Men's Basketball Returns Home In Search Of Eighth Straight Victory Thursday Evening As 24th-Ranked Skyhawks Entertain American International In Northeast-10 Outing

January 4, 2006

2005-2006 Stonehill College Men's Basketball

7:30 p.m. EST

THE GAME: Stonehill returns home in search of its eighth straight victory this evening as the 24th-ranked Skyhawks tangle with the American International Yellow Jackets in a Northeast-10 Conference match-up. Stonehill worked overtime to extend its winning streak to seven straight on Monday evening with a 67-64 Northeast-10 triumph over Merrimack at the Volpe Complex in North Andover, Mass., as the Skyhawks overcame a late seven-point deficit and used a three-pointer by senior Chris Kraus (Markham, Ont./Markham District) with 47.7 seconds remaining in the extra session to take the lead for good. Senior Marquis Taylor (Los Angeles, Calif./Naval Prep) led all scorers with 21 points and five rebounds in the win for Stonehill, while Kraus finished the night with 15 points and six assists. Senior co-captain Sean Nelson (Milford, Mass./Milford) added 12 points and seven rebounds for the winners, who also received 11 points, including three three-pointers, from junior Lance Clarke (Somerville, Mass./Cambridge Rindge & Latin). Senior co-captain Mike Lauricella (Norwood, N.J./Don Bosco) added five assists on the night for the visitors, who overcame a 57-50 deficit in the final 5:50 of regulation in forcing 19 Warrior turnovers for the contest. American International enters tonight's action seeking its fourth straight victory, as the Yellow Jackets posted a 67-65 non-league triumph over New Haven on Monday afternoon at Butova Gymnasium in Springfield, Mass.

HONOR ROLL HONOREES: Seniors Chris Kraus (Markham, Ont./Markham District) and Marquis Taylor (Los Angeles, Calif./Naval Prep) each earned spots on the Northeast-10 Conference weekly honor roll on Tuesday for their efforts in a pair of Stonehill victories. Kraus averaged 15.5 points, 6.5 assists and two steals on the week, including 15 points and six assists in the 67-64 overtime win at Merrimack to go with 16 points, seven assists and two steals in a 70-45 triumph over Dowling. Taylor averaged 17.5 points, 4.5 rebounds and two steals on the week, including 21 points and five boards against Merrimack and 14 points, four rebounds and three steals against Dowling while shooting 64 percent (16-25) from the field for the week.

LAST SEASON: Stonehill took two of three meetings from American International during the 2004-2005 season, as the Skyhawks swept the regular season series by scores of 82-48 on January 6, 2005 at Butova Gymnasium in Springfield, Mass. and 84-58 on February 19, 2005 here at Merkert Gymnasium. The Yellow Jackets exacted revenge in the first round of the 2005 Northeast-10 Championships on February 26, 2005 here at Merkert Gymnasium, overcoming an 11-point halftime deficit to notch an 80-69 triumph. Dezmond Morgan tallied 18 points in the January victory for Stonehill, which received 25 points and 11 boards from Evan Pellerin in the February 19th triumph. Morgan and Pellerin each had 16 points in the playoff setback.

THE SERIES: Stonehill and American International are meeting for the 54th time this evening, and the Yellow Jackets hold a 28-25 edge over the Skyhawks in the all-time series between the two schools.

THE SKYHAWKS: Taylor leads Stonehill in scoring and rebounding at 16.1 ppg and 7.3 caroms per contest, while Nelson follows at 14.9 ppg and adds 6.0 rpg. Clarke is next at 12.1 ppg, while Kraus is also in double figures for the Skyhawks at 11.2 ppg while adding 5.8 assists per game.

THE YELLOW JACKETS: Senior John Huggins leads American International in scoring at 21.3 ppg, while junior Jenar Harrison adds 11.9 ppg and 7.2 rpg. Junior Magen McNeil is next at 10.1 ppg, while senior Dexter Gregory paces the Yellow Jackets on the boards at eight caroms per contest.

HEAD COACH DAVID McLAUGHLIN: David McLaughlin is in his third season as Head Men's Basketball Coach at Stonehill College. A 1997 graduate of Colby, McLaughlin has guided the Skyhawks to a 34-21 (.618) mark during his tenure after previously serving as an assistant coach. McLaughlin, who is assisted by Derik Malone, Josh Meyer and Mike Harding, is 2-2 during his career against American International.

HEAD COACH ART LUPTOWSKI: Art Luptowski is in his seventh season as Head Men's Basketball Coach at American International College. A 1973 graduate of Bloomsburg, Luptowski has compiled an overall mark of 87-95 (.478) during his tenure with the Yellow Jackets, while his career collegiate mark in 17 seasons, including 10 at Franklin Pierce, stands at 279-192 (.592). Luptowski, who is assisted by Andy Burkholder and Mike Labrie, is 8-4 during his career against Stonehill.

