Live Video

Live Stats

Ticket Information (Available game day at DeGol Arena)
General Admission Adult: $10.00
General Admission Student (ages 5 & up): $5.00

The Game
Stonehill College hits the road for its lone contest of the week as it visits Saint Francis University for a Northeast Conference matchup at DeGol Arena that will be broadcast live on ESPN+ and SportsNet Pittsburgh through the Conference's broadcast package. The Skyhawks seek their first road win of the season and to put a stop to a five-straight defeats after a 55-44 setback to Le Moyne College at Merkert Gymnasium last Saturday, while the Red Flash have dropped two-straight after Thursday's 72-57 setback here to Merrimack College on the heels of back-to-back wins to start the month.  

Media Information
This afternoon's game will be broadcast live on ESPN+, on ESPN streaming services on the web and via the ESPN App across smartphones, tablets and connected devices, with Craig D'Amico (play-by-play) and Joe DeSantis (analyst) calling the action for the Linacre Media production. Fans can subscribe to ESPN+ for just $10.99 a month (or $109.99 per year) at ESPN.com, ESPNplus.com or on the ESPN App. It is also available as part of The Disney Bundle that gives subscribers access to Disney+, ESPN+ and Hulu. The broadcast will also be available regionally on SportsNet Pittsburgh.

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 starting with the 66-57 win at Merkert Gymnasium on January 25. Stonehill's return NEC matchup with the Red Flash in Loretto, Pennsylvania, today will also air on ESPN+ and SportsNet Pittsburgh, marking 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 non-conference games scheduled for ESPN digital platforms this season.

Last Time Out
Le Moyne held off a fourth quarter rally from Stonehill to secure a 55-44 defensive triumph in Northeast Conference action at Merkert Gymnasium. Haedyn Roberts led Le Moyne with a game-high 14 points on 3-of-6 shooting from the floor, draining both three-point attempts, and converting 6-of-7 free-throws off the bench, to go with eight rebounds and two assists. Sydney Lusher added 12 points, six rebounds and two steals, while Lytoya Baker rounded out the Dolphins in double-figures with 11 points and nine boards. Emily Florvil chipped in nine points, seven rebounds and three assists. Freshman Brooke Paquette (Hudson, N.H.) was the lone Stonehill player in double-figures in the scoring column with ten points, while junior Maureen Stapleton (Spring Lake Heights, N.J.) grabbed a game-high ten rebounds to go with eight points on 3-of-4 shooting, including 2-for-3 from three-point distance, and four assists. Senior Cameron Ward (Bound Brook, N.J.) chipped in nine points, six rebounds and two blocked shots.

Against the Red Flash
This afternoon marks the fourth meeting all-time between these two programs - the second here in Loretto at DeGol Arena. Saint Francis holds a 2-1 edge in the all-time series that dates back to Stonehill's inaugural NCAA Division I season last year as members of the Northeast Conference, but the Skyhawks earned a 66-57 victory over the Red Flash in their first regular season matchup in Easton, Massachusetts, on January 25. Saint Francis posted a 71-70 overtime triumph in Stonehill's first visit to DeGol Arena last February. Stonehill head coach Trisha Brown is 1-2 over her career against the Red Flash, while Saint Francis head coach Mary Grimes is 2-1 in her career against the Skyhawks.

Last Time They Met
Stonehill shot 50-percent from the floor in three of the four quarters and connected on 8-of-16 (50%) three-pointers overall in securing a 66-57 triumph over Saint Francis in NEC action at Merkert Gymnasium on January 25. Stonehill earns its third win over the last four games on Paula Sullivan Court on a night head coach Trisha Brown surpassed Sullivan, the program founder, longtime administrator and mentor for most games at the helm of the program. Lauren Sampson (Waltham, Mass.) led three from Stonehill in double-figures with a career-high 23 points on 9-of-15 shooting, including 3-for-5 from three-point distance, to reach double-figures for the sixth-straight game played in 20-minutes off the bench, adding two rebounds, two assists and career-high matching two blocked shots. Destini Ward led a pair of double-figure scorers for Saint Francis with 18 points, six rebounds, two assists and two steals.

