Smith Scores Career-High 20 Points And Grabs Six Boards As Men's Basketball Claims Fourth Win In Five Outings With 70-56 Northeast-10 Victory At Franklin Pierce

February 11, 2006

STONEHILL MEN'S BASKETBALL

Saturday, February 11, 2006

FPC Fieldhouse, Rindge, N.H.

FINAL:STONEHILL 70, FRANKLIN PIERCE 56

RINDGE, N.H.-- Freshman Nick Smith (Colonia, N.J.) scored a career-high 20 points and grabbed six rebounds to lead Stonehill to a 70-56 Northeast-10 Conference men's basketball victory over Franklin Pierce Saturday afternoon at FPC Fieldhouse.

The visiting Skyhawks (18-5, 14-5 Northeast-10) raced out to a 21-5 lead just 7:37 into the contest and maintained that double-digit margin throughout the opening half of action in taking a 34-24 edge at the break, as Stonehill blistered the nets at a 59 percent clip in the opening 20 minutes of play. The Skyhawks then netted the first seven points after intermission to take a 17-point cushion (41-24) on a lay-in by senior Chris Kraus, and Stonehill maintained that double-digit lead through most of the remaining 16-plus minutes of play, as the host Ravens (13-10, 10-8 Northeast-10) got no closer than eight points in the final 7:56 of action.

Smith connected on seven of his 10 shots from the floor, including a 4-of-5 effort from three-point range, to account for his career-high effort for Stonehill, which also received nine points, eight assists and six boards from Kraus. Senior Marquis Taylor (Los Angeles, Calif.) added nine points and six caroms as well for the Skyhawks, who also received eight points each from seniors Mike Lauricella (Norwood, N.J.) and Sean Nelson (Milford, Mass.) as well as junior Lance Clarke (Somerville, Mass.), who chipped in with three of the visitors' eight blocked shots on the day. Freshman Colin Scanlon (Centreville, Va.) added five points and five rebounds off the bench for Stonehill (the top-ranked team in NCAA Northeast Regional play this week), as the Skyhawks shot 55 percent from the field overall and 56 percent (10-18) from three-point range while holding a 35-25 rebounding advantage for the contest.

Senior Pierre Sully (Jamaica Plain, Mass.) led Franklin Pierce in the scoring column with 14 points, while senior Justin Powell (Brookline, Mass.) added 10 points and five rebounds for the Ravens, who also received nine points from freshman Timothy Munch (Blauvelt, N.Y.) as well as eight points each from junior Sean Mayo (Saco, Maine) and freshman Jack Barrett (Reading, Mass.). The hosts shot 37 percent from the field and connected on eight three-pointers on the afternoon but were outrebounded by a 27-15 margin on the defensive glass alone.

Stonehill hosts Southern New Hampshire in a Northeast-10 outing on Wednesday evening at Merkert Gymnasium beginning at 7:30 p.m., while Franklin Pierce hosts 21st-ranked Saint Anselm in a Northeast-10 match-up on Monday evening at FPC Fieldhouse beginning at 7:00 p.m.