EASTON, Mass. (November 4, 2024) – The Stonehill College men's basketball team opened its 2024-25 season at Merkert Gymnasium Monday night, defeating Framingham State University, 81-62 as graduate student Josh Morgan (Brampton, Ontario) scored 25 points in his Skyhawk debut.
LEADERS

• Morgan led all scorers in Monday night's season opener with 25 points on 5-13 shooting from the field, going 5-10 from deep, and hitting all 10 of his free throw attempts.
• Morgan also tallied four rebounds, three assists, and three steals, and was a +29 while on the court in his first game as a Skyhawk, transferring to Stonehill after four seasons at Incarnate Word.
• Sophomore Todd Brogna (Southborough, Mass.) led the Skyhawks on the glass, corralling eight rebounds while adding a career-high 20 points.
• Brogna shot 71.4% (5-7) from the field, 66.7% (2-3) from three, and 80% (8-10) from the free throw line.
• Graduate student Amir Nesbitt (Newport News, Va.) and junior Ethan Meuser (Shavertown, Pa.) each had four assists to lead Stonehill, while Nesbitt also tallied a game-high four steals.

FIRST HALF

• Stonehill started the game 4-4 from the field and 2-2 from three to take a 10-0 lead in the opening two minutes of the first half.
• The Skyhawks would only make five of their next 18 shots after that as Framingham State outscored Stonehill by six points over the 11 minutes of action. The Rams pulled within four points, 24-20, with John Saint Jean leading the way, scoring nine points during the Framingham State run.
• Stonehill then responded with a 9-0 run as Morgan hit his second three of the game, and junior Chas Stinson (Charlotte, N.C.) and Koffi also scored as the Skyhawk lead grew to 13 points, 33-20.
• Morgan knocked down another three and hit four free throws to bring his first-half point total up to 15 points but the Rams closed out the first half on a 9-0 run as Stonehill went into the break ahead 40-29.
• Stonehill knocked down six threes compared to Framingham State's one, while the Rams led the free throw battle, going 14-16 compared to the Skyhawks knocking down eight of their nine first-half attempts.

SECOND HALF

• Stonehill scored the first six points of the second half with Morgan hitting his fourth three of the contest to spark the Skyhawk run.
• The Rams countered with four straight points but cutting their deficit to 13 points, 46-33, would be the closest the game would get for the final 18 minutes of action.
• Stonehill shot 53.8% (7-13) from deep in the second half and would go up by as much as 24, 68-44, eventually winning Monday's season opener, 81-62.
• Brogna scored 11, while Morgan tacked on another 10 points in the second half to lead all scorers.

NOTEWORTHY

• Stonehill tallies a win in its season opener for the first time since Nov. 9, 2019, a 61-55 win over the University of District of Columbia.
• Morgan's 25 points are the most in a season opener by a Skyhawk since Andrew Sims '23 had 27 points against Bloomfield on Nov. 12, 2021, to begin the 2021-22 campaign.
• Morgan's 10 free throws made are also the most since Sims knocked down 10 of 12 free throw attempts on Feb. 11, 2023, vs. Saint Francis Brooklyn.
• The Skyhawks made a collective 21 free throws, the most since Stonehill made 23 on Jan. 6, 2023, against Wagner.
• Stonehill recorded 15 steals in Monday night's win, the most by a Skyhawk team since Jan. 3, 2018, against American International when they swiped 16.

UP NEXT

• Stonehill men's basketball travels to South Bend, Ind. to take on the Notre Dame Fighting Irish at the Purcell Pavilion on Wednesday, Nov. 6 at 7 p.m.

For the latest on Stonehill Athletics, follow the Skyhawks via social media on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.