Men's Basketball Returns Home Seeking Fifth Win In Last Six Outings As 25th-Ranked Skyhawks Host Southern New Hampshire In Northeast-10 Senior Night Festivities

February 14, 2006

2005-2006 Stonehill College Men's Basketball

7:30 p.m. EST

THE GAME: Stonehill returns home in search of its fifth win in its last six outings this evening as the 25th-ranked Skyhawks close out their regular season home slate by taking on the Southern New Hampshire Penmen in a Northeast-10 Conference clash. Stonehill, which stands one game in back of 20th-ranked Bentley for first place in the league standings, enters tonight's action after posting a 70-56 Northeast-10 triumph over Franklin Pierce last Saturday afternoon at FPC Fieldhouse in Rindge, N.H., as freshman Nick Smith (Colonia, N.J./Colonia) netted a career-high 20 points and grabbed six rebounds on the day for the Skyhawks, connecting for four three-pointers in the process. Senior Chris Kraus (Markham, Ont./Markham District) added nine points, eight assists and 10 rebounds in the win for Stonehill, which also received nine points and six boards from senior Marquis Taylor (Los Angeles, Calif./Naval Prep) as well as eight points each from senior co-captains Mike Lauricella (Norwood, N.J./Don Bosco) and Sean Nelson (Milford, Mass./Milford) as well as junior Lance Clarke (Somerville, Mass./Cambridge Rindge & Latin). Freshman Colin Scanlon (Centreville, Va./Flint Hill) chipped in with five points and five rebounds for the visitors, who shot 55 percent from the field and connected for 10 three-pointers on the afternoon. Southern New Hampshire enters tonight's action after dropping a 77-61 Northeast-10 decision to 20th-ranked Bentley last Saturday afternoon at the Dana Center in Waltham, Mass.

THANKS, SENIORS!: Tonight is Senior Night here at Merkert Gymnasium, as the four members of the Skyhawk Men's Basketball Class of 2006, Chris Kraus, Marquis Taylor, Sean Nelson and Mike Lauricella, will be honored in pre-game ceremonies for their career accomplishments.

LAST MEETING: Stonehill and Southern New Hampshire last met on February 16, 2005 at SNHU Fieldhouse in Manchester, N.H., and the Penmen posted an 82-49 victory over the Skyhawks. Evan Pellerin notched a double-double effort of 14 points and 10 rebounds in the setback for Stonehill.

THE SERIES: Stonehill and Southern New Hampshire are meeting for the 32nd time this evening, and the Penmen hold a 20-11 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 7.0 caroms per contest, while Nelson follows at 13.4 ppg and adds 5.7 rpg. Clarke is next at 11.5 ppg, while Kraus is also in double figures for the Skyhawks at 10.7 ppg while adding 5.7 assists per game.

THE PENMEN: Senior Miguel Gonzalez leads Southern New Hampshire in scoring at 17.7 ppg, while senior P.J. Young follows at 13.4 ppg and leads the Penmen on the boards at 9.4 caroms per contest. Sophomore Sam Carey is also in double figures for Southern New Hampshire at 12.9 ppg.

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 43-25 (.632) 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 0-3 during his career against Southern New Hampshire.

HEAD COACH STAN SPIROU: Stan Spirou is in his 21st season as Head Men's Basketball Coach at Southern New Hampshire University. A 1974 graduate of Keene State, Spirou has guided the Penmen to an overall mark of 446-184 (.708) during his tenure with the Penmen, and he is assisted by Jay Dufour, Jeff Gore, Bob Duffley and Namdi Williams. Spirou is 20-11 during his career against Stonehill.

POLL POSITION: Stonehill is once again the only school to have both its men's and women's basketball squads ranked in their respective Division II national polls, as the Skyhawk men checked back into the NABC Top 25 at the number #25 position in this week's poll. The Stonehill women have been ranked as high as ninth this season, while the men's team has been rated as high as 10th.

