Jackson Benigni finishes at the rim en route to 14 point performance off the bench in the Skyhawks home opening win. (PHOTO BY Bob Blanchard)

Three Skyhawks score in double figures led by Zegarowski's 21 points in home opener

EASTON, Mass. (November 9, 2023) – Graduate student Max Zegarowski (South Hamilton, Mass.) knocked down six three-pointers, leading Stonehill men's basketball to a 57-44 win over Army West Point in its home opener at Merkert Gymnasium Thursday night.

LEADERS

• Zegarowski was lights out from beyond the arc in the Skyhawks' home opener, cashing in on six baskets from long range en route to a game-high 21 points. The graduate student also corralled a team-high eight rebounds.
• Senior Jackson Benigni (East Hampton, Conn.) led all bench scorers with 14 points on 7 for 12 shooting (58.3%).
• Sophomore Tony Felder (Brockton, Mass.) was the main facilitator for Stonehill as he dished out a team-high five assists.
• Junior Shane O'Dell (Schenectady, N.Y.) made his Stonehill debut Thursday night, leading the Skyhawks with two steals on the defensive end.
• Army West Point was led by Jared Cross who tallied 11 points for the Black Knights.
• Charlie Peterson grabbed a game-high nine rebounds for Army West Point in the loss.

FIRST HALF

• A steal from freshman Louie Semona (Cincinnati, Ohio) got the Skyhawks out and running as the newcomer O'Dell finished a layup on the other end for the first two points of the game.
• After a Zegarowski three-pointer, Stonehill's offense stalled as the Black Knights took a 6-5 lead before Benigni came off the bench to score the next six points, putting the Skyhawks back out in front 11-6 with just under 14 minutes left to play in the half.
• Army West Point responded with an 8-0 run as they regained the lead resulting in the two teams trading long-range buckets as Zegarowski tied things up 17-17 with his third three-pointer of the first half.
• Layups from O'Dell and Benigni with just under four minutes to play in the half swung the lead back in favor of the Skyhawks as they went ahead 26-23.
• Stonehill and Army West Point traded baskets at the end of the half, heading to their locker rooms with the Skyhawks ahead 28-25.
• Zegarowski played 19 of the 20 minutes in the first half as he and Benigni led all scorers with 10 points apiece.

SECOND HALF

• Graduate student Pano Pavlidis (Queens, N.Y.) knocked down a three-point shot from the right wing to get things going for the Skyhawks as they rattled off the first 10 points to start the second half, building a 38-25 lead.
• Zegarowski netted back-to-back long-range field goals followed by a corner three from junior Nathan McGill (Dillsburg, Pa.) to give Stonehill its largest lead of the game at 19 points, 49-30 with 7:55 left in the game.
• Army West Point rallied for the next seven points to pull within 12, 49-37, with a little under four minutes remaining in the non-conference matchup.
• Another pair of layups from O'Dell and Benigni put the game on ice as the Skyhawks led by 14 points, 53-39, with 2:01 left to play.

  Shane O'Dell nets first points at Merkert Gym of the season in Skyhawk debut. (PHOTO BY Bob Blanchard)

• The final score would end up at 57-44 as Stonehill found themselves in familiar territory from a year ago, winning its first game of the season against the Black Knights in back-to-back years.

NOTEWORTHY

• This was the first win in the Skyhawks home opener since November 17, 2021, a 69-50 win over the University of Bridgeport.
• Stonehill improves to 2-0 all-time against Army West Point as the Skyhawks won their first-ever game at the Division I level against the Black Knights last season, 82-77.
• Stonehill has defeated Army West Point at home and on the road now, winning last season's matchup at West Point.
• Zegarowski matched his career-high in three-pointers made with six, a mark he reached two times a season ago. This was also the fourth time in his career as a Skyhawk that he recorded 20+ points.
• Stonehill improves to 3-0 all-time against Patriot League opponents, defeating Holy Cross 81-79 last season.
• Benigni's 14 points came in just his second game at the Division I level, having missed all of last season.
• O'Dell's 10 points marked the first double-digit performance for a Skyhawk in their Stonehill debut since Isaiah Burnett scored 13 points on Nov. 12, 2021, against Bloomfield in his first appearance.

UP NEXT

• Stonehill men's basketball hits the road for their next game, traveling to the XL Center in Hartford, Conn. for a matchup with the #6 University of Connecticut on Saturday, Nov. 11.

Tickets for the 2023-24 men's and women's basketball season are on sale now and can be purchased at stonehillskyhawks.com/tickets. Season ticket options are available including a men's and women's combination pass, valid for all 27 home games this year.

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