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The Game

Stonehill hosts Merrimack College for a Northeast Conference matchup on Paula Sullivan Court at Merkert Gymnasium tonight in a matchup being broadcast live on ESPN+ through the NEC's television package. The Skyhawks are aiming to bounce back from three-straight setbacks after Saturday's 61-48 loss to St. Francis Brooklyn here at Merkert and finish their inaugural Division I season strong. The Warriors are among the hottest teams in the NEC with five wins over their last six games, including Saturday's 67-65 win at Saint Francis University.  

Media Information
Tonight's game will be broadcast live on ESPN+, the worldwide leader's subscription video streaming service with Paul Dottino (play-by-play) and Pam Roecker (analyst) calling the action. Links to the live stream are also available through stonehillskyhawks.com. Campus radio coverage by WSHL 91.3 FM also available with Chris Cassidy and Christopher Robbins on the call.

Last Time Out
Saint Francis Brooklyn shot 54-percent from the floor in the fourth quarter to pull away and notch a 61-48 victory over Stonehill in Northeast Conference action omn Saturday. The setback took some of the shine off a milestone day for Stonehill fifth-year Emily Bramanti (Chelmsford, Mass.) who led the way with nine points, including the 1,000th of her career, to go with three assists and two rebounds. Fifth-year Sophie Glidden (Scarborough, Maine) added seven points, eight rebounds, four assists and a steal for the Skyhawks. Freshman Tyra Myers scored 15 of her game-high 21 points in the second half, including eight of St. Francis Brooklyn's 12 third quarter points, as she finished shooting 8-of-19 from the floor, including 3-for-7 from three-point distance in the win.

Against the Warriors
Tonight marks the 86th meeting all-time between Stonehill and Merrimack and second of two regular season matchups in the Skyhawks inaugural Northeast Conference season. The Skyhawks hold a 69-16 advantage in the all-time series that dates back to at least the 1981-82 season, but the Warriors have won the last two encounters, including an 80-72 victory in North Andover in the first regular season matchup between the two on January 14. Stonehill is 36-6 all-time against Merrimack at Merkert Gym, winning the last two meetings in Easton, including a 62-57 victory here the Warriors last visit on November 28, 2018. Stonehill head coach Trisha Brown is 24-15 all-time against Merrimack, while Warriors head coach Kelly Morrone is 1-0 in her career against the Skyhawks after the January win.

Last Time They Met
Merrimack buried half of its three-point attempts and finished shooting 52.7-percent from the floor to claim an 80-72 victory over Stonehill in NEC action at the Volpe Athletic Complex January 14. Makenzie Bray drained six of Merrimack's ten three-point field goals in the contest on her way to a team-high 22 points on 7-of-12 shooting overall, including 6-for-10 from long range, while adding four rebounds, two assists a blocked shot and a steal. Amaya Staton added 17 points on 5-of-10 shooting, converting 7-of-8 free-throws, with seven rebounds, two assists and two blocks. Stonehill got a career-high 28 points from Maddie Loder (Independence, Minn.) as she made her first six shots in the game, including a trio of three-pointers, on her way to 9-of-13 shooting overall, including 4-for-7 from deep, converting 6-of-7 free-throws and dished out three assists. Loder scored 15 points in the first quarter alone, all coming in the opening six and a half minutes of the frame as the Skyhawks led by as much as seven on three occasions over the first five minutes of the game.

Prime Performer
Fifth-year Emily Bramanti (Chelmsford, Mass.) earned Northeast Conference Prime Performer status for a team-leading ninth time this season on Monday. She averaged 15.5 points, 2.5 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game over two games for the Skyhawks. She made all seven of her free-throw attempts for the week, all coming in Thursday's overtime setback at Saint Francis in which she finished with a game-high 22 points, three rebounds and three assists. Bramanti surpassed the 1,000-point plateau for her career against St. Francis Brooklyn on Saturday, draining three three-pointers, with three assists and two boards. Bramanti, who been named an NEC Prime Performer three-straight week, has collected all nine of her Prime Performer selections, as well as a pair of NEC Player of the Week honors, in the last ten weeks. She is one of four Skyhawks to be named an NEC Prime Performer in Stonehill's first season in the Conference, along with postgrad Maddie Loder (Independence, Minn.), fifth-year Sophie Glidden (Scarborough, Maine) and senior Mia Kelly (South Hadley, Mass.) in earning the recognition with two selections apiece.

