Sophomore Patrick Lee netted a career-best 16 points to lead Stonehill to a comeback win at Merrimack tonight.

#25 Stonehill Surges Past Merrimack, 74-66

Comeback Skyhawks post tenth win when trailing at halftime this season

Boxscore 

NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. (February 9, 2010) - Stonehill College, which moved back into the Division II Top 25 at No. 25 in this week's National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) poll and is also ranked second in the NCAA Division II East Regional rankings, posted its tenth win of the season when trailing at halftime to maintain its one game lead atop the Conference standings, with a key 74-66 triumph over Merrimack College, ranked third in the region, in Northeast-10 Conference men's basketball action at Volpe Gymnasium tonight.

Sophomore Patrick Lee (Fayetteville, N.Y./Fayetteville-Manlius) led Stonehill with a career-high 16 points (11 first half) on 6-of-8 shooting from the field while converting 4-of-5 free-throws to go with seven rebounds. Senior A.J. Rudowitz (Monroe Township, N.J./Monroe Township) notched his fifth double-double of the season (16^th career) with 13 points and a game-high 11 rebounds to go with five assists and three steals. Junior Daniel Heppert (Richmond, Va./Benedictine) posted 13 points (eight second half) and nine rebounds, while senior Randall Stallworth (Toms River, N.J./Monsignor Donovan) rounded out the double-figure Skyhawks with 11 points, six assists and two steals.

Sophomores Wayne Mack (Paterson, N.J./Paterson Catholic) and Roland Davis (Deer Park, N.Y./St. Dominic's) each netted a game-high 19 points to lead Merrimack. Mack made 7-of-12 shots from the field and converted 5-of-6 free-throws to go with six rebounds, four steals and two assists, while Davis made 6-of-18 shots from the field, including 4-of-12 from three-point range, while converting 3-of-4 free-throws to go with five rebounds, three steals and two assists. Junior Darin Mency (Hagerstown, Md./St. John's Catholic Prep) added 13 points and five rebounds, while senior Darren Duncan (Briarwood, N.Y./Christ the King) rounded out the Warriors double-figure scorers with ten points, five assists, five steals and four boards. 

Senior A.J. Rudowitz posted his 16th career double-double with 13 points and a game-best 11 rebounds tonight.

Stonehill shot 60-percent (14-for-23) from the field in the second half to help in overcoming its seven-point (42-35) halftime deficit, finishing the game at 51.9-percent (27-52) from the field. The Skyhawks improved to 10-2 this season when trailing at halftime, in posting their fourth-straight win and tenth over their last 11. Merrimack finished shooting 36.7% (22-60) for the night, with Stonehill limiting the Warriors to 7-for-28 (25%) shooting in the second half, after using 46.9% (15-32) shooting to build the halftime lead. The Warriors were also held to 26.1% (6-23) shooting from three-point range, including 2-14 (14.3%) in the second half.

Stonehill, which trailed by as much as 16 in the first half (as they did in its win over Merrimack back in November), trailed by 11 (48-37) after a Davis layup less than two minutes into the second half. The Skyhawks then got back into the game with an 11-0 surge over the next three minutes to knot the score at 48-48 after a Stallworth three with 15:06 to go.

Mack was fouled attempting a three-pointer and then drained all three free-throws to put Merrimack back up three (51-48) with 13:13 to go. A quick 9-0 surge put Stonehill up six (57-51) with 10:50 to play after two-straight baskets by Almeida. The Warriors regained the lead (59-57) after five-straight points from Mency and a Davis three with 7:59 remaining.

With the game tied at 60-60 with 6:06 left, Stonehill posted a 9-1 run to open a game-high eight-point lead (69-61) after a Heppert layup with 3:06 to go. Freshman Brian Hamor (Guilderland, N.Y./Bishop Gibbons) scored five points during that run, including a three-pointer to put the Skyhawks in front for good. Merrimack closed within five twice in the final 1:38, but could get no closer.

Merrimack scored the first 11 points of the game on its way to a 16-point lead (21-5) just over six minutes into the contest. The Warriors made five of their first six shots from the field, with Davis putting them up 11-0 three and a half minutes in, before a Mack layup provided the 16-point bulge with 13:53 remaining in the half. Stonehill was able to draw within nine on three occasions, but the Warriors led by 14 (39-25) after a Davis three with 3:14 left in the half. The Skyhawks closed out the half with a 10-3 run to cut the lead to seven (42-35) at the break. Lee scored eight of those points, including the final six in the run.

Stonehill (19-4, 16-2 NE-10), which clinched a first round bye with its win tonight, is back in action on Saturday when it hosts Saint Michael's College at 3:30 p.m. Merrimack (14-7, 12-6 NE-10) visits the University of Massachusetts Lowell on Saturday at 4 p.m.