Assumption Holds Off Stonehill, 82-78


Sophomore Carter Smith led the Skyhawks with a career-high 20 points to go with six assists and two steals. (PHOTO BY Emily Reynolds)

Zenevitch nets game-high 25 points to lead Greyhounds 

WORCESTER, Mass. (February 11, 2014) – Assumption College used a big second half run and held off a late Stonehill College run to claim an 82-78 victory in Northeast-10 Conference men's basketball action at Andrew Laska Gymnasium tonight.

Junior Jimmy Zenevitch (Methuen, Mass./Central Catholic) led the way for Assumption with a game-high 25 points on 10-of-16 shooting, including 2-for-3 from three-point range, with seven rebounds. Freshman Marcus Murray (Silver Spring, Md./John F. Kennedy) added 13 points on 4-of-7 shooting from the field while converting 5-of-6 free-throws with four assists and three rebounds, while sophomore Tim Kasper (Cologne, Germany) contributed 11 points on 4-of-7 shooting while converting all three free-throw attempts with nine rebounds and a blocked shot.

Sophomore Carter Smith (Columbus, Ohio/Upper Arlington) led four Stonehill players in double figures with a career-high 20 points on 5-of-10 shooting, including 3-for-5 from three-point range, and converting 7-of-8 free-throw attempts to go with six assists and two steals. Junior Jack Cole (New Providence, N.J./New Providence) added 15 points on 5-of-7 shooting, draining his lone three-point attempt and converting all four free-throws, with four rebounds, three assists, two blocked shots and a steal.


Junior Jack Cole added 15 points, four rebounds, three assists and two blocked shots. (PHOTO BY Emily Reynolds)

Sophomore Josh Heyliger (Queens, N.Y./The Hill School) finished with 14 points on 4-of-5 shooting from the field and a 6-for-9 effort at the line with four rebounds and two steals, while classmate Adam Bramanti (Middleton, Mass./Masconomet Regional) chipped in 14 points on 5-of-10 shooting, including 2-for-3 from three and converting both free-throw attempts with two rebounds.

Assumption shot 48.4-percent (30-for-62) from the field on the night and converted 18-of-23 (78.3%) free-throw attempts. The Greyhounds posted a 37-24 rebounding advantage for a 14-5 edge in second chance points and saw their bench outscore the Stonehill reserves 42-15. The Skyhawks shot 50-percent (25-for-50) from the field, including 60% (15-25) in the first half, burying 6-of-11 (54.5%) three-pointers in the second half and converting 20-27 (74.1%) free-throws.

Stonehill led by as much as seven in the first half before settling for a three point (40-37) halftime lead. Assumption held the Skyhawks to just four points over the first 11 minutes of the second half, outscoring the visitors 26-4 over that span to open a commanding 19 point lead (63-44) on a layup by sophomore Julian Aiken (Randolph, N.J./Randolph) with 9:02 to play. Zenevitch had 11 points in all during that run, including a pair of three-pointers.

Assumption's lead was still 15 (76-61) after a Kasper layup with 3:07 left, but Stonehill didn't go down quietly. Trailing by 11 (78-67) with 1:10 left, the Skyhawks cut the lead to eight after a Heyliger free-throw with 58-seconds remaining. Murray converted two free-throws at the other end to regain the ten point cushion (80-70) with 44-seconds left, but Stonehill responded with a layup and three-pointer from Smith to cut the gap to five (80-75) with 25-seconds to play.

Murray made one of two at the stripe at the other end and Cole canned a three to pull Stonehill within a possession (81-78) with nine-seconds to go, but too much time came off the clock, and freshman Jack Sullivan (Stony Point, N.Y./Albertus Magnus) sealed the win with a free-throw with seven seconds left.

Stonehill (7-15, 4-13 NE-10) is back in action on Saturday when it visits Southern New Hampshire University for an NE-10 clash, which will be televised live on WBIN-TV, at 4 p.m. The Skyhawks return home next Wednesday, February 19, to host Franklin Pierce University at Merkert Gymnasium at 7:30 p.m. Assumption (6-16, 4-13 NE-10) hosts Merrimack College on Saturday at 3:30 p.m.

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