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The Game
Stonehill College closes out a five game road trip and the opening weekend of its inaugural Northeast Conference schedule by visiting Saint Francis (Pa.) University in a matchup of two of the top offensive teams in the Conference through the first half of the season at DeGol Arena this afternoon. The Skyhawks and Red Flash both got their NEC seasons off to a winning start as Stonehill notched a 74-67 triumph at Sacred Heart University in its NEC debut on Thursday, while Saint Francis buried 14 three-pointers on its way to an 80-72 win over Central Connecticut State University here on Thursday.

Media Information
This afternoon's game is being broadcast live for NEC Front Row with Jack Ridenour (play-by-play) and Tom Fox (analyst) calling the action for Saint Francis. The broadcast can be accessed via stonehillskyhawks.com through its NEC Front Row portal (necfrontrow.com/schools/SC) or through Apple TV, Android TV, Amazon Fire TV and Roku via the NEC On the Run App.

Last Time Out
Stonehill led by as much as 23 points late in the first half, and still by 20 midway through the second half, before holding off a late rally to secure a 74-67 triumph over Sacred Heart in the Northeast Conference men's basketball opener for both on Thursday afternoon. Stonehill, which was making its NEC debut in its inaugural season after beginning its transition to NCAA Division I status in July, was led by a career-high 18 points from fifth-year Shamir Johnson (Waterbury, Conn.) and a double-double performance from classmate Andrew Sims (Mount Laurel, N.J.) as the duo combined for 35 points to lead four Skyhawks in double figures. Johnson buried five three-pointers and added three rebounds and a career-best three steals, off the bench, while Sims totaled 17 points and a season-high ten rebounds for his first double-double of the season (seventh career) as he finished 8-of-14 shooting and dished out three assists. Nico Galette paced Sacred Heart by scoring 15 of his 23 points in the second half, finishing 9-of-19 shooting, including 3-for-5 from three, with seven rebounds and three steals. Stonehill led start to finish, building as much as a 23-point lead in the first half as the Skyhawks made 64.5-percent (20-for-31) of their shots in the opening frame, including 10-of-16 (62.5%) from beyond the arc.

NEC Debut Wins
Stonehill is just the fifth new Northeast Conference member to record a win in its NEC debut game after its 74-67 triumph at Sacred Heart on Thursday. The Skyhawks join Merrimack (vs. Sacred Heart in 2019), Maryland Baltimore County (vs Mount Saint Mary, 1998-99), Rider (vs. St. Francis-Brooklyn, 1992-93) and Monmouth (vs LIU, 1985-86) in posting NEC debut wins. Prior to the Merrimack win at Sacred Heart in 2019, NEC debutants had lost three-straight openers (Bryant, Sacred Heart, Quinnipiac) dating back to UMBC's win over Mount Saint Mary during the 1998-99 season.

Ringing in the Dubs
Stonehill has won its last three games dating back to at least the 2000-01 season played on New Year's Eve. The Skyhawks last played on this date at the close of 2017, posting an 88-67 victory over LIU Post in Brookville, N.Y., behind 33 points from Will Moreton '20. Stonehill defeated Bridgeport (87-83) at Merkert Gym in 2016 and Saint Thomas Aquinas (85-76) in 2014.

Against the Red Flash
This afternoon marks the first meeting between these two programs. It marks Stonehill's first matchup with a team from Pennsylvania since a 72-66 loss at Chestnut Hill College on December 20, 2013, and the Skyhawks first game in the Keystone State since the 2016 NCAA II East Regional hosted by Holy Family University in Philadelphia when Stonehill captured its third regional title and Elite Eight trip. Stonehill was paired to play Jefferson University in the opening round of the 2020 NCAA East Regional in Bridgeport, Connecticut, that was cancelled by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Dueling Alums
Stonehill and Saint Francis are both led by head coaches who are alumni of their institutions. Stonehill head coach Chris Kraus is a 2006 graduate and former student-athlete in his tenth year in charge at his alma mater. Saint Francis mentor Rob Krimmel is a 2000 graduate of the Loretto, Pennsylvania, University where he played for the Red Flash. The duo are among four? men's coaches in the NEC in charge of their alma maters along with Central Connecticut State's Patrick Sellers, '91 and Merrimack;s Joe Gallo '04.

Buckle Up!
This afternoon's game marks a matchup of two of the top offensive teams in the NEC with Saint Francis and Stonehill ranking first and second for both field goal and three-point field goal percentage, while ranking second and third respectively in scoring with the Skyhawks leading the NEC in free-throw percentage (.778) and the Red Flash are fifth (.710). Saint Francis leads the NEC in field goal percentage (.456) and three-point percentage (.377), where the Skyhawks are second in both (.443/.357), while the Red Flash are scoring 74.1 points per game (2nd) and Stonehill scoring 70.2 (3rd).

Battle in the Paint
This afternoon also marks a clash of two of the top scorers and big men in the NEC in Stonehill fifth-year Andrew Sims (Mount Laurel, N.J.) and Saint Francis junior Josh Cohen. Both have earned NEC Player of the Week honors once this season as Cohen leads the Conference in scoring (22.2 ppg), posting a pair of 40-point games this year, and field goal percentage (.628). Sims is second to Cohen in field goal percentage (.497) and fourth in scoring (16.1 ppg), while ranking fifth in free-throw percentage (.800) and having scored 20-plus points five times this year.

