EASTON, Mass. (November 21, 2024) – The Stonehill College men's basketball team won a one-point thriller versus Bryant University at Merkert Gym Thursday night, defeating the Bulldogs, 67-66, in the first meeting between the non-conference opponents in 16 years.
 
LEADERS

• Graduate student Josh Morgan (Brampton, Ontario) led all scorers with 22 points on a 7-15 shooting night, knocking down two threes with two assists, one rebound, and one steal.
• Sophomore Todd Brogna (Southborough, Mass.) recorded his second career double-double, corralling a career-high 15 rebounds to go along with 10 points and an assist.
• Graduate student Amir Nesbitt (Newport News, Va) led all bench scorers with 17 points, going 6-10 from the field and 3-7 from deep. Nesbitt also led Stonehill with three assists.
• Bryant was led by Earl Timberlake who scored 14 points while tallying six rebounds, three blocks, and two assists.
• Keyshawn Mitchell had a great defensive showing for the Bulldogs, blocking a game-high four shots while nabbing two steals. Mitchell also scored seven points and had a team-high 11 rebounds.

FIRST HALF

• Bryant had a strong start to the game, shooting 50% from the field and from deep as the Bulldogs used four three-pointers to build a 19-8 lead in the first seven minutes.
• Stonehill responded on both ends of the floor, holding the Bulldogs to a 22% (2-9) shooting clip over the next six minutes to spur a 12-4 run, capped off by a Morgan three-pointer that made it 23-20 with under five minutes left in the half.
• The Skyhawks secured their first lead of the game when Nesbitt hit a catch-and-shoot three from the right corner to put Stonehill ahead, 27-26, with 2:28 to play in the first half.
• The lead flipped three more times before the halftime buzzer sounded, but Bryant's Rafael Pinzon made a driving, right-handed layup in the final seconds of the half to give the Bulldogs a 33-31 lead at the break.

SECOND HALF

• The Bulldogs came out hot to start the second half, making three of their first four shots to build a 40-31 lead.
• Stonehill halted the Bryant run as the Skyhawks rattled off six straight points to pull back within three, 40-37, with 14:34 on the clock.
• After trailing for the first 10 minutes of the second half, Stonehill regained the lead with 9:52 left to play as Brogna converted on a tough layup, surrounded by Bryant defenders, to put the Skyhawks up 47-46.
• With the Bulldogs clinging to a one-point lead late, 54-53, Nesbitt came up big for the Skyhawks on back-to-back possessions, knocking down his second and third three-pointers of the game to give Stonehill its largest lead of the game, 59-54 with under five minutes remaining in the game.
• Over the next two minutes, Bryant made a pair of layups and six of its seven free throw attempts to fuel a 10-4 run as the Bulldogs took a 64-63 lead.
• Morgan hit a tightly contested turnaround jumper in the mid-range to put Stonehill back up by one point with 2:02 on the clock.
• Connor Withers got to the free throw line, knocking down both attempts for the Bulldogs as the lead flipped once again.
• Junior Ethan Meuser (Shavertown, Pa.) notched his lone point of the contest with a clutch free throw that tied the game, 66-66, and junior Chas Stinson (Charlotte, N.C.) broke the tie at the charity stripe with 29 seconds left, going 1-2.
• Bryant put up four shots on one possession after grabbing multiple offensive boards but the Bulldogs were unable to put the ball in the net as Stonehill's defense secured the 67-66 win at Merkert Gym.

NOTEWORTHY

• Stonehill is now 46-21 all-time against Bryant including 1-0 at the Division I level as this was the first matchup between the Skyhawks and Bulldogs since February 19, 2008.
• Stonehill has now won the last three meetings with Bryant, including seven out of the last eight meetings dating back to 2005.
• Stonehill's 51 rebounds Thursday night are the most in a game for the Skyhawks since December 30, 2017, when Stonehill tallied 51 at Bridgeport.
• The Skyhawks also had a season-high 19 offensive boards, the most for a Stonehill team since January 4, 2014, when the Skyhawks recorded 20 at Saint Michael's College.
• Stonehill improves to 3-1 this season when Morgan leads the Skyhawks in the scoring column.
• Brogna scored in double figures for a team-best sixth time this season, scoring exactly 10 points for the second consecutive game. Brogna's 15 rebounds are the most by a Skyhawk in a single game since Will Moreton '20 recorded 15 against Merrimack on February 14, 2018.
• Nesbitt scored a career-high 17 points, surpassing a previous career-high of 14 points from when he was at Hampton University.

UP NEXT

• Stonehill will host East Texas A&M, formerly known as Texas A&M Commerce, on Monday, Nov. 25, for a 7 p.m. matchup at Merkert Gymnasium as the Skyhawks and Lions meet for the second consecutive season.

 
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