Tony Felder scans the floor en route to a season-high five assists. (PHOTO BY Bob Blanchard)

Connecticut native Jackson Benigni led all scorers and set a new career-high with 22 points. 

HARTFORD, Conn. (November 11, 2023) – Stonehill men's basketball fell to the No. 6 ranked University of Connecticut, 107-67, at the XL Center Saturday afternoon as senior Jackson Benigni (East Hampton, Conn.) set a new career-high with 22 points in his first start since Jan. 8, 2022.

LEADERS

• After scoring 14 points off the bench against Army West Point Thursday night, Benigni carried his hot hand into this afternoons game as he went 9-14 from the field and 4-5 from long range, scoring 22 points to surpass his former career-high of 16 points from 2021.
• Sophomore Tony Felder (Brockton, Mass.) dished out a team-high five assists for the Skyhawks while graduate student Pano Pavlidis (Queens, N.Y.) led the team with four rebounds.
• Felder also led Stonehill with four steals, setting a new career high.
• Junior Shane O'Dell (Schenectady, N.Y.) had the lone block for the Skyhawks in the loss.
• Connecticut's Tristen Newton matched Benignis' 21 points and four three-pointers to lead the Huskies.
• Stephon Castle, the #12 prospect according to the 2023 ESPN Top 100, led all rebounders with eight for UConn.
• Cam Spencer had a game-high six assists for the reigning national champs.

FIRST HALF

• The reigning national champion Huskies started out the gate hot, ripping off 12 consecutive points to begin the game.
• Freshman Todd Brogna (Southborough, Mass.) netted the first bucket for the Skyhawks, knocking down a three-pointer with a defender closing out in his face.
• Benigni made the most of his first start of the season, scoring five of the first ten points for the Skyhawks as Stonehill trailed 24-10 with 11:50 left to play in the half.
• An 11-2 run for UConn extended their lead to 23 points with the Huskies leading 35-12 with 7:40 remaining in the half.
• Stonehill converted on its next three field goal attempts, as junior Thatcher Stone (Winchester, Mass.) and graduate student Max Zegarowski (South Hamilton, Mass.) got in the scoring column.
• Sophomore Chas Stinson (Charlotte, N.C.) came off the bench to score five of the next seven points for the Skyhawks, finishing a driving layup and knocking down a three-pointer from the wing to make the score 46-28 with 2:48 to play in the half.
• A driving layup by Stephon Castle sent the teams to the locker room with UConn leading 52-30.

SECOND HALF

Chas Stinson drives to the rim, records a season-high 10 points Saturday afternoon (PHOTO BY Bob Blanchard).

• Connecticut carried its momentum into the second half as they began on a 13-1 scoring run that gave them a 65-31 lead.
• A corner three from Stone ended the Husky run but the national champs didn't let up, starting a new run that resulted in 13 straight points.
• UConn's Tristen Newton converted on a driving layup to give the Huskies their largest lead of the game at 44 points, 85-41, but Stonehill rallied to go on a 15-4 run as they trailed 89-56 with 5:29 remaining in the game. All five Skyhawks on the court for Stonehill scored during the run.
• Benigni netted his fourth three-pointer of the game and the final field goal for the Skyhawks as time ran out with UConn on top, 107-67.

NOTEWORTHY

• Stonehill drops to 0-2 all-time against UConn, having lost its first-ever Division I game against the Huskies at the XL Center last season.
• The Skyhawks are also 0-3 all-time against Big East programs, also falling to Providence College last season.
• This is the first time the Stonehill men's basketball program has gone up against a ranked opponent in the AP/Coaches Poll at the DI level.
• Connecticut's 107 points are the most the Skyhawks have let up since making the transition to DI.
• Benigni started in his first game since, Jan 8, 2022, when Stonehill was still in the NE10, playing just 25 minutes away from his hometown of East Hampton, Conn. His 22 points are the most by a Skyhawk this season and surpassed his career-high of 16 that he set against the University of Bridgeport on Nov. 17, 2021.
• Felder's four steals this afternoon were the most in a single game since junior Christopher Melis (Chappaqua, N.Y.) had four against Le Moyne on Jan. 8, 2022.
• Brognas' three-pointer to get the Skyhawks on the board in the first half were his first career points.

UP NEXT

• Stonehill continues its five-game road trip with a matchup at Saint Joseph's (Pa.) University at Hagan Arena at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 14. This will be the first-ever meeting between the Skyhawks and the Hawks.

Tickets for the 2023-24 men's and women's basketball season are on sale now and can be purchased at stonehillskyhawks.com/tickets. Season ticket options are available including a men's and women's combination pass, valid for all 27 home games this year.

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