Chose leads balanced Skyhawks offensive effort with 26 points

Chose scored 17 of his game-high 26 points in the first half, posting his fifth 20-point game of the year (PHOTO BY Bob Blanchard)

EASTON. Mass. (February 12, 2019) – Stonehill College returned to its home court and used a solid defensive effort and balanced offense to secure an 80-59 victory over Saint Michael's College in Northeast-10 Conference men's basketball action on Paula Sullivan Court at Merkert Gymnasium tonight.

Sophomore Owen Chose led Stonehill with his third 20-point outing over the last five games and fifth of the season overall, as he netted a game-high 26 points, including 17 in the first half, on 10-of-16 shooting, including 5-for-10 from three-point distance. Senior Michael Boen added 14 points on 5-of-6 shooting, connecting on his lone three-pointer, with five rebounds, three assists and three steals, while freshman Josh Mack contributed a season-high 12 points on 4-of-5 shooting, burying his lone three-point try, with three boards and three assists. Junior Will Moreton rounded out the Skyhawks in double-figures with 11 points, six rebounds and four assists, while senior Joel Berroa chipped in nine points, five rebounds, three assists and two steals.

Senior Levi Holmes III and junior Jordan Guzman combined for 30 points to lead Saint Michael's, with 15 points apiece. Holmes connected on 3-of-5 three-pointers on the way to his 15 points, while Guzman added three rebounds and two steals to his 15. Senior Winston Jones II totaled nine points, seven rebounds and two blocked shots for the Purple Knights, while junior Eli DiGrande chipped in eight points and eight boards.

Mack netted a season-high 12 points in support of a balanced Skyhawks effort (PHOTO BY Bob Blanchard)

Saint Michael's held a pair of one point leads early on and the game was knotted at 17-17 with 12:20 to play in the opening half before Stonehill reeled off nine-straight points, keyed by three-pointers from Boen and Chose, to lead a 15-3 run that produced a 12-point lead (32-20) after back-to-back threes from Chose with 7:11 remaining in half.

Stonehill carried that 12-point lead into halftime (43-31), and after Guzman scored in the paint to draw Saint Michael's within ten (45-35) for the second time in the opening two minutes of the second half, the Skyhawks used a 13-2 run to open a 21-point cushion (58-37) after a dunk from freshman Andrew Sims off a Boen feed, with 12-minutes to go. Sims scored the last four points of the run, while Chose added four as well.

Saint Michael's wouldn't draw within 16 the rest of the way, with Stonehill grabbing a 23-point lead (71-48) after a basket from Mack with 3:55 to go. The Skyhawks cushion stretched to a game-high 24 (74-50) after a three-point play from Boen before settling for the eventual 21-point victory to end a six-game drought – the program's longest since the 2001-02 season.

Stonehill (12-12, 6-11 NE10) is right back in action at Merkert Gym on Saturday, when it hosts Franklin Pierce University at 3:30 p.m. Saint Michael's (6-16, 3-14 NE10) hosts Assumption College on Saturday at 3:30 p.m.

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