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The Game
Stonehill looks to ride their momentum after earning their first Division I win in an 82-77 thriller at Army West Point on Saturday, November 12 when the Skyhawks travel to Providence for a 5 p.m. tip-off. 

Media Information
Today's game will be broadcast live on FS2 with NAME on the call. You can listen to name and name on Friars All-Access.

Against the Friars
Providence is currently 4-0 all-time against Stonehill. The last time the two squared off in a regular season contest was on November 30, 1979, when the Friars topped the Skyhawks, 83-63. For the past two seasons, Stonehill traveled to the Dunkin' Donuts center for scrimmages against the Friars.

Familiar Face
Providence head coach, Ed Cooley is a Stonehill College alum who played for the Skyhawks men's basketball team from 1989-1994. In 2019, he was inducted to the Stonehill College Athletics Hall of Fame. Cooley finished his Stonehill career with 795 points, 594 rebounds and over 100 assists in 107 career games, helping Stonehill to four Northeast-10 Tournament appearances, reaching the semifinals his senior year, when he finished seventh among Northeast-10 Conference leaders with 7.0 rebounds per game.

Last Time Out

Stonehill College earned its first NCAA Division I win with an 82-77 triumph over Army West Point at Christl Arena Saturday afternoon. Stonehill, which is in its first year of a four-year transition to full NCAA Division I status as a member of the Northeast Conference, shot 63.3-percent from the floor in the first half on its way to a 44-34 halftime lead and held off a second half Army rally to clinch its first win at the Division I level. Fifth-years Andrew Sims and Isaiah Burnett combined for 40 of the Skyhawks 82 points on the afternoon. Sims reached 20 points for the second-straight game, finishing with a game-high matching 21 points on 9-of-11 shooting, with a season-high eight rebounds, two blocked shots, an assist, and a steal, while Burnett added a season-best 19 points on 6-of-10 shooting, with three boards, three assists and three steals.

Junior Jalen Rucker led Army with 21 points on 6-of-15 shooting, converting 7-of-8 free-throws, to go with six rebounds and three assists. Freshman Coleton Benson added 20 points on 6-of-12 shooting, including 3-for-6 from three-point distance, converting all five free-throws to go with three boards and a steal. 

In Transition
Stonehill announced it had accepted an invitation to join the Northeast Conference and commence a four-year transition to full NCAA Division I membership on April 5. The Skyhawks started their four-year transition on July 1 and will earn full NCAA Division I membership in 2026-27. At the June NEC meetings, the Conference presidents announced a shift in the waiting period for automatic qualifier sports from competing for NEC postseason championships from four to two years, making Stonehill eligible to compete in the NEC postseason starting in 2024-25.

Proud History
Stonehill won the Northeast-10 Presidents' Cup six times, finishing in the top three in the final standings 15 of the last 17 years. Stonehill was one of just ten institutions nationwide to receive the NCAA Division II Presidents' Award for Academic Achievement, recognizing athletic departments with an Academic Success rating of 90-percent or better, each of the first ten years of the program's existence. The College ranks No. 98 in the category of National Liberal Arts Schools by U.S. News & World Report and No. 94 for the Best Value category.

Hoop History
Stonehill men's basketball earned 15 NCAA Division II Tournament bids over its history, the last was halted by the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. Stonehill were charter members of the Northeast-10 Conference, winning the first two tournament championships in 1981 and '82, finishing its time in the Conference with four postseason titles and six regular season championships.

Preseason Prognostications
Stonehill was picked to finish ninth in its first Northeast Conference season by the league's head coaches. Merrimack received six of the eight first place votes to hold the pole position atop the preseason poll, followed by Sacred Heart with two first place votes. Saint Francis (Pa.) follows in third, while Wagner is picked fourth and received the final first place vote.  

Tough Slate
Stonehill has assembled a tough non-conference slate in its inaugural Division I season, featuring opponents from the Big East  (2 - UConn, Providence), ACC (1 - BC), Missouri Valley (3 - UIC, Bradley, Valpo), Patriot League (2 - Army, Holy Cross), America East (2 - UMass Lowell, Binghamton), MAAC (2 - Quinnipiac, Rider), A-10 (1 - Fordham) leading up to its inaugural NEC slate around the New Year. 12 of the Skyhawks 15 non-conference games will also be played on the road.  

Inside the Roster
Stonehill head coach Chris Kraus '06 returns ten letterwinners, including three starters from his 2021-22 team that finished 15-12, including 10-9 in the NE10, reaching the Conference quarterfinals.
Stonehill's inaugural Division I roster includes:
• Four fifth-year players
• Three new transfers, including two postgrad transfers
• Two Division I transfers, including fifth-year returnee Isaiah Burnett (Navy) and newcomer Thatcher Stone (William & Mary)
• No seniors, three juniors, three sophomores and two freshmen.

Getting Social
Fans and media members of Stonehill athletics have multiple social media outlets to get updates on all 23 varsity programs. The department's Facebook page is www.facebook.com/stonehillskyhawks, and you can also follow @GoStonehill on Twitter and @stonehillskyhawks via Instagram! You can also search for Stonehill men's basketball on Facebook, follow the team's Twitter account via @StonehillBball as well as head coach Chris Kraus @CoachChrisKraus, and its new Instagram feed @stonehillbball. 

Up Next
Stonehill has a few days off before heading out to the College of the Holy Cross on Saturday, November 19 with tip-off set for 7:30 p.m.