Moreton led the Skyhawks with 20 points, marking his fifth 20-point game of the year and third over the last four games. (PHOTO BY Bob Blanchard)

Swan double-double headlines balanced Yellow Jackets effort

EASTON, Mass. (January 3, 2018) – American International College put an end to Stonehill College's five game win streak with a 72-66 triumph in Northeast-10 Conference men's basketball action on Paula Sullivan Court at Merkert Gymnasium tonight.

Senior Tahlib Swan (Montclair, New Jersey/Montclair) posted a double-double with 14 points and a game-high ten rebounds to lead a balanced American International College offensive effort in which the Yellow Jackets shot 50-percent (25-for-50) from the floor, including 10-for-19 (52.6%) from three-point distance, to claim the win. Swan made 4-of-8 shots from the field, including 2-for-4 from beyond the arc, while converting 4-of-5 free-throws to go with three assists, two blocked shots and a steal.

Junior Andrew Anderson (Toronto, Ontario/St. Edmond Campion) scored a team-high 15 points for AIC on 7-of-12 shooting, with nine rebounds and two blocks. Freshman Adonis Williams (Spring Valley, New York/Brooks) contributed 13 points, six boards and two assists for the Yellow Jackets, while senior Kassim Kaba (Newark, New Jersey/Essex County Vocational) rounded out the double-figure scorers with 12 points, draining 4-of-6 threes, and four rebounds.

Senior KJ Lee (Huntington Station, New York/Long Island Lutheran) and sophomore Will Moreton (Minneapolis, Minnesota/Edina) combined for 38 points to lead Stonehill. Moreton scored 20 points for the second-straight game and fifth time this season overall, finishing on the mark and adding seven rebounds and three steals. Lee made 8-of-10 shots from the floor for 18 points, with two rebounds, three steals and a blocked shot. Sophomore Brandon Twitty (Randolph, Massachusetts/Catholic Memorial) chipped in with eight points, two boards, two assists and two steals, while senior Paul Graves (Marion, Massachusetts/Old Rochester Regional) netted seven points off the bench.

Lee made 8-of-10 shots from the floor for 18 points tonight. (PHOTO BY Bob Blanchard)

AIC connected at 59.3-percent (16-for-27) from the field, including 8-of-13 (61.5%) from beyond the arc, in a 44-point first half in which the Yellow Jackets led by as much as 16 before settling for a 15-point halftime lead (44-29). Twitty gave Stonehill its only lead of the night (4-3) when he made a pair of free-throws three minutes into the game. AIC followed with eight-straight points, with Kaba burying a pair of threes, to take a seven-point lead (11-4) less than three-minutes later.

Back-to-back three-pointers from sophomore Dan Largey (Oceanport, New Jersey/Peddie School) and Twitty pulled Stonehill within a point (11-10) with 13:17 remaining in the first half, but AIC netted nine-straight to grab its first double-figure lead (20-10) following a three-pointer from freshman Jordan Vidal (Bronx, New York/Springfield Commonwealth Academy) with 11:10 to go in the half. The Yellow Jackets stretched their lead to 13 (26-13) on a layup by freshman Robert Durant (New Haven, Connecticut/Wilbur Cross) with 9:02 remaining.

Stonehill pulled within seven (30-23) after a three-pointer from freshman Owen Chose (Eden Prairie, Minnesota/Eden Prairie) with 5:50 to go before halftime. AIC answered that with a 13-4 run to open its game-high 16-point cushion (43-27) after an Anderson layup with 1:30 left.

AIC maintained its double-figure lead throughout the first ten minutes of the second half, still holding its 16-point margin (55-39) after a three-pointer from Williams with 11:21 to play. Stonehill was back within single-digits (57-50) after a Graves triple with 8:25 still on the clock, but the Yellow Jackets answered by reclaiming a 12-point lead (64-52) after a Swan layup with 5:45 remaining.

Stonehill drew back within six (64-58) with 4:41 to go after four straight points by Lee, but could get no closer as AIC had the answer at each Skyhawk push down the stretch. The Skyhawks pulled within six three times in the final minute, but the Yellow Jackets made all four free-throws from there to close out the win.

Stonehill (7-6, 4-4 NE10) will look to bounce back on Saturday when it visits Nyack College for a non-conference matchup at 3 p.m. The Skyhawks return home in two weeks to host Le Moyne College for an NE10 battle at Merkert Gym on Wednesday, January 17, at 7:30 p.m. AIC (8-6, 3-3 NE10) visits Saint Michael's College on Saturday at 3:30 p.m.

For the latest on Stonehill Athletics, follow the Skyhawks via social media on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Fans can also download the Stonehill Skyhawks "Front Row" mobile app, powered by PrestoSports, on iTunes and the Android Market.