Senior Mike Kernan led the Skyhawks with 19 points and eight rebounds. (PHOTO BY Bert Lane)

Kernan leads Skyhawks to eighth-straight win with 19 points and eight rebounds

Senior Mike Kernan (Medford, N.J./Shawnee) led Stonehill with a game-high 19 points on 9-of-14 shooting from the field, eight rebounds and two assists. Junior Ivan Almeida (Praia, Cape Verde) added a double-double with ten points, on 5-of-8 shooting, and a game-best ten rebounds with three blocked shots. Sophomore Adam Fazzini (Drums, Pa./Crestwood) contributed a career-high 13 points on 4-of-5 shooting from the field, including 3-for-4 from three-point range, in 15 minutes off the bench. Classmate Brian Hamor (Guilderland, N.Y./Bishop Gibbons) posted nine points, six rebounds and six assists off the bench, while junior Patrick Lee (Fayetteville, N.Y./Fayetteville-Manlius) chipped in eight points on 4-of-5 shooting and six boards.

Sophomore Mike Stys (Hooksett, N.H./Manchester Central) led New Haven with 15 points on 5-of-6 shooting from three-point range, while classmate Sean Harris (Mount Vernon, N.Y./Mount Vernon) added 14 points off the bench, shooting 6-for-8 from the field, with four assists, three rebounds and three steals. Freshman Jeffrey Adkins, Jr. (Piscataway, N.J./Piscataway) rounded out the Chargers double figure scorers with 11 points, shooting 4-for-7 from the field while converting all three free-throw attempts.

Sophomore Adam Fazzini scored a career-high 13 points in 15 minutes off the bench. (PHOTO BY Bert Lane)

Stonehill shot 54.4-percent (31-for-57) from the field, including 60% (18-30) in the second half, draining 7-of-16 (43.8%) three-pointers for the day. The Skyhawks dominated the glass, finishing with a 47-19 rebounding advantage that helped produce a 15-3 margin in second chance points. New Haven finished shooting 39.3-percent (22-for-56) from the field, but made 9-of-19 (47.4%) three-pointers, including 6-for-10 (60%) in the second half.

Stonehill used a 12-4 run to turn its lone deficit of the night (14-13) into a seven point lead (25-18) after a Kernan layup with 3:03 left before halftime. The Skyhawks settled for a six point (31-25) halftime lead, but began to pull away in the second half.

Freshman Justin Exum (Brooklyn, N.Y./Xaverian) opened the second half with a three pointer to pull New Haven within three (31-28), but Stonehill scored the next ten points to push its lead into double-figures for the first time (41-28) after a Kernan layup with 16:38 remaining. All five Skyhawk starters scored baskets during that stretch. Stonehill's lead extended to 16 points (48-32) on a Fazzini three with 13:38 to play, but New Haven drew within 12 (51-39) after a Stys three as the half reached the midway point.

Stonehill put the game away with 12 straight points to open a 24 point lead (66-42) after a Kernan basket with 5:06 left. The stretch was part of an overall 18-4 run that saw the Skyhawks lead grow to a game-high 26 points (72-46) after a pair of free-throws from junior Sean Lowry (Butler, Pa./Butler) with 3:06 that sealed it.

Stonehill scored the first eight points of the contest, capped by back-to-back baskets from Kernan, in the opening 4:29. New Haven answered with a 9-2 run to close within a point (10-9) after Stys three with 11:25 left in the opening half. The Skyhawks regained a four point cushion (13-9) with a Hamor three with 10:34 remaining in the half, but the Chargers scored five-straight to take its lone lead of the night (14-13) after another Stys three before the Skyhawks started to take control for good.   

Stonehill (13-3, 8-3 NE-10) is back in action on Wednesday when it visits American International College for a key Northeast-10 matchup at 7:30 p.m. The Skyhawks return home to host Adelphi University on Saturday, January 22, at 3:30 p.m. New Haven (3-11, 2-9 NE-10) hosts Saint Michael's College on Wednesday at 5:30 p.m.