Junior Daniel Heppert led Stonehill with 17 points, hitting 6-of-7 shots from the field.

2010 NCAA DIVISION II EAST REGIONAL
Philadelphia Slips Past #20 Stonehill, 71-69

Frederick carries Rams into Tuesday's regional final against Bentley

Boxscore

EASTON, Mass. (March 14, 2010) – Fourth-seeded Philadelphia University rallied from an 11-point deficit early in the second half to claim a 71-69 victory over top-seeded and host Stonehill College, ranked 20^th in this week's National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) Division II poll, in semifinal round action of the 2010 NCAA Division II Men's Basketball East Regional at Merkert Gymnasium tonight.

Philadelphia (27-7, 16-1 CACC) advances to Tuesday's East Regional final where it will face second-seeded Bentley University (24-6, 17-5 NE-10) here at Merkert Gym at 7 p.m. Bentley advanced with an 83-79 victory over third-seeded Merrimack College in tonight's first semifinal. Stonehill sees its season come to a close at 24-6 overall, 20-2 in the Northeast-10 to capture its sixth regular season championship on its way to a tenth NCAA Tournament bid. The Skyhawks earned the top seed and were named hosts of the regional for the second time in four years.

Senior Russell Frederick (Baltimore, Md./Calvert Hall) scored 16 of his game-high 26 points in the second half, shooting 7-for-10 from the field, including 4-of-6 from three-point range, to go with 8-of-12 shooting at the free-throw line, to lead Philadelphia to the win, adding four rebounds, two assists and two steals. Classmate Malcolm Ingram (Philadelphia, Pa./Solebury Prep) added 16 points, draining 8-of-11 free-throws, nine rebounds and three assists.

Junior Daniel Heppert (Richmond, Va./Benedictine) led four Stonehill players in double-figures with 17 points on 6-of-7 shooting from the field, including 3-for-4 from three-point range, and converting 2-of-3 free-throws. Senior A.J. Rudowitz (Monroe Township, Pa./Monroe Township) posted 14 points, eight rebounds, four blocked shots, three assists and two steals, while classmate Randall Stallworth (Toms River, N.J./Monsignor Donovan) finished with 12 points, four rebounds and three assists. Rudowitz finishes his career ranked seventh in program history with 1,542 career points to go with 823 rebounds, while Stallworth ranks 22^nd all-time with 1,180 points to go with an even 500 assists and 115 career three-point field goals, good for ninth all-time.

Senior A.J. Rudowitz posted 14 points, eight rebounds, four blocks, three assists and two steals.

Freshman Brian Hamor (Guilderland, N.Y./Bishop Gibbons) chipped in ten points, connecting on 3-of-5 three-pointers, off the bench, while junior Mike Kernan (Medford, N.J./Shawnee) pulled down a game-high 11 rebounds for the Skyhawks.

Philadelphia shot 47.8-percent (11-for-23) from the field in the second half, including 5-for-10 from three-point range, to finish shooting 44% (22-50) from the field, 47.4% (9-19) from deep. The Rams made 18-of-25 (72%) free-throws on the night, 13-for-15 (86.7%) in the second half. Stonehill shot 41.8% (23-55) from the field, but just 34.8% (8-23) in the second half, and were hampered by 15-24 (62.5%) shooting at the line, 11-for-19 (57.9%) in the final 20 minutes. The Skyhawks made 8-of-16 (50%) three-pointers on the night, including 5-for-9 (55.6%) in the opening half to carry an eight point (39-31) lead into halftime. The hosts also posted a 40-28 rebounding advantage.

Heppert opened the second half with a three-pointer to put Stonehill up 11 (42-13) 33-seconds in. A 12-4 Philadelphia run drew the Rams within one (48-47) after a Frederick three with 15:31 to play. Rudowitz and Stallworth scored baskets to put Stonehill back up five (52-47) two minutes later, but the Rams scored the next seven points to take the lead (54-52) following two Frederick free-throws at the midway point of the half.

With the game tied at 57-57 with 3:46 to play, Philadelphia earned some breathing room with five-straight points, sparked by a three-point play by Ingram with 2:46 to go. Three points by Stallworth had Stonehill back within a possession (60-62) with two minutes left, but Frederick drilled a back-breaking three with a Stallworth hand in his face to regain the five-point cushion with 1:28 remaining.

Philadelphia made its next five free-throws to seemingly seal the win, but Frederick missed his second of two with nine-seconds left with the Rams leading by four (70-66) and Heppert drained a three to draw Stonehill back within a point (70-69) with 2.1-seconds left. Frederick made just one of two free-throws at the other end with 1.2-seconds to go, giving the Skyhawks a chance, but Stallworth's running half court three was well off the mark at the buzzer to send the Rams through to the regional final for the first time since 1995.

Philadelphia held the lead early in the first half, but Stonehill scored nine-straight points to turn a four point deficit (10-6) into a five-point lead (15-10) after a tip-in by sophomore Patrick Lee (Fayetteville, N.J./Fayetteville-Manlius) with 13:52 left in the half. It was part of an overall 17-4 Skyhawks run to take a nine-point lead (23-14) after a three-pointer by sophomore Ivan Almeida (Praia, Cape Verde) as the half reached the midway point.

Stonehill pushed its lead to ten points (25-15) after a put-back by Kernan with 8:51 left. Philadelphia closed within four (25-21) after a layup by Ingram, but the Skyhawks regained the ten-point lead (39-29) following a three-point play by Stallworth with 15-seconds left in the half, before settling on the eight-point (39-31) halftime margin.