Men's Basketball Seeks Sixth Victory In Seven Outings On Young Season Saturday Afternoon As Skyhawks Play Host To NCAA National Runner-Up Bryant In Northeast-10 Match-Up

December 9, 2005

2005-2006 Stonehill College Men's Basketball

3:30 p.m. EST

THE GAME: After a week-long layoff, Stonehill returns to action looking for its fourth straight victory this afternoon as the Skyhawks square off with the Bryant Bulldogs in a Northeast-10 Conference clash. Stonehill, off to its best start since December 1997, has been idle since posting a 78-64 Northeast-10 triumph over LeMoyne last Saturday afternoon here at Merkert Gymnasium, as senior Marquis Taylor (Los Angeles, Calif./Naval Prep) led the way once again for the hosts in notching his second straight double-double effort with 22 points and 11 rebounds. Senior co-captain Sean Nelson (Milford, Mass./Milford) added 18 points and four rebounds on a 9-of-12 effort from the field for the Skyhawks, who also received 13 points from junior Lance Clarke (Somerville, Mass./Cambridge Rindge & Latin). Freshman Nick Smith (Colonia, N.J./Colonia) added nine points and eight rebounds off the bench for Stonehill, while senior Chris Kraus (Markham, Ont./Markham District) matched his career-high with 12 assists for the hosts, who continued their hot shooting with a 51 percent effort from the field. Bryant has also been idle for the last week, as the Bulldogs enter today's action after posting a 69-58 Northeast-10 triumph over Southern Connecticut last Saturday afternoon at Moore Fieldhouse in New Haven, Conn.

PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Senior Marquis Taylor (Los Angeles, Calif./Naval Prep) was named on Monday as the Northeast-10 Conference Player of the Week for his efforts in a pair of Stonehill victories last week. Taylor averaged 22.5 points and 10.5 rebounds in recording a pair of double-double performances on the week for the Skyhawks, including 23 points, 10 rebounds and three steals in a 65-61 victory at Saint Anselm as well as 22 points and 11 boards in a 78-64 triumph over LeMoyne. Taylor, who earned the league honor for the second time in his career, shot 52 percent (13-25) from the field and 73 percent (16-22) from the foul line for the week.

FRESHMAN OF THE WEEK: Freshman Nick Smith (Colonia, N.J./Colonia) was named on Monday as the Northeast-10 Conference Freshman of the Week for his efforts in a pair of Stonehill triumphs last week. Smith averaged 10.5 points and 5.5 rebounds in taking the top rookie honor for the first time in his career, including a career-high 12 points and three rebounds in a 65-61 victory at Saint Anselm to go with nine points and eight boards in a 78-64 triumph over LeMoyne. Smith shot 64 percent (7-11) from the field and canned four three-pointers.

LAST SEASON: Stonehill swept both meetings from eventual 2005 NCAA national runner-up Bryant during the 2004-2005 season, as the Skyhawks posted a 71-65 triumph over the Bulldogs on December 12, 2004 at the Chace Athletic Center in Smithfield, R.I. before notching a 79-58 victory on January 8, 2005 here at Merkert Gymnasium. Chris Kraus netted 18 points in the first meeting for Stonehill, while Evan Pellerin added 25 points and 10 rebounds in the January outing.

THE SERIES: Stonehill and Bryant are meeting for the 59th time this afternoon, and the Skyhawks hold a 34-24 advantage over the Bulldogs in the all-time series between the schools.

THE SKYHAWKS: Taylor leads Stonehill in scoring and rebounding at 16.8 ppg and 8.3 caroms per contest, while Nelson follows at 13.5 ppg and 5.8 rpg. Clarke is next at 11.5 ppg, while Kraus follows at 10.5 ppg and averages 6.2 assists per contest for the Skyhawks.

THE BULLDOGS: Senior John Williams leads Bryant in scoring at 19.6 ppg, while junior Chris Burns follows at 13.3 ppg. Sophomore Jon Ezeokoli is next at 11.9 ppg and 5.9 rpg, while junior Dan Hammond paces the Bulldogs on the boards at 6.6 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 30-21 (.588) mark during his tenure after previously serving as an assistant coach. McLaughlin, who is assisted by Derik Malone, Josh Meyer and Mike Harding, is 2-0 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 a 77-54 (.588) mark during his tenure in Smithfield while posting an career collegiate mark of 186-192 (.492) in 14 seasons. Good, who is assisted by Deshon Gaither, Dwayne Pina, Tom Sherman and Mario Correia, is 4-2 during his career against Stonehill.

FAST START: Stonehill's 5-1 start marks the first time that the Skyhawks have won five of their first six outings since the NCAA Sweet Sixteen season of 1997-98.

BIG D-MAC ATTACK: After winning just 14 games in a two-and-a-half year stretch, Stonehill has posted a 25-9 (.735) mark in its last 34 contests under David McLaughlin's tutelage dating back to November of last year.

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 two of the Northeast-10's top scorers in Bentley's Tim Forbes and Saint Anselm's Matt Cahill to a combined 2-of-22 shooting effort from the field this season and ranks second in the league in assist-to-turnover ratio.

SKYHAWK TALK: Stonehill 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 17 occasions in McLaughlin's 51-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.

WELCOME TO TOWN OF EASTON DAY: Today is "Town of Easton Day" at Merkert Gymnasium, as all Town of Easton residents will be admitted free (identification required), and in lieu of an admission fee any donation(s) would/will be greatly accepted, as all fundraised proceeds will go towards the payment of a wheelchair accessible van for Bob Coe, a 29-year-old life-long resident of Easton who has Muscular Dystrophy, in order for him to continue his work at Massachusetts Hospital School and his studies at Massasoit Community College.

J.J. JUMPER'S IN THE HOUSE: Today's doubleheader with Bryant will also mark the return of J.J. Jumper, the official mascot of NCAA Basketball, to Merkert Gymnasium, as J.J. visits the Stonehill campus for the third straight season.

WHO'S NEXT: Stonehill closes out its pre-Christmas schedule on Monday, December 12th as the Skyhawks head to Lowell, Mass. to take on UMass Lowell in a non-conference match-up at Costello Gymnasium that tips-off at 7:00 p.m. EST.