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| Sophomore Mike Kernan just missed a double-double with nine points and 11 rebounds in the 71-46 win over St. Michael's. |
No. 20 Skyhawks Lock Down Purple Knights For Seventh Straight
Easton, Mass. - No. 20 Stonehill used a smothering defense and a 14-0 run to start the second half to catapult them to their seventh straight victory - this one a 71-46 win over visiting St. Michael's at Merkert Gymnasium on Wednesday evening.
During the game-sealing run, the Skyhawks held the Purple Knights scoreless for nearly seven minutes as they missed their first ten shots of the second stanza and committed four turnovers before finally getting a basket at the 13:09 mark. By then, however, Stonehill had turned a 27-21 halftime edge into a 39-23 advantage.
The Skyhawks opened the game on a 10-2 run highlighted by a pair of Randall Stallworth (Toms River, N.J.) three-pointers and then led 22-9 with less than eight minutes left in the first half.
Stallworth, however, picked up two first half fouls and with Alex Berthiaume providing St. Michael's with 13 first-half points, the Stonehill lead was whittled down to six at intermission.
The second half run, which featured two layups from A.J. Rudowitz (Monroe Township, N.J.) and a two more three-pointers from Stallworth, was followed by a 13-4 spurt that pushed the lead to 21 at 52-31.
Stonehill's lead never dipped below 20 again and grew to as many as 29 at 70-41 after a Patrick Lee (Fayetteville, N.Y.) layup and six straight points from Sean Costigan (South Portland, Maine).
The 46 points scored by St. Michael's is the second lowest point total by the Purple Knights in the 67-game series. Stonehill held them to 43 points in a win back on December 28, 1979.
Stallworth drained five three-pointers en route to his 17 points. He added three rebounds, seven assists and two steals with just one turnover in 20 minutes of action. Rudowitz was the only other Skyhawk to reach double figures as he finished with 11 points, seven rebounds and three blocks.
Sophomore Mike Kernan (Medford, N.J.) just missed out on a double-double with nine points and 11 rebounds, while both Nick Smith (Colonia, N.J.) and Matt Hall (Springfield, Mass.) each added eight points.
Berthiaume was the lone St. Michael's player in double figures with 17 points but was just 6-for-18 from the floor.
The win marked the ninth time this season Stonehill (48 percent) has shot better than 45 percent from the field and the twelfth time it has held its opponent (29 percent) to less than 40 percent.
The 13-2 mark to begin the season for the Skyhawks is the third-best start for a Stonehill team in school history. The 1949-50 team opened the inaugural season of basketball at 13-1 and the 2005-06 team opened their campaign at 14-1.
The Skyhawks return to the hardwood on Saturday when it takes on St. Rose in Albany. Tip time is slated for 3:30 p.m.