LAWRENCEVILLE, N.J. (December 8, 2023) – Stonehill College men's basketball fell on the road at Alumni Gymnasium at Rider University Friday night, 73-56, as they played their second game amidst a three-game road trip.

LEADERS

• Graduate student Max Zegarowski (South Hamilton, Mass.) was Stonehill's leading scorer as he recorded 16 points with three makes from deep. He also led the Skyhawks with two steals on the night.
• Sophomore Tony Felder (Brockton, Mass.) paced Stonehill through the first 20 minutes with seven first-half points, finishing with 12 and tying Zegarowski with two steals.
• Freshman Todd Brogna (Southborough, Mass.) corralled a career-high eight rebounds for the Skyhawks to lead the team.
• T.J. Weeks Jr. led all scorers in the game, notching 16 while hitting a game-high four three-pointers for Rider. He would finish with a double-double, leading all players with 11 rebounds.
• Mervin James scored 15 points to go along with a game-high four blocks for the Broncs.
• Corey McKeithan dished out eight assists and tallied four steals for Rider to lead all players in both categories.

FIRST HALF

• After the Broncs knocked down a three for the first points of the game, a 9-2 run from the Skyhawks gave them the lead as they made four consecutive shots.
• Rider responded with a scoring run of its own during a five-minute span where they took a 19-12 lead as the Broncs outpaced Stonehill 14-3.
• A layup from Brogna ended the Rider run but the Skyhawks missed seven straight shots as the Broncs' lead grew to 14 points, 29-15 with 4:36 remaining in the half.
• Felder and Zegarowski scored on back-to-back possessions for the Skyhawks, netting the final points of the half for Stonehill as they went scoreless over the final 3:32.
• Rider went into the break leading 38-20, shooting 30% (12-40) from the field while Stonehill shot 25% (8-32).

SECOND HALF

• The first eight points of the second half for the Skyhawks came from Zegarowski but Stonehill only cut into its deficit by one point, trailing 45-28 after the first five minutes.
• A three-point basket from Felder followed by a pair of free throws from junior Nathan McGill (Dillsburg, Pa.) made it 45-33 but Rider countered with a 14-3 scoring spree to take its largest lead of the game at 23 points, 59-36.
• Stonehill continued to fight despite the deficit as Brogna sank two free throws and a long-range shot to spur an 8-0 run for the Skyhawks as they found themselves down 15 with 6:09 left to play.
• Freshman Se'yphon Triplett (Springfield, Mass.) was a bright spot for Stonehill over the final six minutes of the game, tallying nine points off the bench.
• The final score would end up at 73-56 as Rider finished the game shooting at a 30% (22-73) clip. The Broncs outrebounded the Skyhawks 55-38 as they grabbed 24 offensive rebounds resulting in 23 second-chance points.
• Stonehill shot 32.1% (18-56) from the floor and 25% (6-24) from long range.

NOTEWORTHY

• Stonehill falls to 0-1 all-time against Rider, this being the first matchup with the Broncs.
• The Skyhawks dropped to 0-2 against Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) opponents this season, falling in an earlier matchup at Quinnipiac on Nov. 26.
• Stonehill is now 1-3 on the year when they shoot a better field goal percentage than its opponent.
• This was the first start of Brogna's young career as he took advantage of the opportunity, putting up a career-high 10 points and a career-high eight rebounds.
• Another freshman, Triplett, notched a career-high nine points with all nine coming in the second half, as well as a career-high five rebounds.
• Junior Neal Marquardt (Rockville Center, N.Y.) set a new career-high with six rebounds, all in the second half.
• Felder has scored 11+ points in eight straight games now for the Skyhawks, the most such games on the team.
• Zegarowski has now scored 15+ points in six games this year, the most 15-point games for Stonehill.

UP NEXT

• Stonehill concludes its three-game road trip at the University of New Hampshire on Monday, Dec. 11 for a 7 p.m. matchup at Lundholm Gymnasium.

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.

For the latest on Stonehill Athletics, follow the Skyhawks via social media on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. Fans can also download the Stonehill Skyhawks "Front Row" mobile app, powered by PrestoSports, on iTunes and the Android Market.