THEY CALL IT THE STREAK: Stonehill's recent 12-game winning streak matched the longest such skein in school history, as the 1970-71 squad also posted 12 consecutive victories during that campaign. The Skyhawks have posted a 12-game win streak and an eight-game win skein under David McLaughlin's guidance in the last calendar year alone.

REGIONAL RANK AND FILE: Stonehill returned to the top spot in the fourth NCAA Division II Northeast Regional rankings released by the NCAA Division II Men's Basketball Committee last Wednesday, as the Skyhawks previously earned the top spot in the region on January 18th. The NCAA Northeast Regional rankings, with records listed through games played as of February 5th, are as follows:

1.Stonehill17-417-4

2.St. Anselm15-515-5

3.Bentley16-614-6

4.Bryant15-715-7

5.Massachusetts-Lowell16-716-7

6.Adelphi16-415-4

7.Saint Rose16-716-7

8.Queens (New York)15-515-5

9.Bridgeport15-815-7

10.Southern New Hampshire14-814-8

REGIONAL PROWESS: Stonehill is 6-3 against regionally-ranked teams this season, as the Skyhawks swept a pair of contests from Saint Anselm and Bryant while splitting two games with UMass Lowell and notching a single triumph over Saint Rose.

NATIONAL RANK AND FILE: Stonehill is ranked 25th in this week's National Association of Basketball Coaches Division II national poll released on Tuesday afternoon, as the Skyhawks return to the top 25 after a three-week hiatus and have been ranked as high as 10th. Prior to December 20th, the last time Stonehill appeared in the NABC Top 25 came in March 1998 during the Skyhawks' NCAA "Sweet Sixteen" campaign. Here is the February 12th NABC Division II national poll:

RankSchool (first place votes)RecordPointsPrevious Rank

1Fort Hays State, Kan. (8)22-12002

2Western Washington 19-21864

3Barton, N.C.20-11858

4Delta State, Miss.22-11679

5Saint Joseph's, Ind.22-216510

6Virginia Union18-31531

7Southwest Baptist, Mo.21-214411

8Seattle Pacific, Wash.19-31375

9Montevallo, Ala.21-31356

10tSouthern Ill. Edwardsville20-311818

10tSouthern Indiana23-31183

12Tarleton State, Texas20-411115

13Winona State, Minn.19-410813

14Grand Valley State, Mich.20-310516

15Findlay, Ohio21-3967

16Northern State, S.D.20-39512

17Minnesota State-Mankato19-55522

18Armstrong Atlantic State, Ga.18-541NR

19Alderson-Broaddus, W. Va.18-43817

20Bentley, Mass.18-636NR

21Shippenburg, Pa.19-435NR

22Truman State, Mo.19-53219

23Alabama-Huntsville19-53014

24Clayton State, Ga.19-42720

25Stonehill, Mass.18-522NR

Others Receiving Votes: Grand Canyon 16, Rollins 16, Alabama-Huntsville 15, Cal State-Bakersfield 15, West Liberty State 11, Sonoma State 9, Ferris State 5, Columbus State 3, Ashland 1, Saint Anselm 1, Presbyterian 1.

GENERATION GAP: Stonehill's 14-1 start to the season was the Skyhawk's best in 56 years, as the first Stonehill squad posted a 15-1 mark under Head Coach George Sullivan during the 1949-50 season.

CONFERENCE RANK AND FILE: In conference statistics released through games of February 12th, Stonehill leads the Northeast-10 in field goal percentage defense (.411), three-point field goal percentage defense (.304), assists (17.09 apg), assist-to-turnover ratio (1.28) and defensive rebounds (26.35 drpg). Mike Lauricella continues to lead the league in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.57), while Chris Kraus and Marquis Taylor are ranked second in assists (5.70 apg) and defensive rebounds (5.52 drpg), respectively.

NCAA RANK AND FILE: Stonehill is ranked in five team categories in the latest NCAA Division II national statistical leaders through games of February 12th, as the Skyhawks are 19th in free throw percentage, 28th in won-lost percentage, 32nd in scoring defense, 34th in field goal percentage defense and 41st in three-point field goals per game.. Individually, Chris Kraus is ranked 20th in assists and 41st in steals.

