NCAA NORTHEAST REGIONAL CHAMPIONS!...Skyhawk Seniors All Reach Double Figures As 12th-Ranked Men's Basketball Earns First Ever Trip To NCAA Division II Elite Eight With 89-80 Victory Over UMass Lowell In Northeast Regional Championship, Stonehill To Face Tarleton State In National Quarterfinals

March 14, 2006

STONEHILL MEN'S BASKETBALL

2006 NCAA Division II Northeast Regional Championship

Tuesday, March 14, 2006

Merkert Gymnasium, Easton, Mass.

FINAL:STONEHILL 89, UMASS LOWELL 80

EASTON, Mass.-- Tournament Most Outstanding Player Marquis Taylor (Los Angeles, Calif.) scored 23 points and grabbed six rebounds as top-seeded and 12th-ranked Stonehill advanced to its first-ever appearance in the NCAA Division II Men's Basketball "Elite Eight" with an 89-80 victory over sixth-seeded UMass Lowell in the 2006 NCAA Northeast Regional Championship game Tuesday evening at Merkert Gymnasium.

The host Skyhawks, who improve to 26-6 overall on the season, advance to the NCAA Elite Eight next Wednesday evening, March 22nd to take on Tarleton State (Tex.) in the national quarterfinals at the Mass Mutual Center in Springfield, Mass. beginning at 8:30 p.m. EST. The Texans (27-6) advanced to the Elite Eight with a buzzer-beating 72-71 victory over Northwest Missouri State in Bolivar, Mo. in Tuesday's South Central Regional championship game played at Southwest Baptist.

Stonehill scorched the nets in the opening stages of the contest, hitting eight of its first 10 shots from the field (including four from three-point range) to take an early 20-11 lead just 6:37 into the contest, and the Skyhawks built that advantage to as many as 15 points late in the half before settling for a 42-30 edge at the break, as both teams were on a torrid shooting pace in the opening 20 minutes of play, with Stonehill hitting at a 62 percent clip (with nine three-pointers) and the visiting River Hawks, who finish the year at 21-10 overall, shooting 57 percent from the field.

UMass Lowell, making its third Sweet Sixteen appearance in four years, opened the second half on an 11-5 run over the first 2:52 of the half to close its gap to 47-41 on a three-pointer by senior Stacey Moragne (Evanston, Ill.), but Stonehill answered back with five quick points to regain an 11-point cushion at 52-41 on a three-pointer by freshman Nick Smith (Colonia, N.J.) with 14:31 to play. The River Hawks pecked away at a 10-point deficit and closed their gap to just two on a pair of occasions, the last coming at 65-63 with 4:12 remaining on a three-pointer by senior Brandon Arnette (Lake Park, Fla.), but a lay-in and subsequent three-pointer by senior Chris Kraus (Markham, Ont.) on the next two possessions helped key a decisive 14-0 Skyhawk run over the next 3:01 that extended the hosts' lead to 79-63 with 1:13 remaining. UMass Lowell drained four three-pointers in the final minute to close to within nine, but Stonehill converted 10 free throws in the final 1:07, including five by Kraus and three by senior Mike Lauricella (Norwood, N.J.), to ice its triumph and advance to the Elite Eight.

"We really came out ready to play, and I thought we got into our shots and executed well early," Stonehill Head Coach David McLaughlin said after the game. "To advance to the Elite Eight is a very proud moment for our program, and the dedication of our senior class made this night happen."

Kraus added his third career double-double effort with 20 points and 10 assists, as he also posted a double-double performance (16 points, 10 assists) in Stonehill's last contest against UMass Lowell on February 7th. Senior Sean Nelson (Milford, Mass.) added 17 points and four assists for the Skyhawks, who also received 11 points off the bench from Smith as well as 10 points and a game-high seven rebounds from Lauricella, as all four Stonehill seniors reached double figures in the contest.

Moragne led all scorers with 24 points and six boards to finish his career with 2,041 points for UMass Lowell, while Arnette added 20 points and six assists for the River Hawks, who also received 14 points from senior Carl Benn (Far Rockaway, N.Y.) and 10 points and six boards from sophomore Jerreh Saidybah (Montreal, Que.).

The Skyhawks blistered the nets at a 57 percent clip both overall and from three-point range in the contest, as Stonehill connected for 13 three-pointers and hit 36 treys overall in the regional. The hosts registered 18 assists on 27 field goals and committed only eight turnovers in claiming the rubber match with the River Hawks this season.

UMass Lowell also topped the 50 percent shooting mark for the contest, hitting at a 53 percent clip from the floor overall and canning a season-high 16 three-pointers, including six each by Moragne and Arnette. The River Hawks dished out 19 assists and committed only nine turnovers, and Stonehill held a commanding 22-2 scoring edge at the foul line, with 11 of those points coming in the final minute-plus of play.

Stonehill is the fourth straight Northeast-10 Conference to advance to the Elite Eight as the Northeast Regional champion, joining UMass Lowell (2003 and 2004) and Bryant (2005). The Skyhawks' national quarterfinal match-up with Tarleton State will be the first-ever meeting between the two schools.

Taylor was joined on the Northeast Regional all-tournament team by Kraus, Moragne, Arnette, Saint Anselm's Matt Cahill and Adelphi's Kimani Blaize.

More information on the NCAA Division II Men's Basketball "Elite Eight" is available by logging-on to www.ncaasports.com.