Moreton leads Skyhawks with 12^th double-double, including go-ahead basket with 35-seconds to play

Moreton finished off his 12th double-double of the year with a go-ahead layup and then a key late rebound to help seal the win (PHOTO BY Lewis Glass/SportsPix)

EASTON, Mass. (February 22, 2020) – Stonehill College, ranked No. 6 in the first NCAA Division II East Region ranking of the season, closed out the regular season with a playoff style 78-75 triumph over Southern New Hampshire University in Northeast-10 Conference men's basketball action on Paula Sullivan Court at Merkert Gymnasium this afternoon.

Stonehill clinches home court advantage in the upcoming NE10 Tournament win the win and could still claim a share of the Northeast Division title should first place Saint Anselm College lose to Bentley University in their regular season finale in Manchester, New Hampshire, on Tuesday night. The Skyhawks will host an NE10 Quarterfinal next Sunday, March 1, against an opponent to be determined at a time to be announced once the final postseason pairings are determined after Tuesday's final round of NE10 games. 

Leaders

Stonehill

Will Moreton Senior, Guard: 12^th double-double of the season (32^nd career) with game-high 27 points (10-for-17, 6-for-7 FTs), including 18 in the second half, with 10 rebounds, two steals and a blocked shot.

Brandon Twitty Senior, Guard: 14 points (3-for-6, 2-for-3 threes, 6-for-6 FTs) and two assists.

Owen Chose Junior, Guard: 10 points (3-for-7, 2-for-2 threes), two rebounds.

Southern New Hampshire

Michael Almonacy Junior, Guard: 23 points (8-for-13, 6-for-10 threes), including 12 in the second half, with four rebounds and three steals.

Shawn Montague Senior, Forward: 15 points (7-for-12), seven rebounds and two steals.

Eamonn Joyce Senior, Forward: 16 points, four rebounds.

How it Happened

• Twitty added 14 points, including 6-for-6 from the free-throw line (PHOTO BY Lewis Glass/SportsPix)

  Stonehill led by as much as 11 in the first half but had to rally from three-points down with 3:38 to play to secure the win.
• Moreton pushed Stonehill back in front three times over the final 2:24, including the eventual game-winning layup with 35-seconds to play.
• Moreton's tenth rebound of the night at the other end help seal the win before Chose canned two free-throws with 6.1-seconds to go.
• Almonacy's tying three at the horn was off the mark to close out Stonehill's third-straight win and seventh over the last nine.
• Stonehill used an 11-2 run to turn a two-point lead (16-14) into an 11-point cushion (27-16) with 7:39 remaining in the first half after five-straight points by Twitty.
• SNHU closed back within two (27-25) after a Joyce layup with 2:45 remaining in the stanza, but sophomore Andrew Sims hit a trey and Moreton followed with a three-point play to stretch the lead back to eight (33-25) with under two minutes left and then Chose buried a three for a nine-point lead (36-27, before settling for a seven-point halftime cushion (36-29).
• SNHU opened the second half with a 12-5 run to pull even (41-41) after a Montague layup four minutes in.
• Stonehill regained a ten-point lead (59-49) after a Twitty three with 11:26 remaining, but SNHU would follow with a 17-4 run to grab its first three-point edge (66-63) after an Almonacy triple with five minutes left. He hit a trio of three-pointers in all during that run.

Prior to the game, Stonehill honored its three seniors and families

Noteworthy

• Stonehill finished shooting 54.3-percent from the field, including 57.1% (12-for-21) in the second half, and buried 8-of-16 (50%) three-pointers while converting 20-of-21 (95.2%) free-throws, compared to 11-of-22 (50%) shooting at the stripe for SNHU.
• Moreton posts his 32^nd career 20-point outing, including 13 this season.

Up Next

Stonehill (17-10, 13-6 NE10) will host an NE10 Quarterfinal next Sunday, March 1. The Skyhawks opponent and game time will be determined once the final round of NE10 regular season games conclude on Tuesday night. Southern New Hampshire (15-11, 8-10 NE10) hosts Saint Michael's College for its regular season finale on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m.

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