Sophomore Ivan Almeida led Stonehill with a career-best 17 points, including 12 in the first half, tonight. |
Stonehill Rolls Past #6 Bentley, 79-60
Balanced attack, strong defense leads Skyhawks to sixth-straight win
EASTON, Mass. (December 8, 2009) - Stonehill College, among teams receiving votes in this week's National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) Division II poll, maintained its perch atop the Northeast-10 Conference standings with a stirring 79-60 victory over rival and No. 6-ranked Bentley University in men's basketball action at Merkert Gymnasium tonight.
Stonehill used a balanced offensive effort and suffocating defense in picking up its sixth-straight win to remain perfect in NE-10 play with all five starters scoring in double-figures. Sophomore Ivan Almeida (Santiago, Cape Verde) led all scorers with a career-best 17 points (12 first half) on 7-of-13 shooting from the field, including 3-for-5 from three-point range, to go with four rebounds, two assists and a blocked shot over 25 minutes. Senior A.J. Rudowitz (Monroe Township, N.J./Monroe Township) added 14 points, shooting 4-for-8 from the field and 6-of-7 from the free-throw line, to go with seven rebounds, four assists and a block, while junior Daniel Heppert (Richmond, Va./Benedictine) contributed 12 points, shooting 5-for-6 from the field, including seven rebounds and three blocks.
Senior Randall Stallworth (Toms River, N.J./Monsignor Donovan) and junior Mike Kernan (Medford, N.J./Shawnee) each chipped in 14 points for the Skyhawks. Stallworth added six assists, four rebounds and two blocks, while Kernan made 6-of-8 field goals to go with four boards.
Senior A.J. Rudowitz posted 14 points, seven rebounds, four assists and a blocked shot. |
Junior Brian Tracey (Bow Mar, Colo./Heritage) led four Bentley players in double-figures with 16 points, five rebounds and two steals. Classmate Josh Fremeau (Manchester, N.H./Manchester Central) added 13 points, shooting 6-for-9 from the field, four rebounds and two assists, while senior Jason Westrol (Brielle, N.J./Manasquan) finished with 12 points. Senior John Brandt (Pawtucket, R.I./Wheeler School) chipped in ten points and four rebounds in 27 minutes off the bench.
Stonehill finished shooting 55.8-percent (29-for-52) from the field for the contest, including a blistering 59.3% (16-27) in the first half to build a 14-point halftime lead. The Skyhawks suffocated the Bentley shooters at the other end, limiting the Falcons to 35.9-percent (23-64) shooting, just 33.3% (11-33) in the second half, including 6-for-24 (25%) from three-point range.
Stonehill scored the first 11 points of the contest and never looked back. Almeida drilled two three's and Stallworth added a third for the Skyhawks in that opening run. Stonehill extended its lead to 13 (15-2) following a pair of Rudowitz free-throws 4:10 into the game. Bentley answered with an 11-4 run over the next three minutes to close within six (19-13) on a Tracey layup with 12:37 left in the half.
The Falcons were still within seven (33-26) after two-straight Brandt layups with 3:13 to go before halftime, but Stonehill scored the final seven points of the half to carry its 14-point (40-26) lead into the break. Stallworth sparked the run with a three with 1:50 left.
The Skyhawks kept that momentum going into the second half, opening with a 6-2 run to stake out an 18-point lead (46-28) after a three-point play from Rudowitz 3:19 into the half. Bentley crept back within 13 (46-33) after Tracey made one of two at the line with 14:36 to play, but the Skyhawks again had an answer pushing its lead to 20 (55-35) after a Kernan layup with 11:15 remaining. The Falcons wouldn't seriously threaten again with the Skyhawk opening as much as a 23-point lead down the stretch.
Stonehill (6-1, 5-0 NE-10) is back in action on Friday night when it visits Franklin Pierce University for its final NE-10 matchup of the semester at 7:30 p.m. The Skyhawks are back at Merkert Gym on Saturday, December 19, to host Post University for a non-conference contest at 2 p.m. Bentley (5-2, 3-2 NE-10) is off until it travels to Franklin Pierce on Friday, December 18, at 4 p.m.
