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Vince Rosario helped spark the Stonehill comeback with 13 second half points. |
Manchester, N.H. - A.J. Rudowitz (Monroe Township, N.J.) led a foursome of Stonehill players in double figures with 17 points and 10 rebounds as the Skyhawks overcame a sluggish start to post a 73-60 win over Southern New Hampshire on Tuesday evening at the SNHU Fieldhouse.
With the win Stonehill evens its record to 3-3 overall and 1-0 in Northeast-10 play.
The Penmen opened the game on a 9-0 run and Stonehill got down by as many as 14 in the first half but eventually cut the lead to 34-29 at halftime. With Nick Smith (Colonia, N.J.) saddled with two early fouls, Rudowitz helped stem the tide by scoring 10 points in the first half.
The Skyhawks controlled the second half, outscoring the hosts 44-26, as they shot 68 percent from the field and 54 percent for the game. Vince Rosario (Perth Amboy, N.J.), making the first start of his career, scored all 13 of his points in the final 20 minutes. Southern New Hampshire, meanwhile, sat at the other end of the spectrum, connecting on just 25 percent in the second half and a frigid 1-for-10 from behind the arc.
The Skyhawks took the lead for the first time on back-to-back three pointers by Rosario moments into the second half. The lead went up to 41-38 on a strong reverse layup by Rosario and a power post move from Rudowitz, forcing a Southern New Hampshire timeout.
Stonehill held a slight advantage on points in the paint (30-26) and a sizeable edge on fast break points (17-9).
The lead grew to 57-46 on a free throw by Rudowitz with eight minutes to play, but a free throw by Chris Brickley and a three point play by Sam Carey trimmed the lead back down to 57-50.
A deep three from the Penmen's Troy Bowen cut the Skyhawk advantage to 65-60 with a minute to go but a smooth interior move by Smith and a steal and breakaway finish by Randall Stallworth (Toms River, N.J.) sealed the first Northeast-10 Conference win for Stonehill.
Joining Rudowitz and Rosario in double figures were Smith (14 points, four rebounds) and Matt Hall (Springfield, Mass.) who had 13 points and six rebounds.
Stonehill returns to action on Wednesday, November 28 when it travels to UMass-Lowell for another NE-10 matchup. Tip off is slated for 7:30 p.m.