnegan who gave Bentley the lead at 33-32 on an inside jumper.
Stonehill countered with a 9-0 run of its own that saw four different players convert inside layups. Those baskets coupled with several other tough finishes around the hoop helped the Skyhawks control the interior to the tune of a 40-20 edge in points in the paint.
The Falcons, who had their 46-game regular season winning streak over Northeast-10 opponents snapped earlier this year in a loss at Southern New Hampshire, got as close as three at 48-45 after Brian Tracy made three free throws, but Stonehill answered with a 10-0 run capped by a Smith triple.
The Skyhawks held Bentley to just 31 percent shooting and the Falcons connected on only seven of their 35 three-point attempts.
Stonehill, meanwhile, had an efficient night from the floor shooting 56 percent for the game and attached 18 assists onto their 27 baskets.
For the second time this season, the Skyhawks had five players in double figures. In addition to Smith, Randall Stallworth (Toms River, N.J.) and Matt Hall (Springfield, Mass.) each had 15 points, while A.J. Rudowitz (Monroe, N.J.) added 14 and Mike Kernan (Medford, N.J.) chipped in 10.
Colin Scanlon (Centreville, Va.), who had four points and four assists, did an excellent defensive job on Jason Westrol, forcing the league's third leading scorer into a 5-for-14 shooting performance.
Finnegan took game-high honors with 23 points, seven rebounds and three steals, while Westrol ended with 14 and Tom Dowling added 10 points and nine rebounds.
Now the only team in the Northeast-10 with at least 10 wins, Stonehill is idle until Thursday when conference-leading St. Anselm visits Merkert Gymnasium.