Men's Basketball Heads To Ocean State In Search Of Ninth Straight Victory Saturday Afternoon As 24th-Ranked Skyhawks Clash With 2005 NCAA National Runner-Up Bryant In Northeast-10 Affair

January 6, 2006

2005-2006 Stonehill College Men's Basketball

3:30 p.m. EST

THE GAME: Stonehill hits the road in search of its ninth straight victory this afternoon as the 24th-ranked Skyhawks tangle with the 2005 NCAA national runner-up Bryant Bulldogs in a Northeast-10 Conference clash. Stonehill, off to its best start in 17 years, enters today's action after posting a 68-52 Northeast-10 triumph over American International on Thursday evening at Merkert Gymnasium, as senior co-captain Sean Nelson (Milford, Mass./Milford) led the way with 13 points and five rebounds for the Skyhawks. Senior Chris Kraus (Markham, Ont./Markham District) chipped in with 10 points, five steals, four rebounds and three assists for the hosts, who also received eight points each from seniors Marquis Taylor (Los Angeles, Calif./Naval Prep) and Mike Lauricella (Norwood, N.J./Don Bosco), junior Lance Clarke (Somerville, Mass./Cambridge Rindge & Latin) and freshman Matt Hall (Springfield, Mass./Springfield Central). Taylor and Clarke combined for 14 rebounds in the triumph for Stonehill, while Lauricella dished out six assists for the Skyhawks, who moved into sole possession of first place in the conference standings after UMass Lowell's setback at Saint Michael's. Bryant enters today's action with a four-game winning streak of its own, as the Bulldogs posted a 77-63 Northeast-10 triumph over Bentley on Thursday evening at the Dana Center in Waltham, Mass. Bryant's last setback came at the hands of Stonehill back on December 10th.

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 MEETING: Stonehill and Bryant last met on December 10, 2005 at Merkert Gymnasium, and the Skyhawks posted a 63-51 victory over the Bulldogs. Sean Nelson led four players in double figures with 22 points and seven rebounds, while Marquis Taylor added a double-double effort of 12 points and 10 rebounds. Chris Kraus and Lance Clarke each netted 12 points as well for the hosts, who also received six assists from Mike Lauricella.

THE SERIES: Stonehill and Bryant are meeting for the 60th time this afternoon, and the Skyhawks hold a 35-24 advantage over the Bulldogs in the all-time series between the schools.

THE SKYHAWKS: Taylor leads Stonehill in scoring and rebounding at 15.4 ppg and 7.4 caroms per contest, while Nelson follows at 14.7 ppg and adds 5.9 rpg. Clarke is next at 11.7 ppg, while Kraus is also in double figures for the Skyhawks at 11.1 ppg while adding 5.5 assists per game.

THE BULLDOGS: Senior John Williams leads Bryant in scoring at 19 ppg, while junior Chris Burns follows at 13.4 ppg. Sophomore Jon Ezeokoli is next at 13.3 ppg, while junior Dan Hammond paces the Bulldogs on the boards at 6.2 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 35-21 (.625) mark during his tenure after previously serving as an assistant coach, including Stonehill's first 20-win season in seven years last winter. McLaughlin, who is assisted by Derik Malone, Josh Meyer and Mike Harding, is 3-0 during his career against Bryant.

HEAD COACH MAX GOOD: Max Good is in his fifth season as Head Men's Basketball Coach at Bryant University. A 1969 graduate of Eastern Kentucky, Good led the Bulldogs to the 2005 NCAA national championship game and has compiled an 81-55 (.596) during his tenure in Smithfield while posting a career collegiate mark of 190-193 (.496) in 14 seasons. Good, who is assisted by Deshon Gaither, Dwayne Pina, Tom Sherman and Mario Correia, is 4-3 during his career against Stonehill.

FAST START, PART ONE: Stonehill's 10-1 start marks the first time that the Skyhawks have won 10 of their first 11 outings since the start of the 1988-89 season. Stonehill's current eight-game winning streak is its longest since a similar eight game skein in January 2005.

FAST START, PART TWO: Stonehill's 6-1 start in Northeast-10 play is its best in nearly 25 years, as the Skyhawks last won six of seven conference outings during the 1981-82 campaign.

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.

RANK AND FILE, PART TWO: Stonehill has the distinction of currently being the only Northeast-10 school with both its men's and women's basketball programs ranked nationally in Division II, as the Skyhawk women are ranked 17th in the WBCA Top 25.

BIG D-MAC ATTACK: After winning just 14 games in a two-and-a-half year stretch, Stonehill has posted a 30-9 (.769) mark in its last 39 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 five of the Northeast-10's top scorers: Bentley's Tim Forbes, Saint Anselm's Matt Cahill, Bryant's John Williams, Merrimack's Bobby Murgo and American International's John Huggins, to a combined 11-of-52 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.

IN GRAND SIGHT: Marquis Taylor is inching closer to becoming the 30th member of Stonehill's 1,000 Point Club, as he enters today's action 35 points shy of that magic mark. Dezmond Morgan was the last Skyhawk to reach that plateau, as he did so last season.

FULL NELSON: Sean Nelson began a two-game set of back-to-back career highs with a 22-point effort in Stonehill's last meeting with Bryant on December 10th at Merkert Gymnasium, as he topped that mark by a point just over 48 hours later with 23 points in the December 12th victory at UMass Lowell.

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 1997 The Skyhawks have assisted on over two-thirds of their field goals on the season, notching 190 assists on 282 field goals through 11 gamesThe Skyhawks have led at the half in 10 of their 11 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 56-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 returns home on Tuesday, January 10th to take on Assumption in a Northeast-10 outing at Merkert Gymnasium that begins at 7:30 p.m. EST.