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| Matt Hall scored 20 points and went 7-for-10 from the field for the second game in a row in the 70-61 win over Adelphi. |
Interior Dominance Leads To 70-61 Win
Rockville Centre, N.Y. - A 10-0 run that ended the first half and began the second combined with a powerful game in the paint buoyed Stonehill to a 70-61 win over Adelphi on Friday evening in the opening game of the Lions' Classic at Quealy Gymnasium.
Four Stonehill players recorded double digit efforts for the second straight game as the Skyhawks connected on 53 percent of their attempts. In addition to their effective night from the floor, Stonehill controlled the interior, outscoring the Panthers 38-18 in the paint and also held a 46-25 edge on the glass.
Despite their inside efficiency, trailed for most of the first half as Sky Khaleel and Chris Disparra provided Adelphi with the necessary scoring.
A five-point Stonehill advantage was quickly erased by the Panthers with a 7-0 run towards the end of the first 20 minutes but a personal 5-0 run by senior Colin Scanlon (Centreville, Va.), including a buzzer-beating tree-pointer gave the Skyhawks a 32-29 halftime edge.
A Randall Stallworth (Toms River, N.J.) triple and a layup on the break by Matt Hall (Springfield, Mass.) gave the Skyhawks a 37-29 lead - one they would not relinquish - moments into the second half.
The Stonehill lead fluctuated between nine and ten for most of the second half until the Skyhawks put it away with a game-clinching 10-2 run that featured three layups and four free throws.
Hall registered a game-high 20 points on 7-for-10 shooting, while sophomore Mike Kernan (Medford, N.J.) collected a double-double with 11 points and a career-high 13 rebounds. Scanlon finished with 15 points and seven rebounds, while A.J. Rudowitz (Monroe Township, N.J.) chipped in with 12 points, seven boards and five rejections.
Adelphi, which shot just 36 percent from the field, was led by Disparra's 17 points off the bench.
With the win, Stonehill improves to 3-0 and will return to action on Saturday when it squares off with Molloy beginning at 6 p.m.