Moreton posted his third double-double of the year to lead the Skyhawks to a fourth-straight win. (PHOTO BY SportsPix)

Moreton's third double-double of the season leads Skyhawks to fourth straight win

RINDGE, N.H. (February 10, 2018) – Stonehill College moved two games clear of fourth place in the Northeast Division standings with a key 84-78 triumph over Franklin Pierce University in Northeast-10 Conference men's basketball action at the FPU Fieldhouse this afternoon.

Sophomore swingman Will Moreton (Minneapolis, Minnesota/Edina) paced Stonehill to its fourth straight win and sixth over its last seven with his third double-double of the season. He scored 14 of his game-high 25 points in the second half, while grabbing 11 rebounds, to go with five assists and two steals. He finished shooting 9-of-16 from the floor, while converting 6-of-8 free-throws on the afternoon. The Skyhawks now sit two games ahead of Southern New Hampshire University and Bentley University for a first round bye in the upcoming NE10 Tournament with three games remaining. The Skyhawks also now only trail second place Merrimack College, which visits Merkert Gymnasium on Wednesday night, by just a game.

Sophomore Dan Largey (Oceanport, New Jersey/Peddie School) added 15 points and six rebounds for Stonehill, while senior KJ Lee (Huntington Station, New York/Long Island Lutheran) made 5-of-6 shots for 11 points, five rebounds and two assists. Freshman Owen Chose (Eden Prairie, Minnesota/Eden Prairie) chipped in with 12 points off the bench.

Largey added 15 points and six rebounds for the Skyhawks in the big win. (PHOTO BY SportsPix)

Senior Mike McDevitt (Cumberland, Maine/Greely) led Franklin Pierce with 24 points on 11-of-21 shooting, including 2-for-3 from three-point range, eight rebounds, an assist and a steal. Sophomore Doyin Fadojutimi (Temple Hills, Maryland/Eleanor Roosevelt) added 16 points and six rebounds, while senior Jordan Lackey (South Plainfield, New Jersey/Piscataway Tech) totaled 14 points, four rebounds and two assists. Sophomore Falu Seck (Washington, D.C./Springbrook) scored 12 of his 14 points in the second half, adding six rebounds and six assists.

With the game level (43-43) at the half, after a back and forth opening 20-minutes, Stonehill grabbed the lead for good (48-46) with a Largey three-pointer in the opening minute of the second half. The Skyhawks extended their lead to six (55-49) when freshman Owen de Graaf (Beamsville, Ontario/Choate Rosemary Hall) converted one of two free-throws with 15:41 remaining.

Stonehill's spurt stretched to 11-5 after a pair of Largey free-throws produced an eight-point cushion (59-51) with 14:18 on the clock. Moreton made two at the stripe and then sophomore Brandon Twitty (Randolph, Massachusetts/Catholic Memorial) connected with a jumper to push the Skyhawks lead to 13 (66-53) with 11:34 to play.

Stonehill went scoreless for a four-minute stretch, enabling Franklin Pierce to close the gap to six (66-60) after a Seck layup with 7:38 remaining. Moreton snapped the drought with a layup, before senior Paul Graves (Marion, Massachusetts/Old Rochester Regional) restored the Skyhawks ten-point lead (70-60) with 6:24 to go. The Ravens trimmed their deficit down to five (72-67) with two Fadojutimi free-throws with four minutes to go, but Moreton answered again, draining a three-pointer and then adding a layup to reclaim the ten point advantage (77-67) with two minutes to play.

Lee helped seal the win for Stonehill with a three-point play with 45-seconds left and then Chose went 4-for-4 from the line from there to close out the regular season series sweep of Franklin Pierce.

Stonehill (15-9, 11-7 NE10) returns to Merkert Gym on Wednesday to host Merrimack at 7:30 p.m. Tickets for Stonehill home games can be purchased online in advance at stonehillskyhawks.com. Franklin Pierce (13-10, 8-10 NE10) hosts Assumption College on Wednesday at 7:30 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.