NEC Prime performers:
Nov. 14: Maddie Loder
Nov. 28: Sophie Glidden
Dec. 5: Emily Bramanti & Mia Kelly
Dec. 12: Emily Bramanti
Dec. 19: Emily Bramanti
Dec. 26: Emily Bramanti & Mia Kelly
Jan. 3: Emily Bramanti & Sophie Glidden
Jan. 9: Emily Bramanti
Jan. 18: Maddie Loder
Jan. 23: Emily Bramanti
Jan. 30: Emily Bramanti
Feb. 6: Emily Bramanti

Milestone Day
Stonehill fifth-year Emily Bramanti (Chelmsford, Mass.) became Stonehills' 35th 1,000-point scorer against St. Francis Brooklyn on Saturday with her first of three three-pointers on the afternoon 1:15 into the second quarter. Her nine points on Saturday give her 1,006 points in 103 career games played and is Stonehill's first 1,000-point scorer since former teammate and All-American Kayla Raymond '22 reached the milestone against Saint Anselm at Merkert Gym on February 5, 2022. Bramanti enters tonight's game nine points behind Bethany Tighe, '09 (1,015) for 34th all-time and an average night from climbing as far up Stonehill's career scoring list as 33rd (Courtney Walsh, '18 - 1,023).

Top Ten Treys
Fifth-year Emily Bramanti (Chelmsford, Mass.) took over sole possession of tenth place on Stonehill's all-time list with 148 career three-point field goals after connecting on three against St. Francis Brooklyn on Saturday. She moved past All-American Kelly Martin, '18 (145) and enters tonight's game one three-pointer behind Mary Louise Dixon, '14 (149) for ninth all-time. Amy Pelletier, '15 buried a school-record 267 three-pointers over her four-year career at Stonehill.

They are Free. Throws.
Stonehill leads the NEC in free-throw percentage in Conference play, converting at 73.5-percent in league play. The Skyhawks rank third among Conference leaders overall at 71.5-percent for the season. Stonehill features three players among the top ten among NEC free-throw shooting leaders this season, with postgrad Maddie Loder (Independence, Minn.) ranked third at 83.6-percent (46-55) to lead the way. Senior Mia Kelly (South Hadley, Mass.) is ranked ninth at 73% (46-63), while fifth-year Emily Bramanti (Chelmsford, Mass.) ranks tenth at 72.5% (58-80) - third among players with 80-plus attempts. Bramanti is tied for second among NEC free-throw shooters in NEC play, shooting 85.7% (30-35), while Loder is ranked sixth at 84.4% (27-32) - third among those with 30-plus attempts.

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.

Getting Social
Fans and media members of Stonehill athletics have multiple social media outlets to get updates on all 21 varsity programs. The department's Facebook page is www.facebook.com/stonehillskyhawks, and you can also follow @GoStonehill on Twitter and @stonehillskyhawks via Instagram!  Stonehill women's basketball is also on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/StonehillCollegeWomensBasketball, Twitter and Instagram by following @stonehillwbb. You can even follow head coach Trisha Brown on Twitter via @CoachTB_SC.

Up Next
Stonehill is right back in action on Saturday, when it visits Saint Francis College of Brooklyn for the second matchup with the Terriers within a week at 1 p.m. The Skyhawks return to Merkert Gym, where they will play their final three games of the season, on Saturday, February 18, to host Central Connecticut State for an NEC matchup and their WBCA Play 4 Kay Game at 2 p.m.