EASTON, Mass. (February 29, 2024) – Stonehill College men's basketball fell in its home finale at Merkert Gym to Sacred Heart, 79-51, setting up a win-or-go-home final game on Saturday to secure the final spot in the Northeast Conference playoffs.
The Skyhawks currently sit in ninth place and after splitting the regular season series with the eighth-seeded Saint Francis Red Flash, need a win Saturday against Central Connecticut State to overtake SFU in the NEC standings.
LEADERS
- Graduate student Max Zegarowski (South Hamilton, Mass.) made his final appearance at Merkert Gym in his decorated college career, leading the Skyhawks with 14 points, seven rebounds and two assists in 37 minutes.
- Sophomore Chas Stinson (Charlotte, N.C.) matched a career-high of two blocks to lead Stonehill.
- Aidan Carpenter led all scorers with 17 points on 7-13 shooting as six different Pioneers reached double-figure scoring.
- Sacred Heart big man Alex Sobel finished with a double-double, notching 12 points and 11 rebounds while Nico Galette also recorded a double-double for the Pioneers with 11 points and 10 boards.
FIRST HALF
- Stonehill started the game 0-16 from the field as Sacred Heart jumped out to an early 17-4 lead before senior Jackson Benigni (East Hampton, Conn.) knocked down a three-pointer just over halfway through the first 20 minutes of action.
- The Benigni three ignited a 12-3 run for the Skyhawks as they made it a four-point game, 20-16, despite the slow start on the offensive side of the ball.
- The Pioneers countered the Skyhawk run, scoring the next 11 points before closing out the final seven minutes of the first half on a 19-5 run, leading 39-21 at the break.
- Sacred Heart shot 50% (16-32) from the field in the first half while Stonehill hit at a 20.6% (7-34) clip.
SECOND HALF
- Sophomore Tony Felder (Brockton, Mass.) and Benigni hit a pair of threes to open the second half, cutting the Pioneers' lead down to 16 points, 43-27.
- Zegarowski sunk back-to-back threes to keep Stonehill within 20 points of Sacred Heart, 52-33, but the Pioneers continued to shoot the ball well, not allowing the Skyhawks to cut into their lead.
- Sacred Heart closed out the game, winning 79-51 thanks to a 53.3% (32-60) shooting night while also shooting 55% (11-20) from deep.
NOTEWORTHY
- Stonehill is now 13-24 in 37 games played against Sacred Heart all-time. After the Skyhawks won the first two meetings a year ago as a new member of the NEC, the Pioneers swept the 2023-24 regular season series with two wins this year.
- Stonehill is now in a win-or-go-home situation on Saturday as the Skyhawks travel to CCSU looking to sneak into the final NEC playoff spot.
- With a win on Saturday, Stonehill would overtake Saint Francis if the Red Flash drop their season finale against Le Moyne, setting up a first-round matchup with the NEC regular season champs, Merrimack, on March 6.
- Senior Will Rywolt (Barrington, R.I.) scored a career-high five points with a three-pointer in the closing minutes of the game.
UP NEXT
- Stonehill closes out the 2023-24 regular season with a trip to New Britain, Conn. to take on Central Connecticut State at 1 p.m. on Saturday, March 2.
Tickets for the 2023-24 men's and women's basketball season are on sale now and can be purchased at stonehillskyhawks.com/tickets.
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.
