Stonehill Rallies Past Merrimack, 65-60

Skyhawks erase 16-point first half deficit behind Rudowitz double-double

Boxscore 

Senior A.J. Rudowitz was a force for the Skyhawks with a season-high 24 points to go with a career-high matching 15 rebounds to lead Stonehill past Merrimack tonight.

EASTON, Mass. (November 24, 2009) - Stonehill College rallied from a 16-point deficit, trailing by as much as 11 in the second half, to claim a 65-60 victory over Merrimack College in Northeast-10 Conference men's basketball action at Merkert Gymnasium tonight.

Senior forward A.J. Rudowitz (Monroe Township, N.J./Monroe Township) powered Stonehill to the win in its NE-10 opener with his first double-double of the season (12^th career) with season-highs of 24 points and a career-high matching 15 rebounds to go with four assists and three blocked shots. He made 9-of-13 shots from the field and converted 6-of-7 free-throw attempts on the night. It marks the third-straight game Rudowitz has pulled down a career-high matching 15 rebounds against Merrimack.

Sophomore Patrick Lee provided 12 points and seven rebounds off the bench.

Sophomore Patrick Lee (Fayetteville, N.Y./Fayetteville-Manlius) provided a spark off the bench with 12 points on 6-of-8 shooting and seven rebounds (four offensive). Junior Daniel Heppert (Richmond, Va./Benedictine) added nine points and eight boards. Senior Randall Stallworth (Toms River, N.J./Monsignor Donovan) dished seven assists, while junior Mike Kernan (Medford, N.J./Shawnee) chipped in nine rebounds (five offensive).

Sophomore Wayne Mack (Paterson, N.J./Paterson Catholic) led Merrimack with 20 points on 9-of-14 shooting and six rebounds. Junior Darin Mency (Hagerstown, Md./St. Johns Catholic Prep) added a double-double of 12 points and ten rebounds, while senior Darren Duncan (Briarwood, N.Y./Christ the King) posted 11 points, six assists, three rebounds and three steals.

Stonehill finished shooting 40-percent (24-for-60) from the field, including 48.3-percent (14-29) in the second half. The Skyhawks doubled up Merrimack on the glass, with a whopping 52-26 rebounding advantage, including a 21-17 margin on its own end of the court resulting in a 16-6 edge in second-chance points. The Warriors shot 37.1-percent (23-62) from the field, including 32.3% (10-31) in the second half. Neither team shot very well from three-point range, with Stonehill connecting on 4-of-17 (23.5%) and Merrimack a bit more productive at 7-for-30 (23.3%).

Merrimack jumped out to a big lead early, scoring the first seven points of the game on its way to a 13-2 lead after a steal and layup by Mack 3:40 into the contest. The Warriors led by 12 (16-4) after a three-pointer by sophomore Roland Davis (Deer Park, N.Y./St. Dominic's) with 15:20 left in the half and led by a game-high 16 points (32-16) after Mency canned three free-throws after he was fouled on a three-point attempt with 3:40 to go in the opening frame.

Stonehill closed the half out with an 11-2 run to creep back within seven (34-27) at halftime. Stallworth and freshman Brian Hamor (Guilderland, N.Y./Bishop Gibbons) buried three's during that stretch, while Rudowitz added a conventional three-point play. The Skyhawks kept that push going into the early stages of the second half, drawing within three (34-31) after two-straight Rudowitz jumpers to start the stanza.

Merrimack looked to take back control with a 13-3 run over the next five minutes to regain a 13-point lead (47-34) after a three-ball from senior Craig Woehnker (Colts Neck, N.J./Christian Brothers Academy) with 13:54 to play. Mack scored seven points during that stretch, including a three to put the lead at ten (43-33) with 15:19 left.

Stonehill made one more big push with an 18-4 run to take its first lead of the night (52-51) after a Lee layup with 6:15 remaining. Hamor sparked the run with a three, while Lee and Rudowitz each netted six points during that stretch. Mack answered with a jumper to put Merrimack back on top (54-53) with 4:50 left, but that would prove to be the Warriors last lead as the Skyhawks got a layup and two free-throws from Rudowitz to take a three-point lead (56-53) with 2:52 to go.

Stonehill extended its lead to seven (52-55) after six-straight points from Heppert. Mency answered with a three to draw within four (62-58) with 50-seconds left. Merrimack opted to defend instead of fouling and Rudowitz capped his scoring with a tough basket in the paint to push the lead back to six with 27-seconds to go. Mency missed a three at the other end (finishing 1-for-9 from downtown on the night) and the Skyhawks hauled down the defensive board to seal it.

Stonehill (2-1, 1-0 NE-10) is back in action on Sunday when it visits Saint Michael's College for an NE-10 matchup at 3:30 p.m. The Skyhawks return home on Saturday, December 5, to host Southern New Hampshire University at 3:30 p.m. Merrimack (1-3, 0-2 NE-10), preseason favorites in the NE-10, hosts the University of Massachusetts Lowell on Sunday at 3 p.m.