Largey drained 5-of-7 three-pointers on his way to a season-high 21 points for the Skyhawks. (PHOTO BY Mike Broglio/SportsPix)

Sophomore trio fire Skyhawks to first win of season

EASTON, Mass. (November 18, 2017) – Stonehill College got off to a fast start and finished strong in picking up its first win of the season by way of an 84-74 decision over Saint Michael's College in Northeast-10 Conference men's basketball action on Paula Sullivan Court at Merkert Gymnasium this afternoon.

Sophomores Dan Largey (Oceanport, New Jersey/Peddie School), Will Moreton (Minneapolis, Minnesota/Edina) and Brandon Twitty (Randolph, Massachusetts/Catholic Memorial) combined for 55 points and led four Stonehill players in double figures in the win. Largey netted a season-high 21 points, aided by 5-for-7 shooting from three-point range and converting all six free throws, to go with four rebounds. Moreton totaled 18 points on 7-of-11 shooting, including 3-for-4 from beyond the arc, with a game-high nine rebounds, with three assists, two blocked shots and two steals. Twitty rounded out the trio by scoring 12 of his 16 points in the first half, shooting 6-of-9 from the field overall, connecting on 2-of-4 threes, with two assists and two steals. Senior Isaiah Bess (LaGrange, Maine/Hampden Academy) capped the Skyhawks in double-figures with ten points, two boards and two assists.

Junior Levi Holmes III (East Brunswick, New Jersey/Rutgers Prep) led Saint Michael's with a game-high 27 points on 9-of-23 shooting, with six rebounds, two assists, a blocked shot and two steals. Sophomore Eli DiGrande (Essex Junction, Vermont/Essex) added 18 points on 7-of-9 shooting, a team-high seven rebounds, two blocked and two steals, while senior Colin Richey (Upton, Massachusetts/Choate Rosemary Hall) contributed 13 points, burying 3-of-5 threes with six rebounds and two assists.

Moreton continued his strong start to the season with 18 points, nine boards, three assists and two blocks. (PHOTO BY Mike Tureski/SportsPix)

Stonehill opened a 16-point lead (34-18) after a 14-2 run spanning five minutes, capped by back-to-back three-pointers by Twitty and then a third consecutive from senior Joel Berroa (Lawrence, Massachusetts/Bridgton Academy) with 8:37 remaining in the first half. Saint Michael's responded by outscoring the Skyhawks 18-6 the remainder of the half to pull within four (49-36) at the intermission, led by six points by DiGrande and five by Richey.

Richey answered an opening basket for Stonehill with a three-pointer and then Holmes drew Saint Michael's within a point (42-41) with a jumper two minutes into the second half. DiGrande pulled the Purple Knights even (45-45) with two free throws four minutes into the half, but Largey answered with a three-pointer at the other end.

Stonehill was able to stay in front, gaining some breathing room with five straight points after Bess pushed its lead to seven (59-52) with 11-minutes to go. Saint Michael's closed back within two again (59-57) on a three-point play from Holmes at the midway point of the half, but the Skyhawks held, and leading by four (63-59) with eight minutes to go, used a 15-2 run to open a 17 point margin (78-61) and seal it with 3:35 to play, following a three-pointer and layup by Moreton off his own steal.

Stonehill (1-3, 1-1 NE10) continues its stretch of early season home games on Tuesday night, when it hosts Saint Anselm College inside Merkert Gymnasium at 7:30 p.m. Saint Michael's (0-4, 0-2 NE10) visits Franklin Pierce University on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m.

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