Kraus Scores 16 Points And Dishes Out Seven Assists To Lead Five Players In Double Figures As 24th-Ranked Men's Basketball Collects Sixth Straight Victory With 70-45 Non-League Triumph Over Dowling

December 28, 2005

STONEHILL MEN'S BASKETBALL

Wednesday, December 28, 2005

Merkert Gymnasium, Easton, Mass.

FINAL:STONEHILL 70, DOWLING 45

EASTON, Mass.-- Senior Chris Kraus (Markham, Ont.) scored 16 points and dished out seven assists to lead five players in double figures as 24th-ranked Stonehill posted its sixth straight victory with a 70-45 non-league men's college basketball triumph over Dowling Wednesday evening at Merkert Gymnasium.

The host Skyhawks (8-1), who took the floor as a nationally-ranked team in Division II for the first time in over seven years, broke free of an 18-18 tie with 12 unanswered points over a five-minute stretch to take a 30-18 lead with just over two minutes remaining in the first half and settled for a 32-22 advantage at the break. Stonehill, off to its best start since December 1997, used a 13-4 run over the first 3:32 of the second half to take a 45-26 edge on a lay-in by senior Marquis Taylor (Los Angeles, Calif.) with 16:39 to play, and the Skyhawks extended their advantage to 25 points (55-30) with a 10-4 run over a 6:15 stretch to take command of the contest on a three-pointer by junior Soap Toun (Cranston, R.I.). The visiting Golden Lions (2-8) got no closer than 19 points for the remainder of the contest, with Stonehill building its lead to as many as 28 points in the closing minutes.

Taylor added 14 second half points to go with four rebounds in the win for the Skyhawks, who also received 13 points, including three three-pointers, from junior Lance Clarke (Somerville, Mass.). Senior Sean Nelson (Milford, Mass.) chipped in with 11 points and four rebounds for the winners, who also received 10 points off the bench from freshman Nick Smith (Colonia, N.J.). Stonehill shot 56 percent from the field in the final 20 minutes of action and canned nine three-pointers on the night while recording assists on 20 of its 26 field goals and committing just six turnovers. The Skyhawks shot 49 percent from the floor overall in picking up their third win in four series meetings with Dowling.

Junior Wesley Boone (Bronx, N.Y.) led all scorers with 18 points (including five three-pointers) in the setback for the Golden Lions, which also received nine points and four rebounds from senior Michael Session (Brentwood, N.Y.) and seven points from junior Raheim Lowery (Brooklyn, N.Y.). Dowling shot 43 percent from the field for the contest and held a 30-22 rebounding edge, but the visitors hurt themselves with 22 turnovers, including 14 in the first half alone.

Stonehill travels to North Andover, Mass. on Monday evening to take on Merrimack in a Northeast-10 Conference outing that tips-off at 7:30 p.m., while Dowling heads to Springfield, Mass. on Friday afternoon to square off with American International in a non-league match-up that begins at 3:00 p.m.