PROVIDENCE, R.I. (November 9, 2024) – The Stonehill College men's basketball team started strong but couldn't maintain its momentum at the Amica Mutual Pavilion Saturday night, falling to Providence, 76-49.
 
LEADERS

• Graduate student Amir Nesbitt (Newport News, Va.) led Stonehill on the offensive end with 12 points on 5-11 shooting to go with a game-high five assists.
• Junior Chas Stinson (Charlotte, N.C.) had his first double-digit scoring game of the season after having seven such games last season, recording 10 points.
• Junior Ethan Meuser (Shavertown, Pa.) scored seven points, but his impact was felt on the defensive end, recording a career-high five steals while tallying one block.
• Providence was led by Jabri Abdur-Rahim, who recorded a game-high 16 points on 4-7 shooting from the field and 3-5 from beyond the arc. Abdur Rahim also corralled six boards and was a +22 while on the floor.

FIRST HALF

• Nesbitt opened Saturday night's game with a three-pointer on the first possession of the game and then hit a step-back jumper from the elbow as Nesbitt scored the first five points for the Skyhawks.
• Meuser and sophomore Louie Semona (Cincinnati, Ohio) would cash in on a pair of threes, followed by a driving dunk from Meuser off a nice find from Nesbitt as Stonehill took an early 14-11 lead.
• Stinson converted on a pair of inside scores, but the Skyhawks would go cold, missing seven straight shots and all three of their free throw attempts during a six-minute stretch. Providence capitalized, scoring 15 unanswered points to take a 37-20 lead with 2:29 left to play in the half.
• A long-range bucket from freshman Hermann Koffi (Quebec City, Quebec) ended the Friar run but Providence scored seven of the final nine points in the half, holding a 44-25 lead going into the break.
• Providence shot the ball 50% (15-30) from the field, while Stonehill shot it at a 37.5% (9-24) clip. The Friars outrebounded the Skyhawks 26-11 through the first 20 minutes of action.

SECOND HALF

• Stonehill scored the first five points of the second half, sparking a 12-6 run from the Skyhawks as senior Christopher Melis (Chappaqua, N.Y.) knocked down his first three-pointer of the season and fourth of his career to make the score 50-37.
• Providence scored the next nine points to take its largest lead of the game at 59-37 with 11:33 to go in the game.
• Stonehill rallied, going on a 7-2 run to make the score 61-44, but a pair of baskets for Providence big man Christ Essandoko pushed the Friar lead back over 20, 65-44 with just over five minutes left on the clock.
• Providence closed out the game strong as the Friars won the game 76-49.
• Providence won the rebound battle by 22 (48-26) and hit 50% (27-54) of its shot attempts while Stonehill went 17-53 from the field and 9-22 from the free throw line.

NOTEWORTHY

• This was the sixth all-time meeting between Stonehill and Providence and the second between the two as Division I opponents. The Friars improve to 6-0 over the Skyhawks as all six meetings have been played in Providence.
• Stonehill is now 0-4 all-time against Big East opponents since moving to Division I, dropping two games against Providence and two to the University of Connecticut.
• The Skyhawks have dropped 24 straight road games with the last road win coming on February 4, 2023, at Saint Francis Brooklyn.
• A different Skyhawk has led Stonehill in scoring in all three of its games so far this season (Morgan, Brogna, Nesbitt).
• Stonehill led for a total of six minutes as there were seven lead changes, all in the first half, but Providence led for the entirety of the second half en route to its second win over a Northeast Conference team this season, beating Central Connecticut in its home opener.
• Meuser has hit his career high in steals in back-to-back games, recording three at Notre Dame on Wednesday before recording five this evening at Providence.

UP NEXT
Stonehill will make the trip to Moon Township, Pa. to compete in the Urban-Bennett Invitational Hosted by P3R. The Skyhawks will play three games at the UPMC Events Center on the campus of Robert Morris University, with their first game of the tournament tipping off against the host Colonials on Thursday, Nov. 14, at 7 p.m. Stonehill will then play the University of New Orleans on Friday, Nov. 15, before finishing tournament action against Lindenwood University on Sunday, Nov. 17.

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