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The Game
Stonehill College turns the page to its non-conference schedule to open its second season in the Northeast Conference with a two-game weekend road trip starting in Brooklyn this afternoon with a matchup at Long Island University at the Steinberg Wellness Center. The Skyhawks are still in search of their first win of their second NCAA Division I season after a 72-49 setback to Fairfield University, ranked No. 18 in the College Insider Mid-Major Poll, and take aim at winning their NEC opener for the second-straight year. The Sharks are also aiming to turn the page from their non-conference slate and halt a run of five-straight setbacks, including a 58-54 decision at NJIT on New Year's Eve, by winning their NEC opener for the first time since the 2017-18 season and collect their second win of the campaign.

Media Information
This afternoon's game will be broadcast live via NEC Front Row with Pat Boyle calling the action for the LIU production. The broadcast can be accessed via stonehillskyhawks.com through its NEC Front Row portal (necfrontrow.com/schools/SC) or through Apple TV, Android TV, Amazon Fire TV and Roku via the NEC On the Run App.

Last Time Out
Fairfield connected on nine three-pointers and outscored Stonehill by 20 points in the paint in securing a 72-49 victory at Merkert Gymnasium last Saturday. Fairfield, which entered the game with an NCAA NET ranking of No. 72, was led by a game-high 17 points from Meghan Andersen on 6-of-10 shooting, including 2-for-4 from three-point distance, with five rebounds, two steals and two blocked shots. MacKenzie Daleba was the only other double-figure scorer for a balanced Stags effort with 14 points off the bench on 6-of-9 shooting with three blocked shots and two steals. Stonehill placed three in double-figures for the fourth time this season – its first since November 19 at Niagara University – led by a season-high 14 points from freshman Brooke Paquette (Hudson, N.H.), including ten in the second half, on 4-of-9 shooting, converting 5-of-7 free-throws by drawing a game-high ten fouls, with two assists, a rebound and steal. Senior Cameron Ward (Bound Brook, N.J.) made her first start since last January and added a season-best 11 points with three rebounds and two steals, while junior Sharn Hayward (Penguin, Tasmania) tallied 12 points, three rebounds and two steals.

Against the Sharks
This afternoon marks the third meeting all-time between the two programs. Stonehill and LIU split the regular season series between the two during the Skyhawks inaugural Division I season last winter with each winning at home. Stonehill posted a 56-49 victory over LIU at Merkert Gymnasium in Easton, Massachusetts, last January 21, while the Sharks answered with a 78-72 decision here at the Steinberg Wellness Center on February 18. Stonehill head coach Trisha Brown is 1-1 all-time against the Sharks, while LIU head coach Rene Haynes is also 1-1 against the Skyhawks.

Last Time They Met
LIU shot over 53-percent from the field and took advantage of turnovers to secure a 78-72 victory over Stonehill in NEC action at Steinberg Wellness Center on February 16, 2023. Ashley Austin led LIU to a second-straight win with 25 points, including 17 in the first half, on 10-of-18 shooting, with four assists. Emaia O'Brien added 17 points off the bench on 5-of-7 shooting, canning both three-pointers and all five free-throw attempts off the bench, while Cristina Bermejo contributed 16 points, three rebounds, four assists and six steals. Sophie Glidden scored 20 of her career-high 26 points in the second half, finishing 11-for-16 from the floor, with nine rebounds, three assists and three blocked shots. She was 8-for-10 from the floor in the second half to lead a Stonehill team that shot 50-percent (15-for-30) after halftime. Maddie Loder added 15 points, connecting on 3-of-6 three-pointers, with a season-high six assists.

For Openers
Stonehill is 12-7 in Conference openers dating back through the start of the 2003-04 season after taking its Northeast Conference debut with a 73-66 victory at Central Connecticut State University last January. The Skyhawks dropped three of its last four Northeast-10 openers prior to elevating to Division I status last year, having lost three-straight Conference openers on the road. Stonehill is 6-5 in its last 11 Conference openers.

On This Date
Stonehill has dropped its last two games played on January 6, including a 56-52 decision to Saint Francis University in the Skyhawks first NEC home game last season. The Skyhawks last January 6 victory came with a 77-67 win at Southern Connecticut State University in 2010.

