Cole Earns First Spalding NE-10 Player of the Week

New Providence, New Jersey, senior averaged double-double, netted 1,000th point and led Skyhawks to 2-0 week and spot in upcoming NE-10 Tournament

NE-10 Men's Basketball Weekly Report

EASTON, Mass. (February 24, 2015) – Stonehill College senior forward Jack Cole (New Providence, New Jersey/New Providence) has been named the Spalding Northeast-10 Conference Player of the Week for the first time in his career by the league office.

Cole led Stonehill to a key 2-0 week to clinch a spot in the upcoming Northeast-10 Tournament by averaging a double-double with 18 points and 12 rebounds to go with three blocked shots and 1.5 assists per game. He shot 76.2-percent from the field (16-for-21) for the week and became the 37th 1,000-point scorer in program history in the process. Cole led the Skyhawks to a big 73-72 victory over rival Bentley University on Saturday by scoring 15 of his 20 points in the first half to power the team to an eight point (39-31) lead at the intermission. He made 9-of-11 shots from the field, including 7-of-8 in the first half, while converting 2-of-3 free-throws to go with nine rebounds, three assists and two blocked shots. Cole contributed his eighth double-double of the season (24th career) in Wednesday's 65-63 overtime win at Franklin Pierce University, becoming the 37th player in program history to reach 1,000 points for his career. He netted 16 points on 7-of-10 shooting from the floor, while adding a season-high 15 rebounds and four blocked shots. Cole joins sophomore forward Ryan Logan (Fredericktown, Ohio/Fredericktown) as Spalding NE-10 Players of the Week from the Skyhawks this season.

Cole is one of two Stonehill players who has started all 26 games this season and is averaging 12.3 points and a team-high 8.3 rebounds (5th NE-10) with 1.7 assists and team-best 1.4 blocked shots (4th) in 28.8 minutes per game. He is shooting 60.6-percent from the field (2nd), has posted eight double-doubles and led the Skyhawks in scoring six games and rebounding 15 times. Cole has logged three 20-point games this season, including a season-best 22 against Franklin Pierce on November 25. He has grabbed double-figure rebound totals 11 times, including his season-best 15 against the Ravens on Wednesday. Cole ranks 22nd nationally in Division II for field goal percentage and 50th in rebounds per game

Cole, who netted his 1,000th career point late in the first half of Wednesday's overtime win at Franklin Pierce, now ranks 33rd all-time at Stonehill with his 1,032 points in 110 career games played. He has also snared 841 rebounds and blocked 159 shots over his career, shooting 55.5-percent from the field. Cole is a two year captain for second year head coach Chris Kraus, '06 and has been named to the Northeast-10's Commissioner's Honor Roll four semesters for having a semester grade point average of 3.0 or better and the Athletic Director's Honor Roll one semester for having a semester GPA of 3.2 or higher. He is the lone player on Stonehill's roster with postseason experience, having been a starter as a freshman for the Skyhawks team that won the NE-10 Tournament Championship and East Regional Championship on its way to the National Semifinals of the NCAA Division II Elite Eight in Kentucky in 2012.

Stonehill (18-8, 13-7 NE-10), ranked eighth in the first NCAA Division II East Regional rankings of the season released by the regional advisory committee last Wednesday and eighth in this week's D2SIDA East Regional poll, closes out the regular season at Saint Anselm College, ranked third in the NCAA regional rankings and sixth in the D2SIDA regional poll, tonight at 7:30 p.m. The Skyhawks would earn the No. 3 seed, and a first round bye, for the NE-10 Tournament that gets underway this weekend with a win, or loss by Saint Michael's College tonight. Stonehill would slip to the No. 4 seed with a loss and Saint Michael's win and thus host a first round game against the Southwest Division No. 5 seed (The College of Saint Rose) on Friday at 7 p.m. The Skyhawks would be on the road for a quarterfinal at Southwest No. 2-seed American International College on Sunday at 3 p.m., should they clinch the No. 3 seed tonight.

For the latest on Stonehill Athletics, follow the Skyhawks via social media on Twitter and Facebook. Fans can also download the Stonehill Skyhawks mobile app on iTunes and the Android Market.