Head Coach Chris Kraus '06 has led the Skyhawks to the top of the NEC standings as they get set to navigate the final month of their inaugural Division I season (PHOTO BY Jim Pierce) |
Skyhawks cited after 2-0 week that sees them climb atop NEC standings
T3 Bracketology Week 13 Teams of the Week
EASTON, Mass. (February 7, 2023) – The Stonehill College men's basketball program was listed among the NCAA Division I Week 13 Teams of the Week by T3 Bracketology, a daily blog and social media outlet created in 2015 to predict the NCAA March Madness bracket on Selection Sunday.
Stonehill was listed as the No. 2 team out of ten "Team of the Week" selections by the website, with Saint Mary's leading the way, and also including Texas (No. 3), Oklahoma State (No. 4), Xavier (No. 7) and Princeton (No. 10). The Skyhawks are coming off a 2-0 week in the Northeast Conference to extend their NEC winning streak to five games and move to the top of the Conference standings, a half game in front of Fairleigh Dickinson and a full game in front of Merrimack College, with five games to play.
Stonehill opened the week with a 74-61 victory over Saint Francis (Pa.) University at Merkert Gymnasium in a game that was broadcast on ESPN3 through the NEC's television package. Fifth-year Isaiah Burnett led the Skyhawks by hitting his first nine shots from the floor, including a pair of three-pointers, on his way to a game-high 22 points, also totaling a school-record seven steals, five rebounds and two assists.
Stonehill followed that up with a 65-59 road win at Saint Francis College of Brooklyn on Saturday behind a 25-0 run in which the Skyhawks held the Terriers scoreless over a 14-minute span wrapped around halftime. Postgrad Max Zegarowski and fifth-year Andrew Sims each totaled a team-high 17 points for the Skyhawks, with Zegarowski surpassing the 1,000-point plateau for his career.
Burnett leads the country with his 74 steals this season, including a school-record seven against Saint Francis last week (PHOTO BY Ryan Feeney) |
Burnett and Sims were both selected as NEC Prime Performers on Monday for their efforts over Stonehill's two wins. Sims earned the recognition for the eighth time this season, averaging 16.5 points on 42.3-percent shooting, including 2-for-4 from three-point range, while converting 9-of-10 free-throws, to go with 4.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 1.5 blocks per game for the week. Burnett averaged 14.0 points on 61.1% shooting, with 5.0 steals, 4.5 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game to collect Prime Performer status for the seventh time. Burnett leads the country with his 74 steals, also leading the NEC with his 2.81 steals per game, which ranks third nationally.
Stonehill, under the direction of head coach Chris Kraus, '06, in his tenth year, earned T3 Bracketology "Team of the Week" recognition despite the fact it is ineligible for the NEC Tournament until the 2024-25 season and the NCAA Tournament until 2026-27 during its NCAA Division I transition period. The Skyhawks are looking to become the fourth first-year team, and just the second transitioning Division I program, to capture the NEC regular season championship and first since Merrimack did so in its first NCAA Division I season in 2019-20.
Stonehill (12-14, 8-3 NEC) is back in action with a pair of NEC contests this week, starting Thursday night at Merrimack in North Andover, Massachusetts, at 7 p.m. The Skyhawks return to Merkert Gym on Saturday to host St. Francis Brooklyn at 2 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.
