Senior Randall Stallworth shared the team lead with 13 points today against Post.

Post Rallies Past #21 Stonehill, 74-68

Eagles shoot 52-percent in the second half, take advantage of 27 Skyhawk turnovers

Boxscore 

EASTON, Mass. (December 19, 2009) - Post University shot 52-percent in the second half to rally for a 74-68 victory over Stonehill College, ranked 21^st in this week's National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) Division II poll, in non-conference men's basketball action at Merkert Gymnasium this afternoon.

Post took advantage of 27 Stonehill turnovers, posting a 26-16 advantage in points off turnovers, and finished shooting 48.2-percent (27-for-56) from the field, including 51.9% (14-27) in the second half to overcome as much as a 15-point (48-33) deficit with 16:24 to play. Stonehill finished shooting 46-percent (27-for-60) from the field, but just 36.4% (12-33) in the second half and just 2-for-12 (16.7%) from three-point range over the final 20 minutes. The Skyhawks, who saw their seven-game winning streak come to an end, out-rebounded its opponent for the ninth time in as many games this season finishing with a 35-30 advantage.

Freshman Larry Grant (White Plains, N.Y.) led Post with a game-high 22 points (20 second half) off the bench on 6-of-9 shooting from the field, including 2-for-3 from three-point range, while converting 8-of-10 free-throws to go with three rebounds and two steals. Freshman Trevon Hamlet (Brooklyn, N.Y./Bishop Laughlin) added 17 points (11 first half) on 8-for-13 shooting from the field, six rebounds two blocks and two steals, while classmate Nyheem Sanders (Pawtucket, R.I./St. Andrews School) contributed 14 points, shooting 6-for-12 from the field, including 2-for-4 from three-point range, to go with three assists and two rebounds. 

Sophomore Ivan Almeida also netted 13 points for the Skyhawks, nine in the first half.

Senior Randall Stallworth (Toms River, N.J./Monsignor Donovan) and sophomore Ivan Almeida (Praia, Cape Verde) each scored a team-high 13 points for Stonehill, which featured four players in double-figures. Stallworth made 4-of-11 shots from the field, but 3-for-6 from three-point range, to go with four rebounds and three assists, while Almeida contributed five rebounds (four offensive) and three blocked shots.

Freshman Brian Hamor (Guilderland, N.Y./Bishop Gibbons) added a season-high 11 points (all first half), making 3-of-5 three-pointers in the opening half, while junior Mike Kernan (Medford, N.J./Shawnee) chipped in ten points on 5-for-5 shooting from the floor, a team-high seven rebounds and two steals.

Stonehill led by 15 twice early in the second half, the latter coming with 16:24 to play in regulation after a layup by junior Daniel Heppert (Richmond, Va./Benedictine) that put the Skyhawks up 48-33. The Skyhawks lead was still 11 (54-43) after a Kernan tip-in with 10:38 remaining, but Post used a 12-2 run to close within a point (56-55) after Grant made one of two at the line with 7:53 left. Grant had five points in all during the run, while Sanders canned a three.

Stonehill regained a five-point cushion (62-57) after a Stallworth jumper with 4:47 to play, but Grant buried back-to-back three's to put Post in front (63-61) for the first time since a 2-0 lead in the opening minute. The Skyhawks forged a 65-65 tie after a Stallworth three with 1:39 left. The Eagles answered with the next seven points to take its largest lead of the game (72-65) after freshman Shaquan Stevens (Meridan, Conn./Maloney) made one of two at the line with 27-seconds to go.

Stallworth banked in another three to draw Stonehill back within four (72-68) with 22-seconds left, but Post made 7-of-10 free-throws in the closing 62-seconds to hold the Skyhawks at bay while Almeida missed a three to pull them within two with 17-seconds left.

Stonehill led by as much as 13 in the first half behind 55.6-percent (15-for-27) shooting from the field. The Skyhawks were up 20-7 after a three-point play on an Almeida dunk with 9:47 remaining in the first half. Stonehill's lead was still 12 (27-15) after a Hamor three with 7:30 to go before the break.

Post closed within six (35-29) after a Sanders three and free-throw from Hamet with 1:45 to go in the half, but Stonehill answered with a Stallworth three and layup by freshman Sam Markle (Bethany, Conn./Saint Thomas More) to regain an 11-point (40-29) lead with 57-seconds left in the half before settling for a nine-point (40-31) halftime lead.

Stonehill (7-2, 6-0 NE-10) is off until Tuesday, December 29, when it heads to Philadelphia to face Holy Family University at 3:30 p.m. The Skyhawks next home game is Saturday, January 2, when it resumes its Northeast-10 schedule against the University of Massachusetts Lowell in Merkert Gymnasium at 3:30 p.m. Post (3-5, 0-3 CACC) visits Saint Anselm College on Monday at 7:30 p.m.