Back to Brooklyn
Stonehill sophomore transfer Paige Martin (Hastings-on-Hudson, N.Y.) is the Skyhawks lone New York native on the roster and returns to Brooklyn for the first time since transferring to Stonehill from St. Francis-Brooklyn down the street from LIU after the Terriers dropped their athletic program at the conclusion of the 2022-23 academic year. Martin played 13 games for the Terriers as a freshman, scoring a point with a season-high five rebounds in seven minutes against the Sharks here at the Steinberg Wellness Center last January 28.

Preseason Prognostications
Stonehill has been picked to finish fifth in its second trip around the Northeast Conference by the league's head coaches in its preseason poll announced at the Conference's Social Media Day at the Prudential Center in Newark in October. Defending NEC Tournament Champions Sacred Heart University is the unanimous choice to capture the regular season title with all nine first place votes, followed by No. 2 Merrimack, No. 3 Wagner, defending regular season champions FDU at No. 4 and Stonehill. LIU follows the Skyhawks at No. 6, with Saint Francis No. 7, NEC newcomer Le Moyne No. 8 and No. 9 Central Connecticut State.

Tourney Time
Stonehill, winners of six Northeast-10 Conference Championships prior to elevating its program to NCAA Division I status in 2022, will have the opportunity to compete for a Northeast Conference title for the first time this season after the NEC presidents voted to waive the two-year waiting period in automatic qualifier sports at their June meetings. The Skyhawks remain NCAA Tournament ineligible until the 2026-27 season.

Rookie of the Week
Stonehill freshman guard Brooke Paquette (Hudson, N.H.) was named the Northeast Conference Rookie of the Week by the league office on Tuesday. Paquette collects Stonehill's first NEC Rookie of the Week honor after scoring a team and season-high 14 points in Saturday's matchup with Fairfield University, ranked No. 18 in the College Insider Mid-Major poll and No. 72 in the NCAA NET rankings. She scored ten points in the second half and finished shooting 4-for-9 from the field, including 1-of-2 three-pointers, converting 5-of-7 free-throws after drawing a game-high ten fouls. Paquette also tallied two assists, a rebound and steal in the matchup with the Stags to close out the Skyhawks non-conference schedule. She is the first Stonehill freshman to earn Rookie of the Week honors since former All-American Kayla Raymond, '22 was a program-record nine-time honoree in the Northeast-10 Conference during the 2018-19 season. It also marks the Skyhawks first weekly recognition of any kind during the 2023-24 season.

Right There
12 of Stonehill's 16 NEC games in its inaugural Division I season were decided by eight points or less, including four of its five Conference wins and five of its last six games after the Skyhawks were edged by NEC regular season champions FDU 63-61 at Merkert Gym in their season finale in March.

NEC Debut Wins
Stonehill is one of eight women's programs among ten Northeast Conference newcomers since the league was formed as the ECAC-Metro in 1981 to record a win in its NEC debut game after its 73-66 victory at Central Connecticut State last January. The Skyhawks joined Bryant (2009), Sacred Heart (2000), Quinnipiac (1998), CCSU (1998), Rider (1983), Mount Saint Mary's (1990) and Monmouth (1985) in posting NEC debut wins.

Let's Make it Two!
Stonehill is one of just four NEC newcomers to win their debut games on both the men's and women's side after the Stonehill women notched a 73-66 victory in their Conference opener at Central Connecticut State, coupled with the men's 74-67 win at Sacred Heart on December 29. Stonehill is the first since Quinnipiac won both openers in 1998, also joining Rider (1992-93) and Monmouth (1985-86).  

Making the Jump
Two Stonehill players rank among NEC leaders in raising their scoring average from a year ago, having taken more of an offensive role this season with the departure of four starters from last year. Senior Jada Thornton (Germantown, Md.), who ranks 15th among NEC scoring leaders leads the Conference with a +7.2 points per game scoring average bump from last season, while junior Sharn Hayward (Penguin, Tasmania) is ranked fourth with a +4.4 points per game rise. Below is a list of players who have boosted their scoring averages at least 3.0 points per game from last season.

