Men's Basketball Hangs with Providence in Exhibition, 92-76


Senior Pierce Cumpstone notched a double-double against Division I Providence today.

Friars pull away late as Cumpstone leads Skyhawks with double-double

PROVIDENCE JOURNAL: "PC runs past Stonehill in exhibition hoops"

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (October 31, 2015) –  Stonehill College, among teams receiving votes in the National Association of Basketball Coaches NCAA Division II preseason poll, gave Division I and Big East member Providence College all it wanted in a 92-76 men's basketball exhibition setback at Dunkin' Donuts Center this afternoon.

Sophomore forward Rodney Bullock (Hampton, Virginia) and junior preseason All-America guard Kris Dunn (New London, Connecticut) led the way for Providence, under the direction of fifth-year head coach Ed Cooley, a 1994 Stonehill graduate. Bullock poured in 26 points on 10-of-14 shooting, including 2-for-3 from three-point range, while converting four of seven free-throws, pulling down 11 rebounds (six offensive) with a blocked shot and steal. Dunn added a double-double effort of 15 points and 12 assists as he made 6-of-11 shots and snared five boards.

Sophomore Ben Bentil (Wilmington Delaware) also scored 15 points for Providence, shooting 6-of-7 from the floor, canning his lone three-pointer and converting both free-throw attempts, to go with seven boards. Freshman Ryan Fazekas (Chesterton, Indiana) chipped in ten points on 4-of-9 shooting, including 2-for-7 from three.


Junior Jimmy Walsh scored in double figures today. (PHOTO BY Paul Fitzgerald)

Senior Pierce Cumpstone (Bainbridge Township, Ohio/Kenston) led Stonehill with a double-double effort of 14 points and a game-high 14 rebounds (eight offensive) with two steals as he made 4-of-7 shots from the field, including 2-for-4 from beyond the arc, and converting 4-of-5 free-throws off the bench. Junior Ryan Logan (Fredericktown, Ohio/Fredericktown) also netted 14 points for the Skyhawks, draining 6-of-8 free-throws, with four rebounds, two assists and two steals, while junior Jimmy Walsh (Manasquan, N.J./Manasquan) chipped in 11 points on 4-of-9 shooting, including 2-for-4 from deep, with five boards.

Senior Adam Bramanti (Middleton, Massachusetts/Masconomet) pulled Stonehill within three points (65-62) with a three-pointer with 8:24 to play that capped a 9-2 run after Providence had led by as much as 15 (59-44) five minutes into the second half. The Friars held by scoring the next six points to stretch the lead back to nine (71-62) with 5:52 remaining before going on to clinch the win from there.

Stonehill led much of the opening ten minutes of the game, including a game-high five point cushion (14-9) after a Bramanti triple with 14:15 left in the first quarter. That capped an 11-4 Skyhawks run before a 16-5 Providence stretch put the Friars in the lead (29-22) with seven and a half minutes still to play in the half. Providence extended its lead to as much as 11 in the first half and then led by 15 five and a half into the second half.

Stonehill, among the preseason favorites in the Northeast-10 Conference, opens its 2015-16 season in two weeks when it hosts its Stonehill Tip-Off Classic with Assumption College, Post University and Georgian Court University. The Skyhawks open against Post on Friday, November 13, at 7 p.m. Assumption and Georgian Court open the tournament at 5 p.m.

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