Prime Performer
Stonehill senior Cameron Ward (Bound Brook, N.J.) was named a Northeast Conference Prime Performer for the first time in her career by the Conference on Monday. Ward averaged 14.5 points on 47.8-percent shooting (11-for-23) with 7.0 rebounds, 2.5 blocked shots and an assist in 32.6 minutes per game over the Skyhawks two games last week. She opened the week with a career-high 20 points at Merrimack on Thursday on 7-of-12 shooting, including 2-for-3 from three-point range, converting 4-of-5 free-throws, with a team-high eight rebounds and career-best three-blocked shots. Ward chipped in nine points, six rebounds and two blocked shots against Le Moyne on Saturday. She is the fourth Skyhawks to collect NEC Prime Performer status this season, all coming within the last seven weeks, joining classmate Jada Thornton (Germantown, Md.) who has earned the recognition a team-leading three times. Postgraduate transfer Lauren Sampson (Waltham, Mass.) has earned Prime Performer honors twice, while junior Sharn Hayward (Penguin, Tasmania) garnered the recognition once, along with NEC Player of the Week accolades.

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.

What's the Scenario?
Stonehill (3-9 NEC) enters today's game tied with Wagner College for the last two spots in the upcoming NEC Tournament, tied in the loss column a half game behind Saint Francis (4-9) and a game up in the loss column a half game in front of LIU (3-10) as the four fight three postseason spots. Stonehill still has games to play against LIU, Saint Francis (today) and Central Connecticut, as it looks to earn a spot in the NEC Tournament for the first time, and currently only holds a head-to-head advantage over the Red Flash (1-0), having split with Wagner and dropped the first regular season encounters on the road to LIU and CCSU.

Road Trips
While Stonehill closed out a season-long matching three-game road trip at Merrimack last week, the Skyhawks are in the midst of a larger stretch of five of six games in the month of February on the road with today's matchup with Saint Francis in Western Pennsylvania. The Skyhawks play five of seven games this month on the road, closing out the stretch at NEC leaders Sacred Heart University on Thursday. Stonehill is still in search of its first road win of the season (0-12), having dropped its last 13 away from Merkert Gym dating back to a 69-61 victory at St. Francis Brooklyn on February 11, 2023.  

30 for 44
Stonehill junior forward Maureen Stapleton (Spring Lake Heights, N.J.) made her team-leading 30th career start against Le Moyne on Saturday. She is one of four Skyhawks to surpass 20 career starts this season, along with classmate Sharn Hayward (Penguin, Tasmania) and seniors Jada Thornton (Germantown, Md.) and Cameron Ward (Bound Brook, N.J.). Stapleton's 30th career start was in her 78th career game played.

A Good Rebound
Freshman guard Brooke Paquette (Hudson, N.H.) reached double-figures for the seventh time this season with her team-high ten points against Le Moyne on Saturday. More importantly, it snapped a run of three-straight scoreless games for the Stonehill freshman who had last reached double-digits in the win over Saint Francis on January 25.

Ball Security
Stonehill matched a season-low with 14 turnovers against Le Moyne on Saturday, collecting 15 assists on its 17 field goals in the game.

Rise Up!
Despite seeing a run of four-straight double-figure scoring games halted by Le Moyne on Saturday, senior guard Jada Thornton (Germantown, Md.) is averaging 16.0 points per game over the last five games, with 4.4 rebounds and 2.6 assists in 36.3-minutes per game. Thornton is ranked 12th among NEC scoring leaders, while averaging 12.8 points per game in NEC play. She leads the Skyhawks with 14 double-figure scoring games this season (17 career), while leading the team in scoring a team-high ten games (13 career).

The Full Hayward
Junior guard Sharn Hayward (Penguin, Tasmania) has played all 40 minutes for the Skyhawks in six of their 12 NEC games, including each of the last two games against Merrimack and Le Moyne last week. She also registered back-to-back 40-minute games against Wagner (1/15) and FDU (1/19) and now leads the NEC with her 38.1 minutes per game in NEC play. She is also sixth among NEC leaders with her team-high 34.0 minutes per game overall this season. Senior Jada Thornton (Germantown, Md.) is third in the NEC in Conference play with 36.4 minutes per game and ninth overall with her 32.7 minutes per game for the year.

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.

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 visits NEC leading Sacred Heart University for its final regular season road matchup of the season on Thursday at 7 p.m. The Skyhawks will close out the regular season with a pair of home games, starting with a Senior Day matchup at Merkert Gymnasium with Central Connecticut State University next Saturday at 2 p.m.