Burnett's second-straight 20-point game, career-best seven steals fuels Skyhawks to fourth-straight NEC win
Burnett made his first nine shots and posted his second-straight 20-point outing, with a school-record seven steals (PHOTO BY Ryan Feeney) |
EASTON, Mass. (February 2, 2023) – Stonehill College moved within a half game of first place in the Northeast Conference standings with a 74-61 triumph over Saint Francis (Pa.) University in a top of the NEC men's basketball matchup from Merkert Gymnasium that was broadcast on ESPN3 tonight.
Fifth-year Isaiah Burnett fueled Stonehill's fourth-straight NEC win with his second-straight 20-point outing as he made his first nine shots on the night, including a pair of three-pointers, on his way to a game-high 22 points. He added a school-record seven steals, five rebounds and two assists as he finished the night 9-for-11 shooting, including 2-for-3 from three, converting both free-throw tries. Burnett tallied 14 points in the first half alone on 6-of-6 shooting, including a pair of threes.
Classmate Andrew Sims added 16 points on 5-of-10 shooting, converting all five free-throws, with six rebounds, while postgrad Max Zegarowski rounded out the Skyhawks in double-figures with 13 points, three rebounds and two assists.
Junior Josh Cohen led Saint Francis with 17 points on 8-of-15 shooting, with four rebounds and three assists. Classmate Brad McCabe added 12 points, all in the first half, as he buried all four of his shots from beyond the arc, with four boards.
Sims added 16 points and six rebounds for the Skyhawks (PHOTO BY Ryan Feeney) |
The game featured contrasting halves with the two teams combining to shoot 55-percent from the floor and 12-for-19 (63.2%) from three, as Stonehill grabbed a nine-point halftime lead (43-34) behind 62.1% (18-29) shooting, including 6-for-11 (64.5%) from deep. The second half saw both teams shooting under 40%, with the Skyhawks sealing the win behind 12-for-14 (85.7%) free-throw shooting, while the Red Flash made just 6-of-12 (50%) from the line in the contest.
Stonehill scored 12-straight from five different players, sparked by three-pointers from fifth-years Shamir Johnson and Josh Mack, to turn a three-point deficit into a nine-point lead (24-15) after a layup from sophomore Christopher Melis midway through the first half. Back-to-back triples from McCabe pulled Saint Francis back within three less than a minute later.
Stonehill produced a 13-4 run to open a 12-point lead (39-27) after a Burnett floater with 3:37 to play in the half. The Skyhawks settled for a nine-point halftime advantage, but quickly reclaimed a double-figure lead (45-34) with a Burnett layup to start the second half. The teams traded points for the next ten minutes before Stonehill used a 10-2 run to open an 18-point lead (66-48) after a Thatcher Stone three with 7:34 to play and the Skyhawks lead wouldn't dip inside 13 the rest of the way.
Noteworthy
- Burnett's second-straight 20-point outing is his fifth of the season overall (eighth career), and the 15th by a Stonehill player this season.
- Burnett's career-high seven steals are the second-highest total in the NEC this season, giving him multiple steals in 21 games this year, including 12 with three-plus steals, extending his streak with at least one steal to 31-straight games dating back to last year.
- Zegarowski's 13 points pulls him within seven points of reaching the 1,000-point milestone for his career, having scored 993 points in 85 games, including his time at Franklin Pierce and Lynn.
- Sims' 16 points move him past Howie Bain, '74 (1,063 points) for 34th place on the program's all-time scoring list with 1,078 points in his 97 career games. Sims has scored in double-figures in 21 of his 24 games played this season.
- Stonehill moves to within a half game of first place in the NEC behind just Fairleigh Dickinson (7-2) who was idle tonight. The Skyhawks four-straight NEC wins is the longest current streak in the Conference.
Up Next
Stonehill (11-14, 7-3 NEC) is right back in action on Saturday, when it visits St. Francis College of Brooklyn for an NEC matchup at 1 p.m. The Skyhawks return to Merkert Gym next Saturday, February 11, to host the Terriers at 2 p.m. Saint Francis (8-14, 5-4 NEC) visits Merrimack College on Saturday at 3 p.m.
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