MORE RANK AND FILE: Five Stonehill athletic teams have now cracked the top 10 in their respective sports during the 2005-2006 academic year: Field Hockey (#4), Men's Cross Country (#9), Men's Basketball (#10) and Women's Basketball (#9). The defending national champion Skyhawk women's lacrosse team has been picked as the top-ranked team in Division II circles as well in the Lacrosse Magazine pre-season poll.

BIG D-MAC ATTACK: After winning just 14 games in a two-and-a-half year stretch, Stonehill has posted a 38-13 (.745) mark in its last 51 contests under David McLaughlin's tutelage dating back to November 2004.

A GRAND ENTRANCE: Marquis Taylor became the 30th player in Stonehill men's basketball history to reach the 1,000 career point plateau with a 15-point performance in the Skyhawks' 82-64 win over Assumption on January 10th. Dezmond Morgan was the last Skyhawk to reach that plateau, as he did so last season ironically in a January match-up with Assumption. Here are the members of Stonehill's 1,000 Point Club:

1.Mike Allocco2,3991969-73

2.Jon Cronin2,3011988-92

3.Bob Reitz2,2181979-83

4.Bill Zolga1,8221977-80

5.Mike Barros1,6791984-88

6.George Peterson1,6041964-67

7.David Donnelly1,4981995-99

8.Ed Grzembski1,4861987-91

9.Brian Cronin1,4741985-89

10.Dick Munson1,4481962-65

11.Leo Denault1,3981958-61

12.Paul Sincero1,3681950-53

13.Chris Butler1,3621991-95

14.Ron Richards1,3021965-68

15.Bob Duarte1,2791983-87

16.Tony Fiore1,2551981-85

17.Jason Jacobsen1,2271988-92

18.Kyle Quimby1,1851999-03

19.MARQUIS TAYLOR1,1672002-06

20.Art Horan1,1211968-71

21.Dezmond Morgan1,1192001-05

22.Derrik Jerman1,098 1989-93

23.Henry Jackson1,0901970-73

24.Jamal Gomes1,0821991-95

25.Howie Bain1,0631971-74

26.Lorenzo Lapido1,0611990-94

27.Adrian Machado1,0431992-96

28.Rollie Hollins1,0211971-74

29.Charlie Simonds1,0111973-77

30.Justin LoVerme1,0071997-01

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.

SKYHAWK TALK: Chris Kraus notched his third career double-double with 16 points and 10 assists in the February 7th setback at UMass LowellLast Saturday's triumph at Franklin Pierce was Stonehill's third in the last four meetings with the RavensAll three of Stonehill's series victories against Saint Rose have come during David McLaughlin's tenure as head coach Taylor matched his career-high effort in the scoring column with 26 points in the February 1st win over Pace, as he also netted 26 points against the Setters in an overtime victory last season in PleasantvilleThe January 16th win over Saint Anselm was Stonehill's first over the Hawks at Merkert Gymnasium since December 9, 1997 and gave the Skyhawks a regular season series sweep of Saint Anselm for the first time since the 1990-91 campaignStonehill has won six straight in the series with Saint Michael's dating back to January 2003Clarke hit the 20-point plateau in a game for the second time this season in the January 10th triumph over Assumption, as he matched his career-high set on opening night (November 18th) against MolloyThe January 7th victory was Stonehill's 36th in 60 series meetings with 2005 NCAA national runner-up Bryant, as the Skyhawks have swept the last two regular season series match-ups (four contests) from the Bulldogs The Skyhawks have assisted on over two-thirds of their field goals on the season, notching 376 assists on 563 field goals through 21 gamesThe Skyhawks have led at the half in 15 of their 22 outings to date Prior 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 21 occasions in McLaughlin's 67-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 hits the road for its last two regular season outings, beginning on Saturday, February 18th when the Skyhawks head to Springfield, Mass. to take on American International in a Northeast-10 outing. Tip-off at Butova Gymnasium is set for 3:30 p.m. EST.