Zackery and Penha, Jr., combine for 31 points to lead Eagles
Sims scored 16 of his game-high 20 points in the second half to lead a Skyhawks comeback effort (PHOTO BY Jim Pierce) |
CHESTNUT HILL, Mass. (December 13, 2022) – Boston College rode an 18-point run late in the first half in securing a 63-56 victory over Stonehill College in a non-conference men's basketball matchup at Silvio O. Conte Forum tonight.
Postgrad forward CJ Penha, Jr. and sophomore guard Jaeden Zackery combined for 31 points to lead Boston College, which snapped a four-game slide with the win. Zackery scored a team-high 16 points, including 11 in the first half, on 6-of-15 shooting, including 3-for-6 from three-point distance, with three rebounds, three assists and three steals, while Penha Jr., scored ten of his 15 points off the bench during a key first half run that the Eagles were able to ride to the win, finishing 5-of-9 shooting with two rebounds and two steals. Senior T.J. Bickerstaff chipped in with seven points and seven boards.
Fifth-year Andrew Sims powered Stonehill by scoring 16 of his game-high 20 points in the second half as he finished 7-for-14 shooting, while converting 5-of-8 free-throws, to go with five rebounds. Postgrad Max Zegarowski added 12 points on 4-of-8 shooting, including 3-for-5 from three-point distance, with three rebounds, while fifth-year Shamir Johnson chipped in seven points, five boards, two assists and a steal.
Stonehill held a two-point lead (16-14) after Johnson capped a 7-0 run with a layup with seven minutes to play in the first half. BC responded with the next 18-points, including ten from Penha, Jr., to grab a 16-point lead (32-16) after a Penha, Jr., jumper with 3:26 remaining in the frame. The Skyhawks emerged from a media timeout and outscored the Eagles 10-3 over the remainder of the half to pull back within nine (35-26) at the intermission as Johnson and junior Thatcher Stone bookended the run with three-pointers.
Zegarowski added 12 points, hitting 3-of-5 three-pointers, for the Skyhawks (PHOTO BY Jim Pierce) |
Boston College scored the first four points of the second half to reclaim a 13-point lead (39-26) and kept Stonehill at arm's length until Sims followed a Zegarowski three-pointer with a driving layup to pull the visitors back within seven (49-42) at the midway point of the second. The Skyhawks crept back within four three times down the stretch and was back within three (59-56) after a Sims three-pointer with 24-seconds left, but the Eagles were able to seal the win at the line from there.
Noteworthy
- Stonehill and BC were meeting for the first time since 1984 with the Eagles improving to 16-0 in the series that dates back to 1951. Tonight's seven-point final margin is the closest in the all-time series.
- Sims posts his fifth 20-point outing of the season (13th career), having scored in double-figures in 17-straight games played dating back to last season with 40 career double-figure games.
- Sims moves within 100 points of reaching the 1,000-point plateau for his career, having scored 904 points in 84 career games.
- Zegarowski posted his seventh double-figure game of the season (42nd career, including his time at Lynn and Franklin Pierce).
- Burnett matched his career-high with five steals for the second time in three games and has now recorded at least one theft in 18-straight games dating back to last season, posting three-plus steals in 13 games over his career – seven this season.
- Stonehill finished with a 36-31 rebounding edge, outscoring the Eagles 6-0 in second chance points.
- BC outscored Stonehill 14-7 at the free-throw line, converting 14-of-19 (73.7%), with the Skyhawks finishing 7-for-14 (50%).
Up Next
Stonehill (4-7, 0-0 NEC) heads to the Midwest for a two-game swing starting Monday, December 19, with a matchup at Bradley University at 8 p.m. (EST). The Skyhawks next home game isn't until Thursday, January 5, when it hosts Wagner College for their third Northeast Conference matchup of the season at Merkert Gymnasium at 7 p.m. Boston College (6-6, 0-1 ACC) is off until next Wednesday, December 21, when it hosts Virginia Tech at 6:30 p.m.
For the latest on Stonehill Athletics, follow the Skyhawks via social media on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Fans can also download the Stonehill Skyhawks "Front Row" mobile app, powered by PrestoSports, on iTunes and the Android Market.
