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The Game
Stonehill College looks to bounce back after seeing its five-game NEC win streak halted that saw the Skyhawks rise to the top of the Northeast Conference standings as it hosts Saint Francis College of Brooklyn for a Conference clash at Merkert Gymnasium this afternoon. The Skyhawks have slipped back to a half game adrift in the NEC standings, having now won five of seven after Thursday night's 56-43 setback at Merrimack College, while the Terriers have won four of five after Thursday's 64-62 overtime triumph over Wagner College, with the lone loss to Stonehill in Brooklyn last Saturday.

Hope Happens Here Mental Health Awareness Game
Stonehill men's basketball has partnered with Hope Happens Here to sponsor today's Mental Health Awareness Game. Hope Happens Here is a student athlete-led movement that aims to promote mental health awareness and mental wellbeing on college campuses, in particular for student-athletes. Hope Happens Here, along with the Stonehill Athletic Department strives to contest the negative stigma that surrounds athletes' mental health in order to create a more open welcoming community conversation that prioritizes athletes' mental health and overall wellbeing. HHH launched through the Saint Michael's College Athletic Department through ice hockey student-athletes Justin McKLenzie and Daniel Divis in September of 2015. Hope Happens Here has spread to multiple college campuses across the east.   

Media Information
This afternoon's game is being broadcast live on SkyhawksVision and NEC Front Row. Charlie Bergeron (PBP) and Brian Buckley (analyst) have the call of the action. The broadcast can be accessed via stonehillskyhawks.com through its NEC Front Row portal (necfrontrow.com/schools/SC) or through Apple TV, Android TV, Amazon Fire TV and Roku via the NEC On the Run App. Campus radio coverage by WSHL 91.3 FM also available locally.

Last Time Out
Merrimack held Stonehill to a season-low scoring output and increased the logjam atop the Northeast Conference standings with a 56-43 victory on Bert Hammel Court inside the Volpe Athletic Complex. Senior Jordan Minor led three from Merrimack in double-figures with a double-double performance of 16 points and ten rebounds, with three assists and two blocked shots. Classmate Ziggy Reid added 13 points, aided by 7-for-8 shooting from the free-throw line, with seven rebounds and three blocks, while freshman Javon Bennett totaled ten points, four steals, two assists and two boards. Junior Thatcher Stone (Winchester, Mass.) was the lone Stonehill player in double-figures with ten points and five rebounds, while postgrad Cole Bergan (Aberdeen, S.D.) contributed a season-high eight points on 3-of-5 shooting, with four rebounds and two blocked shots.

Against the Terriers
This afternoon marks the second meeting all-time between the two programs - both of which have come over the last week. Stonehill holds a 1-0 edge in the series after a 65-59 victory in Brooklyn last week.   

Last Time They Met
Stonehill posted its fifth-straight NEC win with a 65-59 decision over St. Francis Brooklyn at The ARC just seven days ago. Postgrad Max Zegarowski (South Hamilton, Mass.) shared the team lead for Stonehill with 17 points on 5-of-10 shooting, converting all six free-throw attempts, including the 1,000th point of his career, with a team-high seven rebounds. Fifth-year Andrew Sims (Mount Laurel, N.J.) 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. 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. Stonehill turned in another solid defensive effort, holding St. Francis Brooklyn scoreless for a 14-minute stretch wrapped around halftime, while the Skyhawks connected on 46% of its shots, converting 14-of-15 (93.3%) free-throws to secure the win.

Sims

Burnett

Prime Performers
Stonehill fifth-years Andrew Sims (Mount Laurel, N.J.) and Isaiah Burnett (Annapolis, Md.) were both named Prime Performers by the Northeast Conference on Monday. Sims averaged 17.0 points on 50-percent shooting (13-for-26), including 3-for-4 from three-point range, with 3.0 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game in the Skyhawks 1-1 week. He posted his seventh 20-point game of the season with a game-high matching 23 points on 9-of-13 shooting in Saturday's 82-81 win over Sacred Heart after totaling 11 points at Hartford on Wednesday, connecting on all three shots from three, with three rebounds and three assists. Burnett averaged 13.5 points on 40.9% (9-22) shooting, with 4.5 rebounds, 4.0 assists, 2.5 steals and 1.5 blocked shots per game for the week for Stonehill. He stuffed the boxscore in Saturday's win over Sacred Heart with a game-high tying 23 points on 8-of-15 shooting, including 4-for-9 from three, to go along with six rebounds, four assists, two blocks and two steals. Sims leads the Skyhawks with seven Prime Performer selections, while Burnett has been honored for the sixth time this season. Postgrad Max Zegarowski (South Hamilton, Mass.) has earned Prime Performer status twice this season, while fifth-year Shamir Johnson (Waterbury, Conn.) is the fourth Skyhawk to earn the recognition this year with his first pick last week.

NEC Prime Performers:
Nov. 14: Andrew Sims & Isaiah Burnett
Nov. 21: Isaiah Burnett
Nov. 28: Andrew Sims
Dec. 5: Andrew Sims & Max Zegarowski
Dec. 12: Isaiah Burnett
Dec. 19: Andrew Sims
Jan. 2: Andrew Sims & Isaiah Burnett
Jan. 9: Isaiah Burnett
Jan. 18: Max Zegarowski
Jan. 24: Andrew Sims & Shamir Johnson
Jan. 30: Andrew Sims & Isaiah Burnett

Sims Century Mark
This afternoon marks the 100th career game played for Stonehill fifth-year Andrew Sims (Mount Laurel, N.J.). Sims has started 59 of the 99 games he has played over his collegiate career and has totaled 1,099 points, 482 rebounds, 142 assists, 61 blocked shots and 49 steals. The Skyhawks have posted a 59-53 (.527) record, including a 39-32 (.549) conference record, with an NCAA Division II Tournament bid in 2020.

Sorry Coach
Fifth-year Isaiah Burnett (Annapolis, Md.) has recorded the highest single-season steals total at Stonehill since the NCAA started tracking the statistic in 1992-93 with his NCAA Division I leading 76 thefts. Burnett surpassed the previous Stonehill high of 74 steals by head coach Chris Kraus' 06 from the Skyhawks Elite Eight season in 2005-06. Burnett enters today's game 16 shy of cracking the NEC's all-time single-season steals list. Chipper Morris of Robert Morris procured a Conference-record 133 steals in 1982-83, while LIU's Carey Scurry sits tenth at 92 steals in 1991-92.  

Team of the Week
Stonehill was listed among the NCAA Division I Week 13 Teams of the Week by T3 Bracketology, a daily blog and social media outlet created in 2015 to predict the NCAA March Madness bracket on Selection Sunday. Stonehill was listed as the No. 2 team out of ten "Team of the Week" selections by the website, with Saint Mary's leading the way, and also including Texas (No. 3), Oklahoma State (No. 4), Xavier (No. 7) and Princeton (No. 10). The Skyhawks are coming off a 2-0 week to extend their NEC winning streak to five games.

Eye on the Prize
Stonehill seeks to become the fourth first-year team, and just the second transitioning Division I program, to capture the NEC regular season championship and first since Merrimack did so in its first NCAA Division I season in 2019-20. The Skyhawks slipped from a half game lead atop the NEC standings, to a half game behind after Thursday's games and have four league games remaining.
First-Year NEC Regular Season Champions:
1992-93: Rider (14-4)
1998-99: Maryland-Baltimore County (17-3)
2019-20: Merrimack (14-4) - first year of NCAA I transition period

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.

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 returns to action here at Merkert Gym on Thursday, when it hosts LIU for Senior Night at 7 p.m.