Sims led the Skyhawks with 15 points, four rebounds and two assists (PHOTO BY Bob Blanchard)

Skyhawks clinch home court for Friday's NE10 Tournament first round

MANCHESTER, N.H. (February 19, 2022) – Stonehill College led wire to wire and locked up home court advantage for the first round of the upcoming Northeast-10 Conference Tournament with a 63-54 victory over Southern New Hampshire University in NE10 men's basketball action at Stan Spirou Fieldhouse this afternoon.

Stonehill (14-11, 10-9 NE10) closed out its regular season schedule this afternoon and clinched the No. 4-seed from the NE10's Northeast Division with the win today, moving even with SNHU with nine NE10 losses with the Penmen still to play one game, but earning the head-to-head tiebreaker over the Penmen by sweeping the regular season series. The Skyhawks will host an NE10 Tournament first round game on Friday, February 25, against most likely, the Southwest Division No. 5 seed, although they could move up to the No. 3 if Saint Anselm College lost its last two regular season games (Monday & Tuesday) against Southern Connecticut State University and Bentley University. 

Leaders

Stonehill
Andrew Sims Senior, Forward: 15 points (6-for-15), 4 rebounds, 2 assists.
Isaiah Burnett Senior, Guard: 9 points, 5 rebounds, 6 assists, 2 steals, blocked shot.
Christopher Melis Freshman, Forward: 10 rebounds, 7 points, assist, steal. 

Southern New Hampshire
Aaron Gray Freshman, Guard: 20 points (6-for-13, 6-for-7 FTs), 5 rebounds, 2 assists, 4 steals, blocked shot.
Matt Becht Sophomore, Guard: 13 points (4-for-8, 2-for-5 threes), 5 rebounds, 2 steals, blocked shot.
Corry Long Senior, Guard: 10 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, 2 blocks. 

How it Happened

• Burnett added nine points, five rebounds and six assists (PHOTO BY Bob Blanchard)

  Stonehill held SNHU to 32-percent shooting (8-for-25) in the first half, including 2-for-9 (22.2%) from three-point distance, while connecting on 45.5% (15-33) of its shots in the opening half, including 6-for-12 (50%) from deep, to build a 17-point halftime lead (38-21) and made it stand the rest of the way.
• Stonehill never trailed, using three-pointers from senior Josh Mack and Burnett to grab a six-point lead just 80-seconds into the game.
• Stonehill led by one (18-17) with 11:47 remaining in the half before scoring 18-straight points, including six from Sims and five by sophomore Emmanuel Bonsu, to open a 19-point lead (36-17) after a Sims layup with 2:40 to play.
• Stonehill carried the 17-point lead (38-21) into halftime and then Burnett opened the second half with a layup to restore its 19-point advantage (40-21).
• SNHU followed with an 11-1 run, sparked by five straight points from Becht, to close within nine (41-32) after two Gray free-throws with 14-minutes to play.
• Stonehill stretched its lead back to 13 (45-32) after two free-throws by freshman Damilola Mosaku a minute later.
• The Skyhawks lead extended back to 14 (54-40) after a Bonsu free-throw with 7:32 remaining, but SNHU closed the gap again, pulling within seven (61-54) after five-straight points from Becht, capped by a three-pointer with 2:22 on the clock.
• The Penmen wouldn't score again, unable to take advantage of 2-for-6 free-throw shooting by Stonehill down the stretch as the Skyhawks were able to close out the win on the defensive end.

Noteworthy

• Sims reached double-figures in scoring for the 18^th game (29^th career)
• Stonehill limited SNHU to 36.7-percent shooting (18-for-49), including 5-for-17 (29.4%) from three-point distance.
• Stonehill posted a 37-25 rebounding advantage, limiting SNHU to just four offensive rebounds, outscoring the Penmen 11-2 on second chance points.
• All eight Skyhawks who played scored at least five points.
• Melis pulled down double-digit rebounds for the second-straight game and third time over the last four, and fourth time this season overall.

Up Next

Stonehill (14-11, 10-9 NE10) will return to action for the first round of the 2022 NE10 Tournament on Friday, February 25, against an opponent to be determined over the final days of the regular season. SNHU (13-10, 9-9 NE10) wraps up its regular season schedule at Saint Michael's College on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m.

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