RANK AND FILE: Stonehill cracked the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) Division II Top 25 for the first time in over eight years on December 20th, as the Skyhawks are the lone Northeast-10 team to be ranked nationally in Division II at the #24 position in the poll. The last time Stonehill appeared in the NABC Top 25 came in March 1998 during the Skyhawks' NCAA "Sweet Sixteen" campaign. Here is the December 20th NABC Division II national poll:

RankSchool (first place votes)RecordPointsPrevious Rank

1Virginia Union (2)4-11933

2Montevallo, Ala. (5)10-11891

3Western Washington (1)8-11864

4Saint Joseph's, Ind.9-01766

5Southern Indiana10-11617

6Seattle Pacific, Wash.7-11435

7Southwest Baptist, Mo.12-014113

8Florida Southern9-01388

9Mount Olive, N.C.7-112010

10West Virginia State7-111611

11Central Missouri State10-110714

12Holy Family, Pa.8-110212

13Catawba, N.C.10-19915

14Winona State, Minn.8-3939

15Fort Hays State, Kan.10-18719

16West Liberty State, W.Va.9-08317

17Tarleton State, Texas8-3702

18South Dakota8-16616

19Lynn, Fla.7-26418

20Alabama-Huntsville9-15022

21Northern State, S.D.9-14820

22Alaska Fairbanks7-229NR

23Philadelphia, Pa.8-223NR

24Stonehill, Mass.7-120NR

25Findlay, Ohio7-216NR

Others Receiving Votes: Grand Valley State 12, South Carolina Upstate 12, Ashland 9, Ferris State 7, Seattle 7, Grand Canyon 6, Massachusetts-Lowell 6, Montana State-Billings 6, Delta State 4, West Georgia 4, Fort Lewis 3, Emporia State 2, Armstrong Atlantic State 1, Fairmont State 1, Minnesota State-Mankato 1, Northern Michigan 1.

FAST START: Stonehill's 9-1 start marks the first time that the Skyhawks have won nine of their first 10 outings since the NCAA Sweet Sixteen season of 1997-98. Stonehill's current seven-game winning streak is its longest since an eight game skein in January 2005.

BIG D-MAC ATTACK: After winning just 14 games in a two-and-a-half year stretch, Stonehill has posted a 29-9 (.764) mark in its last 38 contests under David McLaughlin's tutelage dating back to November 2004.

AYE, AYE CAPTAINS: Seniors Mike Lauricella (Norwood, N.J./Don Bosco) and Sean Nelson (Milford, Mass./Milford) have been named as co-captains for the 2005-2006 edition of Stonehill men's basketball. Lauricella, who also served as a Skyhawk captain last season, averaged 2.3 points and 2.2 rebounds off the bench last season, while Nelson added 5.6 points and 3.4 caroms per contest in a reserve role as well last winter for Stonehill.

SOLID LINE OF DEFENSE: Lauricella is making a case as an early candidate for Northeast-10 Player of the Year honors, as he has held four of the Northeast-10's top scorers: Bentley's Tim Forbes, Saint Anselm's Matt Cahill, Bryant's John Williams and Merrimack's Bobby Murgo, to a combined 10-of-46 shooting effort from the field this season. Lauricella leads the Northeast-10 in assist-to-turnover ratio after copping that honor as well a year ago.

SKYHAWK TALK: Monday's triumph at Merrimack was Stonehill's third straight over the Warriors and 58th in 90 series meetings between the two schools The December 12th win at UMass Lowell was Stonehill's first over the River Hawks since December 1999 and its first at Costello Gymnasium since November 1997Taylor is closing in on the 1,000 point plateau in his career, as he stands 43 points shy of becoming the 30th member of the Skyhawk 1,000 Point ClubThe Skyhawks have assisted on over two-thirds of their field goals on the season, notching 173 assists on 258 field goals through 10 gamesThe Skyhawks have led at the half in nine of their 10 outings to dateStonehill has won two straight at Saint Anselm's Stoutenburgh Gymnasium after a six-year winless drought in that buildingPrior to last season, Stonehill's last 20-win campaign came in 1997-98 when the Skyhawks won the Northeast-10 regular season crown en route to a berth in the NCAA Division II "Sweet Sixteen" The Skyhawks have eclipsed the 80-point plateau on 18 occasions in McLaughlin's 55-game tenure as head coach.

SKYHAWKS ON THE WEB: For the second straight season, Stonehill basketball can be accessed on the world wide web through Free Teamline, a service of TRZ Sports of Kent, Ohio. A total of 15 Skyhawk regular season men's basketball broadcasts will be available throughout the 2005-2006 season via Free Teamline by accessing the official Stonehill Athletics website at www.stonehillskyhawks.com, powered by Presto Sports. Returning to call all of action of Stonehill basketball once again this winter is the tandem of Charlie Bergeron and Brian Buckley, who have served as the voices of Skyhawk Basketball since 1998.

WHO'S NEXT: Stonehill heads to Smithfield, R.I. on Saturday, January 7th to square off with 2005 NCAA national runner-up Bryant in a Northeast-10 match-up that tips-off at 3:30 p.m. EST. The Skyhawks return home on Tuesday, January 10th to take on Assumption in a Northeast-10 outing here at Merkert Gymnasium that begins at 7:30 p.m. EST.