Kelly's 25 points, El Sheikh double-double and 46-percent shooting lifts Greyhounds to win

Mack matched his career-best with a season-high 13 points (PHOTO BY Mary Gettens)

EASTON, Mass. (December 20, 2021) – Assumption University opened a 19-point halftime lead and didn't look back in posting an 82-60 victory over Stonehill College, receiving votes in the most recent National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) Division II poll and ranked No. 5 in the D2SIDA East Region poll, in Northeast-10 Conference men's basketball action on Paula Sullivan Court at Merkert Gymnasium tonight.

Leaders

Stonehill
Josh Mack Senior, Guard: Career-high matching 13 points (3-for-7, 2-for-2 threes), five rebounds.
Owen Chose Fifth-year, Guard: 11 points (3-for-7 threes).
Andrew Sims Senior, Forward: 8 points (4-for-8), three rebounds, three assists, two blocked shots and a steal. 

Assumption
Matthew Kelly Postgrad, Guard: Game-high 25 points (9-for-15, 5-for-6 threes), six assists, four rebounds and a steal.
Omar El Sheikh Postgrad, Forward: Double-double of 16 points, game-high 17 rebounds, three assists, steal and blocked shot.
Isiah Gaiter Junior, Guard: 10 points (4-for-9), four rebounds. 

How it Happened

• Chose added 11 points, connecting on 3-of-7 three-pointers (PHOTO BY Mary Gettens)

  Assumption led virtually start to finish with Stonehill answering two early Assumption baskets before Kelly scored eight straight points over a 90-second span to take the lead for good (12-4) 4:42 into the contest, following back-to-back three-pointers.
• Assumption's lead grew to 17 (26-9) after a Kelly layup capped a 12-0 run in which he and junior Kani Glover drained three-pointers to spark the stretch.
• Stonehill wouldn't pull back within double figures again as Assumption carried a 19-point lead (41-22) into halftime and extended that to 21, 39-seconds into the second half with a Gaiter layup.
• Stonehill made a couple of pushes early in the second half to get back into the game, pulling within 18 on layups by sophomore Emmanuel Bonsu and freshman Christopher Melis, but would get no closer as Assumption managed a 20-point lead for the remainder of the contest.

Noteworthy

• Mack's career-high matching 13 points is his season-high, matching the high established at the University of Minnesota-Duluth on November 16, 2019. It marks his first double-figure scoring game of the year (fifth career)
• Chose scored in double digits for the second-straight game and fifth time in eight games played this season (53^rd career).
• Assumption finished shooting 46.2-percent from the field, including 11-for-22 (50%) from three-point range, compared to 37% shooting (8-for-27, 29.6% threes) for Stonehill.
• Assumption held a 47-30 rebounding advantage, limiting the Skyhawks to four offensive boards, and the Greyhounds outscored Stonehill 19-3 in second chance points.
• Stonehill is now off for the next ten days for the holiday, end of semester, break.

Up Next

Stonehill (7-4, 3-2 NE10) is back in action on Thursday, December 30, when it visits Daemen College for a non-conference matchup in Western New York at noon. The Skyhawks return to Merkert Gymnasium on Sunday, January 2, to host Southern New Hampshire University for an NE10 matchup 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.