Name                  Team    22-23 ppg    23-24 ppg    change
Jada Thornton     STO         1.7               8.9             +7.2
Abby Conklin         FDU          3.4                9.5             +6.1
Rakisha Ballinger    WC          3.6                8.4              +4.8
Sharn Hayward   STO        2.4                6.8              +4.4
Amaya Staton       MC           8.6              12.1              +3.5

Delayed Debut
Stonehill postgrad Lauren Sampson (Waltham, Mass.), a transfer from Providence College, made her much awaited Skyhawks debut against Fairfield last Saturday and didn't disappoint. She provided a spark off the bench with eight first half points, two rebounds and an assist, connecting on 2-of-9 shots, including 1-for-2 from three, and converted all three free-throws in 15-minutes of play.

Welcome Back Cam
Stonehill senior captain Cameron Ward (Bound Brook, N.J.) made her first start of the season against Fairfield last weekend, marking her first start in 363 days at Central Connecticut State last January 2, 2023, in the Skyhawks NEC debut. Ward posted her first double-figure scoring game of the season with a season-best 11 points against the Stags with three rebounds and two steals. She made her first appearance of the season at UAlbany on December 16, playing four minutes off the bench and collecting a steal. It marked her first game action in 348 days following a mid-year injury last appearing in the Skyhawks 73-66 win at Central Connecticut State University in their NEC debut. Stonehill was 5-5 in Ward's ten starts last season, capping her 2022-23 season with back-to-back double-figure games, including 12 points and eight rebounds in the CCSU win.

Lights, Camera, Action!
Both Stonehill women's basketball matchups with Saint Francis have been selected by the Northeast Conference to appear in the Conference's 2023-24 basketball broadcast schedule the league announced last week. Stonehill will host Saint Francis at Merkert Gym for an NEC matchup on Thursday, January 25, at 6 p.m., in a game that will now be broadcast live on ESPN+, as well as the Skyhawks return NEC matchup with the Red Flash in Loretto, Pennsylvania, on Saturday, February 24, at 4 p.m. It marks the first time in the Skyhawks two-year history with the NEC that it will have two games included in the Conference's ESPN+ package and the second-straight year it will host a game in the broadcast package after hosting Merrimack College in an ESPN+ clash at Merkert Gymnasium last February. The two Stonehill/Saint Francis matchups are among 12 women's games included in the NEC 25-game basketball broadcasting package for the 2023-24 season – 23 of which will be broadcast on ESPN platforms. The two games add to five Stonehill women's games scheduled for ESPN digital platforms this season, including today's game at George Washington on ESPN+.

Inside the Roster
Stonehill head coach Trisha Brown returns five letterwinners, including just one starter and no regular starters, from its inaugural NCAA Division I season in 2022-23.
Stonehill's roster includes:
• Three Division I transfers, including two postgraduate transfers in Anna Boruta (Vienna, Austra) from Northeastern and Lauren Sampson (Waltham, Mass.) from Providence, as well as sophomore Paige Martin (Hastings-on-Hudson, N.Y.) from St. Francis-Brooklyn.
• Three players who combined to start 16 games last season, including senior Cameron Ward (Bound Brook, N.J.), who started ten of 14 games before being sidelined by injury.
• A program-record three international student-athletes.
• Two postgrads, two seniors, two juniors, two sophomores and six freshmen.

Tourney Time
Stonehill, winners of six Northeast-10 Conference Championship prior to elevating its program to NCAA Division I status in 2022, will have the opportunity to compete for a Northeast Conference title for the first time this season after the NEC presidents voted to waive the two-year waiting period in automatic qualifier sports at their June meetings. The Skyhawks remain NCAA Tournament ineligible until the 2026-27 season.

Celebrating 75 Years
Stonehill College, founded in 1948 is celebrating its 75th Anniversary during the 2023-24 academic year. In September 1948, some 134 students — many of whom were veterans from World War II — gathered with the eight teachers who would serve as their faculty to celebrate Mass at the Chapel in Donahue Hall. That small gathering of students and teachers marked the beginning of Stonehill College. The College kicked off its 75th Anniversary Celebration with a Jubilee Mass during Family Weekend in September, followed by music, games, food trucks and beer garden.

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 wraps up the opening weekend of the Northeast Conference season at Central Connecticut State University on Monday at 4 p.m. The Skyhawks NEC home opener is next Saturday, January 13, when they host FDU at Merkert Gym at 2 p.m.