Moreton filled the boxscore with 18 points, seven rebounds, five assists and four steals. (PHOTO BY Mike Tureski/SportsPix) |
Skyhawks sew up trip to NE10 Tournament with Senior Day win
EASTON, Mass. (February 17, 2018) – Stonehill College locked down a spot in the upcoming Northeast-10 Conference Tournament with a 72-54 victory over Assumption College in NE10 men's basketball action on Senior Day at Paula Sullivan Court at Merkert Gymnasium this afternoon.
Stonehill sewed up its 31st trip to the NE10 Tournament, which gets underway next weekend and maintained its one-game lead ahead of rival Bentley University for third place and a first round bye. The Skyhawks can clinch the bye straight into the NE10 quarterfinals next Sunday, February 25, with a win in its regular season finale at Northeast Division leaders Saint Anselm College on Tuesday night, or with a Bentley loss at Franklin Pierce University.
Sophomore swingman Will Moreton (Minneapolis, Minnesota/Edina) led five Stonehill players in double-figures with 18 points, including 12 in the first half, on 6-of-13 shooting, including 3-for-7 from three-point distance, seven rebounds, five assists and four steals. Senior KJ Lee (Huntington Station, New York/Long Island Lutheran) pulled down a game-high 12 rebounds to go with seven assists and five points for the Skyhawks, while classmate Joel Berroa (Lawrence, Massachusetts/Bridgton Academy) and freshman Owen Chose (Eden Prairie, Minnesota/Eden Prairie) netted 12 points apiece. Berroa scored ten points in the first half and tallied three rebounds, while Chose connected on 3-of-4 three-pointers.
Sophomore Dan Largey (Oceanport, New Jersey/Peddie School) contributed 11 points on 4-of-7 shooting, including 3-of-4 from beyond the arc, with three rebounds and two assists, while classmate Brandon Twitty (Randolph, Massachusetts/Catholic Memorial) chipped in ten points on 4-of-8 shooting, including 2-for-3 from deep.
Lee pulled down a game-high 12 rebounds and dished out seven assists for the balanced Skyhawks effort. (PHOTO BY Mike Tureski/SportsPix) |
Freshman Matthew Kelly (North Potomac, Maryland/Quince Orchard) led a balanced Assumption scoring effort with 12 points, four rebounds, three steals and two assists. Sophomore Patrick Fleming (Dobbs Ferry, New York/Iona Prep) posted a double-double with ten points and 11 rebounds, with five assists, while classmate Branislav Vujadinovic (Belgrade, Serbia) added ten points, seven boards, four assists and three steals. Freshman Bryan Boehlert (Gaithersburg, Maryland/Magruder) rounded out the Greyhounds in double figures with ten points.
Stonehill scored the first six points of the game on a pair of Berroa three-pointers on its way to a 12-2 lead less than four minutes into the game after a flurry of four three-balls, the latter two from Lee and Twitty. The Skyhawks lead grew to 15 (19-4) after a Chose triple after six and a half minutes and then hit 20 (27-7) before the midway point of the half with a three-point play from Chose. Stonehill's lead grew as high as 32 (48-16) with a Moreton layup with 4:10 left in the half, where it would stand at the intermission (51-19).
Stonehill shot 63-percent (17-for-27) from the field in the opening half, including 9-for-15 (60%) from three-point range, while limiting Assumption to 29.2% (7-24), including 4-for-12 (33.3%) from deep.
Stonehill was never truly threatened in the second half, although Assumption did whittle its deficit down to 16 (59-43) after a pair of free-throws from junior Nick Pasquale (Shrewsbury, Massachusetts/Worcester Academy) with seven minutes to play. The Skyhawks followed with six of the next eight points to regain a 20-point cushion (65-45) after a Largey three-pointer, but a Fleming three and two Kelly free-throws had the Greyhounds back within 15 with four minutes left. Stonehill responded again, with a Twitty jumper and Moreton three-pointer to seal the Skyhawks fifth win over their last six.
Prior to the game, Stonehill honored its three seniors, Lee and classmates Ryan Roach (Weymouth, Massachusetts/Cardinal Spellman) and Paul Graves (Marion, Massachusetts/Old Rochester Regional), and their families for their contributions to the program over their careers.
Stonehill (16-10, 12-8 NE10) closes out the regular season on Tuesday, when it visits Saint Anselm for an NE10 matchup at 7:30 p.m. Assumption (7-19, 3-17 NE10) hosts Southern New Hampshire University on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m.
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