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The Game
Stonehill College hits the road for its final two games of its inaugural NCAA Division I season, starting with this afternoon's Northeast Conference matchup at Central Connecticut State University at Detrick Gymnasium. The Skyhawks hold the pole position atop the NEC standings with two games to play, having won two-straight and seven of eight in Conference play, after Thursday night's 75-60 triumph over LIU at Merkert Gymnasium. The Blue Devils have won three in a row after a 58-57 decision over Wagner College here on Thursday.

Media Information
This afternoon's game will be broadcast live on NEC Front Row, with Bruce Biel (play-by-play) and Marc Robbins (analyst) calling the action. 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
Postgrad Max Zegarowski (South Hamilton, Mass.) poured in six three-pointers on his way to a career-high 30 points to lead Stonehill to a 75-60 Senior Night victory over Long Island University at Merkert Gymnasium Thursday night. Zegarowski made 10-of-17 shots from the floor, including 6-for-11 from three-point range, as he scored 16 of his career-high 30 points in the first half, and added six rebounds, two assists and a blocked shot. Fifth-year Isaiah Burnett (Annapolis, Md.) added 12 points, five rebounds, four steals and two assists, while classmate Shamir Johnson (Waterbury, Conn.) rounded out the Skyhawks in double-figures by scoring all ten of his points in the second half, with four boards. Senior Tre Wood paced LIU with 20 points off the bench on 7-of-12 shooting, with four rebounds, five assists and two steals.

Against the Blue Devils
This afternoon marks the 34th meeting all-time between these two programs. Central Connecticut State holds a 26-7 advantage in the all-time series that dates back to 1960, but Stonehill notched a 51-49 victory in the first NCAA Division I encounter between the two in Easton, Mass., on January 7. CCSU is 16-1 all-time against Stonehill here in New Britain, including 11-1 inside Detrick Gym, winning the last four meetings here, including a 112-95 triumph Stonehill's last visit on December 22, 1984.

Last Time They Met
Stonehill finished strong, rallying from an eight-point deficit with eight minutes to play with a turned up defensive effort, key rebounds, hustle and clutch shooting to claim a 51-49 triumph over Central Connecticut State at Merkert Gymnasium January 7. Max Zegarowski (South Hamilton, Mass.) led four from Stonehill in double-figures by draining four of his five three-pointers in the second half, on his way to a game-high 16 points, including 12 in the final 20-minutes, as he finished 5-for-10 from three, to go with seven rebounds, an assist and steal. Two of his triples came in the final five minutes that pushed the Skyhawks in front for the first time since the opening minutes of the game. Isaiah Burnett (Annapolis, Md.) chipped in ten points and seven rebounds. Kellen Amos was the lone Central Connecticut player in double figures with 16 points on 6-of-13 shooting, including 3-for-8 from three-point distance, two rebounds and two steals.

Stonehill Ties
Central Connecticut State director of athletics Tom Pincince is a 1997 Stonehill graduate, where he was a four-year letterwinner on the football program. The former Stonehill quarterback still ranks among several single-season and career passing lists during his time in Easton. Pincince was named AD at CCSU last January after three years in an interim capacity. He is currently in his 21st year at the University overall.

Dueling Alums
Stonehill and Central Connecticut State 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. CCSU mentor Patrick Sellers is a 1991 graduate of the New Britain, Connecticut, institution where be played for the Blue Devils for four years. The duo are among four men's coaches in the NEC in charge of their alma maters along with Saint Francis' Rob Krimmel '00 and Merrimack's Joe Gallo '04.

Prime Performers
Stonehill fifth-year Andrew Sims (Mount Laurel, N.J.) was named a Northeast Conference Prime Performer for the fourth-straight week and team-leading ninth time this season overall on Monday. He averaged 17.0 points on 68.8-percent  shooting (11-for-16), with 4.5 rebounds and an assist and steal per game in a 1-1 week for the Skyhawks. He capped the week with a career-high 30 points, including 24 in the second half in Saturday's 62-51 win over St. Francis Brooklyn on 9-of-10 shooting from the floor, including 2-for-3 from three-point distance, while converting 10-of-12 free-throws to go with seven rebounds. Sims, also an NEC Player of the Week once this season, leads four Skyhawks to earn Prime Performer status this year, with fifth-year Isaiah Burnett (Annapolis, Md.) following Sims' nine selections with seven of his own, including a Player of the Week award, while postgrad Max Zegarowski (South Hamilton, Mass.) has earned Prime Performer status twice, and fifth-year Shamir Johnson (Waterbury, Conn.) once.

