Sophomore Ivan Almeida led the Skyhawks with 15 points, nine rebounds and three blocked shots.

#25 Stonehill Cruises Past Saint Michael's, 76-61

Skyhawks ride balanced scoring to fifth-straight win to remain atop of NE-10 standings

Boxscore 

EASTON, Mass. (February 13, 2010) - Stonehill College, ranked 25^th in this week's National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) poll and also ranked second in the NCAA Division II East Regional rankings, built a 22-point halftime lead behind 60-percent shooting in posting a 76-61 victory over Saint Michael's College in Northeast-10 Conference men's basketball action at Merkert Gymnasium this afternoon.

Stonehill placed four players in double-figures, with sophomore Ivan Almeida (Praia, Cape Verde) leading the way with 15 points on 6-of-12 shooting from the field, draining his lone three-point attempt, to go with nine rebounds (six offensive), a season-high matching three blocked shots and two steals. Senior A.J. Rudowitz (Monroe Township, N.J./Monroe Township) also netted 15 points, making 7-of-8 shots from the field while converting his lone free-throw, to go with five rebounds and two blocks. He moved into tenth place on the program's career scoring charts on the afternoon, reaching 1,462 career points and passing Stonehill Athletic Hall of Famer Dick Munson who netted 1,448 points from 1962-65.

Junior Daniel Heppert (Richmond, Va./Benedictine) made 3-of-5 shots from the field, including 2-for-4 from three-point range, while converting 3-of-4 free-throws, to go with five rebounds and three assists. Senior Randall Stallworth (Toms River, N.J./Monsignor Donovan) also netted ten points to go with three assists.

Freshman Travis Warech (Pine Brook, N.J./Montville) led Saint Michael's with a game-high 20 points, shooting 8-of-16 from the field, including all three from beyond the arc, while converting his lone free-throw attempt to go with a team-high matching five rebounds and two blocked shots. Junior Nate Birr (Burnsville, Minn./Saint Thomas Academy) added 15 points, draining 3-of-6 three-pointers, five rebounds and three assists. Sophomore Qua'ron Pinckney (Bronx, N.Y./Saint Benedict's) chipped in 11 points, three rebounds and three assists. 

Senior A.J. Rudowitz cracked the top ten on Stonehill's career scoring list with his 15 points today.

Stonehill finished shooting 51.9-percent (28-for-54) from the field for the afternoon, after using a 60% (18-30) first half performance, including 5-for-8 (62.5%) from three-point range, to open a 22-point (44-22) margin by halftime. Saint Michael's was held to 38.9% (21-54) for the afternoon, but did connect on 9-of-17 (52.9%) three-pointers, while converting 10-of-12 (83.3%) free-throws. The Skyhawks posted a 39-25 rebounding advantage which resulted in a 15-4 break in second-chance points.

Stonehill used a 12-0 run over a four-minute span to turn a four-point (16-12) lead with 12:23 left in the first half into a 16-point (28-12) bulge after two free-throws by Heppert with 8:16 to go before the break. Almeida and freshman Brian Hamor (Guilderland, N.Y./Bishop Gibbons) sparked the run with three-pointers. A layup by Heppert pushed the Skyhawks lead to 18 (38-20) with 4:12 to go, before scoring the final six-points to carry a 22-point lead (44-22) into the break.

Trailing by 21 (50-29) less than two minutes into the second half, Saint Michael's closed within 12 (50-38) with nine-straight points after a Birr layup. The Purple Knights were still within 12 (56-44) after a layup by Pinckney with 11:28 remaining, but Stonehill recovered and regained a 21-point margin (69-48 ) with a 13-4 run over the next five minutes after a three-point play by Rudowitz with 6:36 to go.

Saint Michael's moved back within 14 (69-55) after a Warech three with 4:13 remaining, but Stonehill held the Purple Knights right there, scoring seven-straight points, four from Stallworth, to regain the 21-point margin (76-55) with 2:35 on the clock to seal the win.

Stonehill (20-4, 17-2 NE-10), which maintained its one game lead over rival Bentley University atop the NE-10 standings and reached the 20-win plateau for the second-straight year, is back in action on Wednesday when it hosts Saint Anselm College for its final regular season home game of the season, at 7:30 p.m. The Skyhawks will host an NE-10 Tournament quarterfinal round game on Monday, March 1, at 7 p.m. Saint Michael's (9-14, 5-14 NE-10) hosts Southern New Hampshire University on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m.