Burnett netted a career-high 20 points to lead the Skyhawks on Saturday (PHOTO BY Ryan Fenney/Providence Athletics) |
COLCHESTER, Vt. (November 20, 2021) - Stonehill College, receiving votes in the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) Division II preseason poll and ranked No. 10 in the D2SIDA East Region poll, opened its Northeast-10 Conference schedule with a 72-69 victory over Saint Michael's College in NE10 men's basketball action at Ross Sports Center this afternoon.
The Details
- Senior Isaiah Burnett scored a career-high 20 points on 8-of-15 shooting, including 3-for-5 from three-point distance, with three assists, two rebounds and two steals to lead four from Stonehill in double-figures.
- Sophomore Jackson Benigni added 15 points, five rebounds and three assists, while senior Andrew Sims tallied 12 points and seven rebounds.
- Senior Patrick Gardner posted a double-double to lead Saint Michael's with game-high totals of 23 points, 11 rebounds and five blocked shots, connecting on 7-of-12 shots and all eight free-throw attempts for the day.
- Junior Kasai Brown added 21 points and seven rebounds for the Purple Knights.
- Stonehill opened a 14-point lead (27-13) after a 20-2 run, sparked by a Burnett three-pointer and capped by another from senior Myles Hanson, while fifth-year Owen Chose scored seven of his ten points on the day during that run.
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Saint Michael's chipped away and pulled back within two (35-33) just before the break after two Brown free-throws, before Burnett capped the half with a three-pointer to send Stonehill into halftime with a five-point lead (38-33).
Benigni added 15 points, five boards and three assists (PHOTO BY Ryan Fenney/Providence Athletics) - Saint Michael's pulled even (40-40) with a three-pointer from freshman CJ Crews two minutes into the second half and grabbed a lead after senior Jontai Williams split two free-throws.
- Stonehill was able to regain a ten-point lead (63-53) after a three-pointer from Benigni with 5:48 remaining and held a nine-point cushion (67-58) after a Burnett layup with just 3:46 to play, but had to withstand another Saint Michael's comeback to secure the win.
- Saint Michael's outscored Stonehill 9-1 over the next three minutes as the Skyhawks faltered at the free-throw line and missed three shots from the floor to trim the deficit to a single point (68-67) after a Gardner put back with 16-seconds remaining.
- Benigni was fouled and made both at the line to push the lead back to three and Stonehill opted to foul instead of giving up a tying three and Williams made both to draw the hosts back within a point (70-69) with nine seconds left.
- However, Benigni sealed the win at the other end with two free-throws as Saint Michael's last-second heave was off the mark.
Up Next
Stonehill (3-1, 1-0 NE10) is back in action on Tuesday when it returns to Merkert Gymnasium to host rival Bentley University for an NE10 bout at 7:30 p.m. Saint Michael's (2-1, 0-1 NE10) is off until Friday, when it opens the Gary Miller Classic, hosted by Gannon University in northwestern Pennsylvania, against Concord (W.V.) College at 5:30 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.
