Senior Randall Stallworth led Stonehill with 19 points and five assists tonight.

Le Moyne Stops Stonehill, 73-51

Dolphins shoot 55.6-percent from the field, hold Skyhawks to 35% shooting

Boxscore 

EASTON, Mass. (January 26, 2010) - Stonehill College, among teams receiving votes in this week's National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) Division II poll, saw its six game winning streak come to an end with a 73-51 setback to Le Moyne College in Northeast-10 Conference men's basketball action at Merkert Gymnasium tonight.

Junior Kevin Roth (Lake View, N.Y./St. Francis) led Le Moyne with a game-high 22 points, shooting 8-for-10 from the while and converting 6-of-8 free-throws, and 11 rebounds. Senior Laurence Ekperigin (Cortlandt Manor, N.Y./Walter Penas) also posted a double-double with 17 points, shooting 5-of-8 from the field while converting 7-of-8 free-throws, to go with a game-high 12 rebounds and three blocked shots. Grad student Damani Corbin (Brooklyn, N.Y./Frederick Douglass) added 11 points, three assists and two steals, while sophomore Christopher Johnson (Lindenhurst, N.Y./Lindenhurst) finished with ten points and two assists.

Senior Randall Stallworth (Toms River, N.J./Monsignor Donovan) was the lone Stonehill player in double-figures with 19 points (14 second half) on 8-of-17 shooting from the field while converting 3-of-4 free-throws, to go with five assists a blocked shot and a steal. Sophomore Ivan Almeida (Praia, Cape Verde) added nine points, three rebounds and three blocks, while senior A.J. Rudowitz (Monroe Township, N.J./Monroe Township) posted eight points, four rebounds and three steals. Junior Mike Kernan (Medford, N.J./Shawnee) and sophomore Patrick Lee (Fayetteville, N.Y./Fayetteville-Manlius) both chipped in with a team-best seven rebounds.

Le Moyne shot 55.6-percent (25-for-45) from the field, including 58.3% (14-24) in the second half, while holding Stonehill to 34.9% (22-63) shooting, including 2-for-16 (12.5%) from three-point range. The Dolphins posted a 37-27 rebounding advantage and out-scored the Skyhawks 20-5 at the free-throw line, converting 20-of-24 (83.3%) free-throws.

Le Moyne never trailed, posting a 10-1 run late in the first half to push a two-point lead to 11 (27-16) after a Roth layup 2:27 before halftime. Stallworth capped the first half with a jumper with four-seconds left that snapped a ten and a half minute Stonehill drought without a field goal and trimmed the Skyhawks deficit to nine (29-20) at the break.

Stonehill drew within six (37-31) after another Stallworth jumper 4:22 into the second half. The Skyhawks trailed by seven (46-39) after a Kernan layup when Le Moyne took control with a 9-0 burst to open a then game-high 16-point lead (55-39) after an Ekperigin dunk with 8:22 to go. Stonehill drew within ten (57-47) after a steal and layup by Stallworth with 4:21 left in regulation, but a Roth layup and two free-throws and a pair at the stripe by Corbin had the Dolphins back up 16 (63-47) with 3:29 to go. Le Moyne made its last six free-throws in the final 2:14 to seal the victory.

Stonehill (15-4, 12-2 NE-10) looks to bounce back on Saturday when it visits The College of Saint Rose at 3:30 p.m. The Skyhawks return home next Wednesday, February 3, to host Franklin Pierce University at 7:30 p.m. The game will also be broadcast live via www.northeast10.tv and www.stonehillskyhawks.tv as part of the NE-10's "February Frenzy" promotion. Le Moyne (11-8, 7-7 NE-10) hosts Franklin Pierce on Saturday at 3 p.m.