NEC Prime Performers:
Nov. 14: Andrew Sims & Isaiah Burnett
Nov. 21: Isaiah Burnett
Nov. 28: Andrew Sims
Dec. 5: Andrew Sims & Max Zegarowski
Dec. 12: Isaiah Burnett
Dec. 19: Andrew Sims
Jan. 2: Andrew Sims & Isaiah Burnett
Jan. 9: Isaiah Burnett
Jan. 18: Max Zegarowski
Jan. 24: Andrew Sims & Shamir Johnson
Jan. 30: Andrew Sims & Isaiah Burnett
Feb. 6: Andrew Sims & Isaiah Burnett
Feb. 13: Andrew Sims

Eye on the Prize
Stonehill seeks to become the fourth Northeast Conference newcomer, 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. The Skyhawks reclaimed a half game lead in first place in the NEC standings ahead of Merrimack, and a full game ahead of Fairleigh Dickinson, with two league games remaining.
First-Year NEC Regular Season Champions:
1992-93: Rider (14-4)
1998-99: Maryland-Baltimore County (17-3)
2019-20: Merrimack (14-4) - first year of NCAA I transition period

Bergan Milestone
This afternoon marks the 100th collegiate game for Stonehill postgrad Cole Bergan (Aberdeen, S.D.). He is the second Skyhawk player to reach the 100 games mark, along with fifth-year Andrew Sims (Mount Laurel, N.J.) against St. Francis Brooklyn last weekend. Bergan played 27 games over two seasons at Northern Colorado in 2018-19 and 2019-20, before appearing in 44 games in two years at Northern State University in 2020-21 and 2021-22, before playing in 28 of Stonehill's 29 games this season.

Saluting our Seniors!
Stonehill honored its four fifth-year seniors who played their final home game Thursday night. Classmates Isaiah Burnett (Annapolis, Md.), Shamir Johnson (Waterbury, Conn.), Josh Mack (Winchester, Va.) and Andrew Sims (Mount Laurel, N.J.) have all made an impact at Stonehill on and off the court. The quartet have been a part of a program that has posted 60 wins, with an NCAA Tournament bid and traversed both a pandemic and first year of the College's transition to the NCAA Division I level.

NEC Stands Up Podcast Celebrating Black History Month
Stonehill fifth-year Shamir Johnson (Waterbury, Conn.), a leader on the Athletics Task Force to Address Racial Injustice, participated in an NEC Stands Up podcast, hosted by Adrian Barajas from the Conference office, with Central Connecticut State men's basketball head coach Pat Sellers about black history in the NEC back when Sellars was a student-athlete and what can be done to educate everyone on the subject. The podcast dropped on Monday and can be accessed via the NEC YouTube site or through Apple Podcasts and Spotify, as well as through stonehillskyhawks.com.

Three for 30
Postgrad Max Zegarowski (South Hamilton, Mass.) notched the third 30-point game of the season by a Stonehill player with his career-best effort against LIU on Thursday night. Coupled with fifth-year Andrew Sims (Mount Laurel, N.J.) career-high 30 against St. Francis Brooklyn last Saturday, give the Skyhawks 30-point scorers in back-to-back games. Fifth-year Isaiah Burnett (Annapolis, Md.) was the first to net 30-point with his career-high total in the Skyhawks win over Holy Cross on November 19. Stonehill owns three of eight 30-point outings in the NEC this season and are the only team with three different players to reach the number.

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.

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 closes out its inaugural NCAA Division I season on Thursday, when it visits Wagner College for a Northeast Conference matchup at 7 p.m.