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| A.J. Rudowitz had seven points, 14 rebounds and six assists in the 77-59 win over Pace on Wednesday. |
Hot-Shooting Hall Leads Skyhawks To Blowout Win
North Easton, Mass. - Senior Matt Hall (Springfield, Mass.) torched the nets for a career-high 35 points on a sizzling 12-for-13 shooting to lead host Stonehill to a 77-59 win over visiting Pace on Wednesday evening at Merkert Gymnasium.
Hall drained 6-of-7 three-pointers and added five assists, shattering his previous career-high of 27 set last year in a triple-overtime loss to Columbus State.
After not having a player score 30 or more points in 130 games, Stonehill has now had two players eclipse the mark in the last eight games.
20 of his points came in the first half as the Skyhawks built a 41-23 halftime lead thanks to 57 percent shooting and excellent ball movement, registering 13 assists on 16 baskets. Hall was the catalyst, connecting on all seven of his shots including all four three-point attempts.
The second half started off slow for Stonehill and the Setters whittled the Skyhawk lead down to 12 at 43-31 following a conventional three-point play from Laurence McGee.
Hall answered for Stonehill, however, with his fifth three-pointer of the game and a pair of A.J. Rudowitz (Monroe Township, N.J.) free throws had the Skyhawks up 17, 48-31.
Pace, sparked by a pair of triples and a fastbreak layup from Carlos Howard, had the lead down to 13 at 59-46 but a 10-0 Stonehill burst that featured points from Patrick Lee (Fayetteville, N.Y.), Mike Kernan (Medford, N.J.) and Hall put the game out of reach.
The Skyhawks shot 55 percent from the field for the game and held the Setters to just 33 percent. Aided by Rudowitz, who finished with seven points, 14 rebounds and a career-high six assists, Stonehill controlled the glass, outrebounding the visitors 42-29.
Kernan was the only other Skyhawk in double figures with 15 points, seven rebounds and two blocks, while Nick Smith (Colonia, N.J.) chipped in with eight points, four rebounds, two assists and two blocks.
Howard paced the Setters with 12 points and he was joined in double figures by Ryan Woods (11 points) and Adrian Mills (10 points).
Now 19-6 overall and 14-6 in the Northeast-10, Stonehill has eclipsed its win total from a season ago and sits in a three-way tie for third in the league standings, one game behind UMass-Lowell and two behind Bentley with two games remaining on the regular season schedule.
The Skyhawks will play their final regular season home game on Saturday against St. Rose. Game time is slated for 3:30 p.m.