Skyhawks Head To Worcester For Crucial Matchup

Skyhawks Head To Worcester For Crucial Matchup
 

Matt Hall had another breakaway dunk in Wednesday's win over Southern New Hampshire, this one courtesy of an excellent feed from Randall Stallworth.



North Easton, Mass. - With only a game and a half separating the possibility of a first round bye or a road game in the opening round in the Northeast-10 postseason tournament, Stonehill travels to Assumption Saturday to face a Greyhound squad that holds a one game lead over the Skyhawks in the Conference standings.

Since winning a season-best seven straight games, Stonehill has alternated wins in its last seven, but the Purple and White have won three straight at Assumption's Laska Gymnasium.

At 15-10 overall and 11-7 in Conference action, and depending on the outcome, the Skyhawks could pull into a third-place tie with the Greyhounds, remain alone in fourth place, or fall into a fourth-place tie with Bryant, who faces Southern Connecticut on Saturday as well.

Regardless, the Skyhawks host Bryant in another crucial Northeast-10 contest on Tuesday evening.

In the first meeting with Assumption, five players reached double figures for Stonehill, led by Nick Smith (Colonia, N.J./Colonia), who recorded the first of his three double-doubles this season, with 12 points and 10 rebounds.

The Skyhawks held the Greyhounds to 39 percent shooting and a 3-for-20 performance from behind the arc. Assumption did hold an advantage on the boards (42-33), but Stonehill outscored the Greyhounds 39-20 in the second half.

Led by the interior duo of Cory Diethorn (14.4 points, 8.7 rebounds) and Patrick Shea (9.1 points, 7.4 rebounds), Assumption is the top rebounding team in the Northeast-10. With fellow starters Greg Twomey (12.6 points, 6.5 boards) and Courtland Blueford (10.3 points) averaging double figures, the Greyhounds provide one of the most balanced offenses in the Conference.

Not far behind are the Skyhawks, who feature four double digit scorers, including freshman reserve Vince Rosario (Perth Amboy, N.J./Cardinal McCarrick). At 10.5 points an outing, he has 13 double figure scoring games and ranks seventh in the Northeast-10 in three-point shooting (.443).

Juniors Smith and Matt Hall (Springfield, Mass./Central) lead the Skyhawks in scoring, netting 14.6 and 14.2 points, respectively.

Hall is coming off an impressive performance his last time out, registering 17 points on an efficient 7-for-9 shooting in a 59-52 win over Southern New Hampshire.

Freshman Mike Kernan (Medford, N.J.) has provided a boost off the bench, averaging 4.8 points and 5.1 rebounds. Over his last three contests, he has been extremely effective on the boards, grabbing 6.7 caroms, including eight in the win over the Penmen.