Senior Randall Stallworth led Stonehill past UMass Lowell and back into sole possession of first place in the NE-10 standings.

Stonehill Holds Off UMass Lowell, 68-60

Stallworth, big first half, leads Skyhawks to sole possession of first place

Boxscore 

LOWELL, Mass. (February 6, 2010) - Stonehill College, among teams receiving votes in this week's National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) Division II poll and ranked second in the NCAA East Regional rankings, moved back into sole possession of first place in the Northeast-10 standings with a 68-60 victory over the University of Massachusetts Lowell, ranked fourth in the region, in men's basketball action at Costello Athletic Center this afternoon.

Senior Randall Stallworth (Toms River, N.J./Monsignor Donovan) led the way for Stonehill with a game-high 21 points on 7-of-13 shooting from the field, including 1-for-3 from three-point range, while converting all six free-throw attempts to go with four rebounds, two assists and two steals. Classmate A.J. Rudowitz (Monroe Township, N.J./Monroe Township) added 14 points, aided by 6-for-7 shooting from the line, six rebounds, two assists and two steals. Sophomore Ivan Almeida (Praia, Cape Verde) made 5-of-6 shots from the field and converted his lone free-throw attempt for 11 points, five rebounds and three assists. Sophomore Patrick Lee (Fayetteville, N.Y./Fayetteville-Manlius) pulled down a game-high nine rebounds.    

Sophomore Kyle Caiola (Parma, Ohio/Normandy) led UMass Lowell with 19 points on 4-of-7 shooting from the field, including 1-for-2 from three-point range, while converting all ten free-throw attempts to go with three rebounds, two assists and four steals. Junior Max Kerman (Watertown, Mass./Watertown) added 18 points, five rebounds (all offensive), two assists, three steals and two blocked shots, while freshman Romeo Diaz (Methuen, Mass./Methuen) chipped in 11 points and three rebounds off the bench.

Stonehill finished shooting 45.1-percent (23-for-51) from the field, including 59.1% (13-22) in the first half to build a nine point (33-24) lead at the break. The Skyhawks made 18-of-22 (81.8%) free-throws and out-rebounded UMass Lowell 38-24, including 15-14 on their offensive end. UMass Lowell made 40-percent (18-of-45) of its shots from the field, being held to 8-for-22 (36.4%) shooting in the second half.

A.J. Rudowitz added 14 points, six rebounds, two assists and two steals.

UMass Lowell scored the opening basket, but Stonehill would stake out a nine-point (18-9) lead nine minutes into the game after a layup by Rudowitz. The River Hawks closed within three (20-17) after a Diaz layup with 6:06 left in the halt, but Stonehill reeled off a 13-5 run to take an 11-point lead (33-22) after a free-throw from freshman Brian Hamor (Guilderland, N.Y./Bishop Gibbons) with 45-seconds left in the half, before Kerman drew UML back within nine (33-24) at the break with a jumper with 16-seconds to go.

Stonehill kept the pressure up in the second, using an opening 14-6 run to open a 19-point lead (47-28) after a Sam Markle (Bethany, Conn./Saint Thomas More) three with 13:17 remaining in regulation. The Skyhawks lead was 22 (56-34) after two Stallworth free-throws with 8:58 to play, when UMass Lowell threatened to post its second comeback from 20-plus points down this week after rallying for an overtime win over Saint Michael's College on Wednesday after trailing by 24 midway through the second half of that contest.

UMass Lowell reeled off a 19-1 run to climb back within four (57-53) after a pair of Caiola free-throws with 3:12 left. Those came after senior Ali Kanaan (Montreal, Quebec) scored a basket to draw the River Hawks within five with 4:11 left. That would prove to be UML's final field goal of the contest. Still, UML drew within two (59-57) after two more Caiola free-throws with 1:48 remaining, before Stonehill recovered with a three-point play from Rudowitz to regain a five-point lead (62-57) with 56-seconds left. The Skyhawks sealed the win from there by draining their last six free-throw attempts.

Stonehill (18-4, 15-2 NE-10) is back in action on Tuesday with another key NE-10 matchup at Merrimack College at 7:30 p.m. The Skyhawks return home next Saturday to host Saint Michael's College at 3:30 p.m. UMass Lowell (14-8, 11-6 NE-10) visits Southern New Hampshire University on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m.