Skyhawks post fifth-straight NEC win to move atop Conference standings
Zegarowski shares team-lead with 17 points, including 1000^th of career

Zegarowski led the Skyhawks with 17 points, including the 1000th of his career, adding a team-high seven rebounds (PHOTO BY Jim Pierce)

BROOKLYN, N.Y. (February 4, 2023) – Stonehill College posted its fifth-straight Northeast Conference win with a 65-59 decision over St. Francis College of Brooklyn to move atop the NEC standings at The ARC at Pratt Institute this afternoon.

Postgrad Max Zegarowski shared the team lead for Stonehill with 17 points on 5-of-10 shooting, converting all six free-throw attempts, including the 1,000^th point of his career, with a team-high seven rebounds. Fifth-year Andrew Sims also finished with 17 points on 6-of-16 shooting, converting 4-of-5 free-throws, with five assists, a season-high three blocked shots and two rebounds. Fifth-year Shamir Johnson rounded out the Skyhawks in double-figures with ten points, draining both of his three-point tries, off the bench, while classmate Josh Mack chipped in nine points and six boards.

Senior Tedrick Wilcox, Jr. led St. Francis Brooklyn with 17 points on 6-of-12 shooting, three rebounds, three assists, two steals and a blocked shot. Freshman Zion Bethea totaled 15 points off the bench for the Terriers, connecting on 4-of-10 three-pointers, with three rebounds, while junior Josiah Harris pulled down a game-high ten rebounds, including seven on the offensive glass, with eight points.

Stonehill turned in another solid defensive effort, holding St. Francis Brooklyn scoreless for a 14-minute stretch wrapped around halftime, and 33.9-percent shooting while the Skyhawks connected on 46% of its shots, converting 14-of-15 (93.3%) free-throws to secure the win. The Terriers stayed in the game with ten three-point field goals (10-for-23), including eight in the second half, and a 17-8 advantage in second chance points, keyed largely by Harris' seven offensive boards out of 16 for the hosts.

Sims also scored a team-high 17 points, dishing out five assists and blocking a season-high three shots. (PHOTO BY Jim Pierce)

St. Francis took advantage of a slow start for Stonehill, scoring the first seven points of the game, including five from freshman D'Andre Howell-South, over the first three minutes. The Terriers lead was still five (18-13) after a layup from Wilcox, Jr., with 8:42 to play in the opening half, but the Skyhawks scored the final 12 points of the half, including four from Sims, to take a seven-point lead into halftime. Zegarowski's 1,000^th career point, off a nifty backdoor pass from postgrad Cole Bergen with 33-seconds remaining, closed out the first half scoring.

Stonehill extended its run to 25-0 with the first 13 points of the second half, sparked by a Sims three-pointer, and led by four points apiece from Zegarowski and junior Thatcher Stone, to open a 20-point cushion on a layup by fifth-year Isaiah Burnett four and a half minutes into the frame.

Junior Roy Clarke snapped a nearly 14-minute scoring drought for St. Francis Brooklyn with a three-pointer with 14:54 to play. The Terriers chipped away at the lead and was able to pull within seven (44-37) after a Bethea triple with 9:18 still on the clock. Stonehill restored a 13-point cushion (53-40) after a Johnson layup two minutes later, but the Terriers made one final push, drawing within four (61-57) after two Harris free-throws with 27-seconds on the clock. The Skyhawks sealed the win at the line from there, with free-throws from Burnett and Zegarowski.

Noteworthy

• Zegarowski finished the night with 1,010 points in 86 career games during time at three different institutions. He scored eight points in five games played at Lynn (Fla.) University in 2018-19, 677 points in 55 career games over three seasons at Franklin Pierce University and 325 points in 26 games this season at Stonehill.
• Zegarowski scored in double-figures for the 17^th game this season (52^nd career), leading Stonehill in scoring and rebounding for the sixth time each.
• Burnett finished with three steals, giving him 13 over the last three games, and multiple steals for the seventh-straight game and 22^nd game this season overall, including 13 with three-plus. He has now posted at least one steal in all 26 games this season and 32-straight dating back to last season. He leads Division I basketball with his 74 steals.
• Sims' 17 points move him into 32^nd place on Stonehill's career scoring list with 1,095 points in 98 career games, past Jamal Gomes, '95 (1,082) and Henry Jackson, '73 (1,090). Sims enters the Skyhawks next game 24 points shy of cracking the program's top 30 (Dezmond Morgan, '05 – 1,119 pts).
• Sims has scored in double-figures in 22 of his 25 games played this season (50 career) and has led Stonehill in scoring ten times (20 career).
• Stonehill took over sole possession of first place in the NEC standings with five games to play, a half game ahead of Fairleigh Dickinson (7-3). While the Skyhawks are ineligible for the NEC Tournament until 2025, they are eligible to claim the regular season crown, which was last done by a first-year transitioning NCAA Division I team in 2019-20 by Merrimack College (14-4).
• Stonehill got 21 of its 65 points (32.3%) from its three players that came off the bench, including a combined 19 from Johnson and Mack.
• Stonehill has won five-straight Conference games for the first time since the 2014-15 season.

Up Next

Stonehill (12-14, 8-3 NEC) returns to action on Thursday, when it visits Merrimack College for an NEC matchup at 7 p.m. The Skyhawks next home game is next Saturday, February 11, when it hosts St. Francis Brooklyn at 2 p.m. The Terriers (12-12, 5-6 NEC) hosts Wagner College on Thursday at 2 p.m.

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