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| Mike Kernan had his fourth double-double of the season in the Skyhawks 65-43 win |
Skyhawks Drop Clippers With Balanced Effort
Easton, Mass. - The Skyhawks never trailed Concordia and used a 12-3 run midway through the second half to put the game away, beating the visiting Clippers 65-43 Saturday evening at Merkert Gymnasium.
Three players scored in double figures and a total of nine Skyhawks put points on the board.
Stonehill won the opening tip and scored on their first possession, a three-pointer by Mike Kernan (Medford, N.J.). They would extend their lead to five on a bucket inside by A.J. Rudowitz (Monroe Township, N.J.) before Concordia was able to get on the board with a Samuel Batista shot from behind the arc at the 17:30 mark.
The three point margin was as close as the Clippers would get, as the Skyhawks gradually extended their lead while holding Concordia to just 10 points through the first 13 minutes of the half.
Rudowitz gave Stonehill their biggest lead of the half on a three pointer at the 5:11 mark, prompting a Clipper timeout.
The Skyhawks led 28-19 at the end of the first half.
In the second, Concordia wasn't able to get any closer than nine. Randall Stallworth (Toms River, N.J.) assisted on four of the Skyhawks first five baskets of the second half, the last of which being a Rudowitz layup that extended the lead to 41-28 with just under 13 minutes remaining.
Stonehill then went on a 12-3 run capped off by a Kernan layup to extend the lead to 22 with six minutes remaining.
Coach Dave McLaughlin subbed freely the rest of the way as the Skyhawks cruised to the 65-43 win.
Mike Kernan registered his fourth double-double of the season with 13 points and ten boards, while Rudowitz added a team-high 14 and senior Matt Hall (Springfield, Mass.) had 12 including a perfect 5-5 from the charity stripe.
Randall Stallworth missed all four shots he took, but grabbed eight rebounds and dished out seven assists in 27 minutes.
Freshman Andre Tongo (Acton, Mass.) came off the bench to score a career high eight points and grabbed two rebounds in just five minutes of action in the second half.
Alban Shala came off the bench to score a team high eight points for Concordia while Troy Young had seven rebounds and six points.
The win improves Stonehill to 8-2, while the Clippers drop to 1-6. The Skyhawks return to action when they host Franklin Pierce on Friday, December 19 at 6:00 p.m. in Merkert Gymnasium.