Todd Brogna led all shooters with four threes en route to a career-high 12 points. (PHOTO BY Vinnie Lucia)

PISCATAWAY, N.J. (December 30, 2023) – Sophomore Chas Stinson (Charlotte, N.C.) notched career-highs of 23 points and 12 rebounds, posting his first career double-double as Stonehill men's basketball narrowly lost to Rutgers University in front of a sold-out Jersey Mike's Arena Saturday afternoon, 59-58.

LEADERS

• Stinson led all scorers, going 8-11 from the field and 2-3 from three to tally 23 points. His career-high 12 rebounds also led Stonehill. His double-double is the first of the season for any Skyhawk.
• Stinson tied for the team lead with two assists and one block as four other Skyhawks tallied two assists and junior Nathan McGill (Dillsburg, Pa.) recorded a block as well.
• Freshman Todd Brogna (Southborough, Mass.) knocked down a career-high four three-pointers to lead all shooters from long range, scoring 12 points in the loss.
• Rutgers was led by its captain, Cliff Omoruyi, who scored 17 points and corralled a game-high 17 rebounds. The big man went 11-20 from the free-throw line while blocking a game-high three shots.
• Noah Fernandes had three steals and four assists to lead the Scarlet Knights.

FIRST HALF

• Fifth-year Pano Pavlidis (Queens, N.Y.) stole the ball on the opening possession of the game and followed it up with an assist to Stinson who scored the first two points of the game.
• Rutgers went on a 10-2 run as four different Scarlet Knights scored to give them a six-point lead, 10-4.
• A dunk from Cliff Omoruyi gave Rutgers its first double-digit lead of the game, 22-12, with just under eight minutes left in the first half but freshman Louie Semona (Cincinnati, Ohio) banked in a three-pointer to keep the Skyhawks within seven.
• With 6:36 to play in the half, Rutgers guard Austin Williams canned a deep three-pointer as the Scarlet Knights would hold their largest for the remainder of the game, 27-15.
• A pair of free throws from sophomore Tony Felder (Brockton, Mass.), a three-pointer from Brogna, and a tip-in off an offensive rebound from junior Neal Marquardt (Rockville Center, N.Y.) cut the Rutgers lead back down to 29-22 less than two minutes later.
• The Scarlet Knights went back up by 10, 32-22, but Stonehill finished the first half on a 7-3 run, all seven points coming from Stinson, as the teams went into the break with Rutgers leading 35-29.

  Tony Felder scored 13 points and has scored 11+ points 11 times in the past 12 games. (PHOTO BY Vinnie Lucia)

• Stonehill shot 34.5% (10-29) from the field while holding the Scarlet Knights to a 31.4% (11-35) shooting clip in the first half.
• Stinson was perfect from the field, going 5-5 with 12 points and five rebounds to lead the Skyhawks.

SECOND HALF

• Rutgers opened the second half with a pair of free throws from Mawot Mag, but Brogna canned his second three of the game to keep Stonehill within five points of the Scarlet Knights.
• Five straight points from Rutgers put them back up by double figures, but Stinson continued his strong afternoon with a three-pointer and a layup to cut the Skyhawks deficit in half.
• Stonehill went on its best run of the day, outscoring the Scarlet Knights 13-0 to take a 45-42 lead after Felder drilled a deep three-pointer from the top of the key with 11:08 left to play.
• A turnaround jumper from Felder gave the Skyhawks their largest lead of the afternoon as Stonehill led 47-43 over halfway through the second half.
• Stinson converted on a tough reverse layup with 6:48 to play to give the Skyhawks a 51-48 lead but Rutgers responded with six straight points to take a three-point lead of its own.
• On the next possession, Pavlidis pulled up on the baseline as the shot clock buzzer sounded, draining the mid-range jumper to make it a one-point game.
• Both teams exchanged a pair of free throws as Rutgers clung to a 56-55 lead with 1:41 on the clock.
• With 1:14 remaining, Felder hit Brogna spotting up on the left wing, beyond the arc, as he sunk his fourth shot from long range of the game to put Stonehill ahead 58-56.
• A pair of defensive stops from both teams led to the Scarlet Knights getting the ball back with under 20 seconds to play when Derek Simpson drilled a fastbreak three-pointer from the right wing that would end up as the game-winning shot, giving Rutgers a 59-58 lead with 14 seconds left.
• Felder had a shot to win the game with three seconds left, but strong defense from the Scarlet Knights forced him into a fading jumper that missed the mark as Rutgers narrowly defeated the Skyhawks to close out non-conference play.
• Stonehill finished the game shooting 31.7% (19-60) from the field while the Scarlet Knights were held to a 25.8% (16-62) shooting day.

Stonehill ends its non-conference slate with its closest game of the season, narrowly missing its first-ever win against a high-major program. (PHOTO BY Vinnie Lucia)

NOTEWORTHY

• Stonehill falls to 0-1 all-time against Rutgers and drops to 0-1 in its first meeting with a Big Ten opponent.
• The Skyhawks played their 11th game on the road this season as they finished non-conference action, making 11 of their first 15 games away from Merkert Gym.
• Stinson's 23 points and 12 rebounds gives him his first career double-double and the first double-double for any Skyhawk this season. Both are career-high marks for the sophomore guard as he played a career-high 37 minutes.
• Stinson led the Skyhawks on the glass for the fourth straight game, averaging 8.3 rebounds per game over four consecutive starts. His 12 rebounds today are the most in any game for a Skyhawk this season.
• Brogna recorded a career-high 12 points as he led Stonehill with four three-pointers while also matching his career-highs of eight rebounds and two assists.
• In two starts this season, Brogna is averaging 11ppg, 8rpg, and 2apg in 35.5 mpg.
• Felder scored 13 points this afternoon and has now scored 11+ points in 11 of the past 12 games.
• This marks Stonehill's closest loss of the season, the previous closest coming on Nov. 29 vs. UMass Lowell, an 80-74 loss at Merkert Gym.
• Rutgers' 25.8% shooting day marks the lowest field goal percentage the Skyhawks have allowed this season.
• Stonehill started its eighth unique starting five today in 15 games this season.

UP NEXT

• Stonehill begins Northeast Conference play on Thursday, Jan. 4 when Central Connecticut State travels to Merkert Gymnasium at 7 p.m.

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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