Super Saturdays
Stonehill has won all three of its Saturday games this season, all away from Merkert Gym. The Skyhawks earned their first NCAA Division I win with an 82-77 decision over Army West Point, to go with an 81-79 win over Holy Cross on day one of the Tom Konchalski Classic at Fordham, before notching a 69-66 triumph at Binghamton on December 3.

High Score
Stonehill owns two of the top six scoring games in the NEC this season and two of the three top scoring games not by Josh Cohen of Saint Francis (Pa.). Fifth-year Isaiah Burnett's (Annapolis, Md.) career-high 30 points against Holy Cross is one of five 30-point games in the Conference so far this season. Postgrad Max Zegarowski's (South Hamilton, Mass.) career-best 28 against Eastern Nazarene on November 30, is tied for the sixth-highest scoring game in the NEC this season, while his 25 points againts Quinnipiac (11/10) is ranked 11th in the Conference.

Preseason Prognostications
Stonehill was picked to finish ninth in its first Northeast Conference season by the league's head coaches. Merrimack received six of the eight first place votes to hold the pole position atop the preseason poll, followed by Sacred Heart with two first place votes. Saint Francis (Pa.) follows in third, while Wagner is picked fourth and received the final first place vote.  

Bright Lights
The Northeast Conference announced that Stonehill's February 2 matchup with Saint Francis (Pa.) University will be broadcast live on ESPN3 through the NEC's 26-game television package. The matchup at Merkert Gym is among 21 games that will be featured on ESPN networks. Now in his 23rd season, Dave Popkin serves as the primary play-by-play announcer on men's broadcasts, with Paul Dottino (24th year) filling in. Tim Capstraw (24th year) and Joe DeSantis (16th year) are slated to split color analyst duties. Pack Network and Northeast Sports Network (NSN) will handle production duties for the league's ESPN3/ESPN+ package.

Movin' On Up!
Fifth-year forward Andrew Sims (Mount Laurel, N.J.) surpassed 900 career points with his 20 point effort at Boston College on December 13 and is now well within striking distance of becoming the program's 43rd 1,000-point scorer. He has scored 941 points in 87 career games played as a 47.3-percent shooter for his career.

In Transition
Stonehill announced it had accepted an invitation to join the Northeast Conference and commence a four-year transition to full NCAA Division I membership on April 5. The Skyhawks started their four-year transition on July 1 and will earn full NCAA Division I membership in 2026-27. At the June NEC meetings, the Conference presidents announced a shift in the waiting period for automatic qualifier sports from competing for NEC postseason championships from four to two years, making Stonehill eligible to compete in the NEC postseason starting in 2024-25.

Proud History
Stonehill won the Northeast-10 Presidents' Cup six times, finishing in the top three in the final standings 15 of the last 17 years. Stonehill was one of just ten institutions nationwide to receive the NCAA Division II Presidents' Award for Academic Achievement, recognizing athletic departments with an Academic Success rating of 90-percent or better, each of the first ten years of the program's existence. The College ranks No. 98 in the category of National Liberal Arts Schools by U.S. News & World Report and No. 94 for the Best Value category.

Hoop History
Stonehill men's basketball earned 15 NCAA Division II Tournament bids over its history, the last was halted by the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. Stonehill were charter members of the Northeast-10 Conference, winning the first two tournament championships in 1981 and '82, finishing its time in the Conference with four postseason titles and six regular season championships.

Preseason Prognostications
Stonehill was picked to finish ninth in its first Northeast Conference season by the league's head coaches. Merrimack received six of the eight first place votes to hold the pole position atop the preseason poll, followed by Sacred Heart with two first place votes. Saint Francis (Pa.) follows in third, while Wagner is picked fourth and received the final first place vote.  

Tough Slate
Stonehill has assembled a tough non-conference slate in its inaugural Division I season, featuring opponents from the Big East  (2 - UConn, Providence), ACC (1 - BC), Missouri Valley (3 - UIC, Bradley, Valpo), Patriot League (2 - Army, Holy Cross), America East (2 - UMass Lowell, Binghamton), MAAC (2 - Quinnipiac, Rider), A-10 (1 - Fordham) leading up to its inaugural NEC slate around the New Year. 12 of the Skyhawks 15 non-conference games will also be played on the road.  

Inside the Roster
Stonehill head coach Chris Kraus '06 returns ten letterwinners, including three starters from his 2021-22 team that finished 15-12, including 10-9 in the NE10, reaching the Conference quarterfinals.
Stonehill's inaugural Division I roster includes:
• Four fifth-year players
• Three new transfers, including two postgrad transfers
• Two Division I transfers, including fifth-year returnee Isaiah Burnett (Navy) and newcomer Thatcher Stone (William & Mary)
• No seniors, three juniors, three sophomores and two freshmen.

Getting Social
Fans and media members of Stonehill athletics have multiple social media outlets to get updates on all 23 varsity programs. The department's Facebook page is www.facebook.com/stonehillskyhawks, and you can also follow @GoStonehill on Twitter and @stonehillskyhawks via Instagram! You can also search for Stonehill men's basketball on Facebook, follow the team's Twitter account via @StonehillBball as well as head coach Chris Kraus @CoachChrisKraus, and its new Instagram feed @stonehillbball. 

Up Next
Stonehill returns to action on Thursday, when it opens a four game homestand with an NEC clash against Wagner College at Merkert Gymnasium at 7 p.m.