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Max Zegarowski knocked down six threes for the second time this season, scoring 19 points. (PHOTO BY Jim Pierce)

Jackson Benigni scored a career-high 27 points with the Skyhawks being broadcasted nationally on CBS Sports Network Friday night

EASTON, MASS. (January 19, 2024) – Senior Jackson Benigni (East Hampton, Conn.) scored a career-high 27 points but the Skyhawks' late push in the second half was halted as FDU won Friday night's Northeast Conference matchup at Merkert Gymnasium, 76-69.

LEADERS

• Benigni led all scorers as he scored 27 points on 9-20 shooting from the field while going 4-10 from long range. He also led the Skyhawks with three steals.
• Graduate student Max Zegarowski (South Hamilton, Mass.) went 6-13 from deep en route to 19 points while leading all rebounders in the game with eight.
• FDU was led by Ansley Almonor who scored a team-high 24 points, going a perfect 9-9 from the free throw line while grabbing seven rebounds.
• Terrence Brown matched Almonor's team-high seven boards while notching 15 points for the Knights.

FIRST HALF

• FDU tallied the first five points of the game before the first of Zegarowski's six three-pointers found the bottom of the net to get the Skyhawks on the board.
• Benigni checked into the game at the 14:49 mark of the first half and proceeded to score the next 16 points for the Skyhawks over an 11-minute stretch, hitting on seven of his first 10 shot attempts.
• Zegarowski cut a six-point FDU lead down the middle with his second three-pointer of the game and the first non-Benigni points since the senior guard came in off the bench, making the score 28-25 with just over three minutes left before the break.
• Three different Skyhawks knocked down long-range buckets to end the half as Benigni, Zegarowski, and sophomore Tony Felder (Brockton, Mass.) sent the Stonehill into the locker room trailing by only one point, 35-34.
• Ansley Almonor had 10 first-half points to lead the Knights while Sean Moore chipped in nine points of his own to keep FDU in front after the first 20 minutes of action.
• The NEC opponents battled closely in the first half as there were 12 lead changes. Both teams shot 13-31 (41.9%) from the floor as Benigni alone netted eight of the Skyhawks 13 made baskets.

SECOND HALF

Jackson Benigni scored 19 of his career-high 27 points in the first half of Friday's game. (PHOTO BY Jim Pierce)

• The second half remained close but after 12 first-half lead changes, there were zero in the second.
• Stonehill tied the score 37-37 with 17:56 left in the game after freshman Todd Brogna (Southborough, Mass.) grabbed an offensive board, finished a layup plus the foul, and made the free throw.
• The Knights went on a 13-3 run to take their largest lead of the game, 49-40, with Almonor scoring seven points during the FDU run.
• Freshman Louie Semona (Cincinnati, Ohio) made his first appearance of the game and provided a spark off the bench, knocking down a corner three and making a putback layup to bring Stonehill back within three, 50-47.
• The Skyhawks pulled within two points, 55-53, but five straight missed field goals from Stonehill led to a 12-1 FDU run as the Knights held a 67-54 lead with less than six minutes left in the game.
• Zegarowski's sixth three of the game made the score 71-67 to give Stonehill a final gasp with 1:45 remaining in the game, but FDU closed out the road win, 76-69.

NOTEWORTHY

• Stonehill is now 4-4 all-time against FDU, dropping the regular season series with the Knights after also falling in last Saturday's game in Hackensack.
• The Skyhawks are 0-2 when hosting FDU at Merkert Gymnasium and are 1-3 when facing the Knights as Northeast Conference opponents.
• Friday's NEC matchup was broadcast nationally on the CBS Sports Network, the first nationally televised Stonehill men's basketball at Merkert Gym in the program's 74-year history.
• This was the Skyhawks' first time on the national stage since the 2012 NCAA DII National Semifinal game vs Western Washington.

Louie Semona celebrating after knocking down a three in front of a crowd of 1,493 at Merkert Gym Friday night. (PHOTO BY Jim Pierce)

• Stonehill has used 11 different starting lineups through 20 games this season, this being the third straight game they have used the same lineup after going five consecutive games with a different five.
• Stonehill's 11 different starting lineups are tied for the third most in the country at the Division I level, trailing only Furman (14) and Detroit Mercy (12).
• Benigni's 27 points are the most in any game this season by a Skyhawk and marks the third time he's scored 20+ points this season. He has now notched double-figures in nine out of the 12 games he's played in.
• Felder grabbed a season-high seven boards while dishing out a team-high five assists, his fourth game assisting on 5+ scores.
• Zegarowski has now hit six three-pointers in two games this season, the other being the home opening win against Army West Point on Nov. 9.
• Zegarowski has tallied 15+ points in a team-high nine games this season.

UP NEXT

• Stonehill continues Northeast Conference play at Hammel Court in North Andover, Mass. for a matchup with Merrimack College on Sunday, Jan. 21 at 2 p.m. on NEC Front Row.

Tickets for the 2023-24 men's and women's basketball season are on sale now and can be purchased at stonehillskyhawks.com/tickets.

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