Sims and Burnett combine for 44 points, led by Sims career-best 30, in third-straight home win

Sims made 10-of-12 free-throws and 9-of-10 shots from the floor on his way to a career-high 30 points, including 24 in the second half. (PHOTO BY Ryan Feeney)

EASTON, Mass. (February 11, 2023) – Stonehill College shot 52.4-percent in the second half and took advantage of 17 Saint Francis College of Brooklyn turnovers in recording a 62-51 bounce back win in Northeast Conference men's basketball action on Paula Sullivan Court at Merkert Gymnasium this afternoon.

Fifth-years Andrew Sims and Isaiah Burnett combined for 44 points to lead Stonehill to its third-straight home win and reclaim a position atop the NEC standings, along with Merrimack College, with three games remaining. Sims powered the Skyhawks with a career-high 30 points on 9-of-10 shooting from the floor, including 2-for-3 from three-point distance, while converting 10-of-12 free-throws to go with seven rebounds. Burnett filled the box score with 14 points, five steals, four rebounds, two assists and a blocked shot. Postgrad Max Zegarowski chipped in with eight points, five boards and two steals.

Junior Josiah Harris led St. Francis Brooklyn with a double-double of 15 points and ten rebounds, finishing 5-of-9 from the floor and 5-for-6 from the line, with three assists. Freshman Zion Bethea added 11 points and three rebounds.

Stonehill grabbed a seven-point lead (11-4) behind five different scorers over the opening five minutes and largely maintained that margin through a first half in which both teams shot under 30-percent from the floor, and each made just 1-of-10 three-point tries. The Skyhawks would lead by as much as ten in the half (20-10) after two Sims free-throws with 4:48 left in the frame, and again after a pair of Zegarowski free-throws two and a half minutes later.

Burnett added 14 points, five steals and four rebounds for the Skyhawks (PHOTO BY Ryan Feeney)

Stonehill took an eight-point lead into halftime (23-15) and St. Francis Brooklyn outscored the Skyhawks 7-2 over the first three minutes of the second half, including four from junior Roy Clarke to draw back within three (25-22) after a layup from senior Tedrick Wilcox, Jr.. The Skyhawks responded with a 14-4 run, keyed by seven points from Sims and a Burnett triple, to grab a 13-point lead (39-26) with 13:19 to go.

Stonehill's lead was still 13 (47-34) after a Burnett three midway through the half, when St. Francis scored eight of the next nine points to pull back within six (48-42) after a Harris floater inside with 4:29 remaining. The Terriers drew within four (52-48) after a Harris dunk with 1:45 left, but Sims buried a backbreaking three-pointer with the shot clock expiring to quell the rally and send the hosts on to the win as the Skyhawks made all eight free-throws in the closing 53-seconds to outscore the visitors 10-3 down the stretch to seal their sixth win over the last eight games. 

Noteworthy

• Stonehill took advantage of 17 St. Francis Brooklyn turnovers, posting a 16-8 advantage in points off, while committing just eight turnovers themselves, finishing with a 13-0 advantage in fastbreak points.
• Sims (9) and Burnett (7) combined to draw 16 of the 23 fouls whistled on St. Francis Brooklyn.
• Sims posts the second 30-point game of the season for Stonehill (Burnett vs. Holy Cross, 11/19), with his team-leading eighth 20-plus point game of the year (16^th career).
• Sims also cracks the Top 30 on Stonehill's career scoring list with 1,129 points in his 100^th career game, moving past Dezmond Morgan, '05 (1,119) and Art Horan, '71 (1,121), into 29^th all-time.
• Burnett has multiple steals in nine-straight games and 24 of Stonehill's 28 games overall, having recorded at least one steal in all 28 and 34-straight games dating back to last season. He leads the country with 81 steals this season – the most by a Stonehill player since the NCAA started tracking season steal totals in 1992-93.
• Stonehill completes the regular season series sweep with St. Francis Brooklyn in the first two meetings all-time between the two. It marks the second series sweep in the Skyhawks inaugural NEC season.

Up Next
Stonehill (13-15, 9-4 NEC) returns to action on Thursday, when it hosts LIU for Senior Night at Merkert Gym at 7 p.m. St. Francis Brooklyn (13-13, 6-7 NEC) hosts Saint Francis (Pa.) University on Thursday at 2 p.m.

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