EASTON, Mass. (January 10, 2025) – Stonehill College men's basketball fell in its Northeast Conference home opener at Merkert Gymnasium, 70-60, to LIU Friday night.
 
LEADERS

• Sophomore Louie Semona (Cincinnati, Ohio) led Stonehill with 17 points on a 7-13 shooting night in his second consecutive start, also tallying five rebounds and one steal in 35 minutes.
• LIU's Malachi Davis led all scorers with 27 points, including 16 in the second half, going 12-18 from the field with four rebounds, two steals, and a block.
• Junior Chas Stinson (Charlotte, N.C.) had his eighth double-digit scoring effort of the season, notching 14 points on a 5-9 shooting performance while matching Semona with a team-high five rebounds.
• Jamaal Fuller had 14 points and a game-high seven rebounds for the Sharks in the win.

FIRST HALF

• On the game's opening possession, Semona caught a bounce pass from sophomore Todd Brogna (Southborough, Mass.) in the lane and finished a layup, plus a free throw, to put the Skyhawks up 3-0.
• A coast-to-coast finish in the paint for Stinson earned him a three-point play to give Stonehill a 9-4 lead, but five straight points from the Sharks tied the score, 9-9.
• LIU's Xinyi Li came off the bench and hit a three-pointer from the top of the key to give the Sharks their first lead of the game, 14-11, but threes from senior Nathan McGill and junior Ethan Meuser (Shavertown, Pa.) put Stonehill back in front, 17-14.
• The lead continued to flip as LIU's Jalen Lee put LIU back in front, 23-22, with just under four minutes to play in the half.
• Three lead changes over the next three possessions kept Stonehill in front, 28-27, and the Skyhawks finally got a stop followed by a Stinson layup to increase their lead to three, 30-27.
• Freshman Hermann Koffi (Quebec City, Quebec) heaved a long-range three at the buzzer and got it to fall as Stonehill's lead doubled, 33-27, at the half.
• Semona led Stonehill with nine first-half points, while LIU's Malachi Davis paced all scorers with 11.

SECOND HALF

• Semona opened the scoring in the second half to give Stonehill its largest lead of the game, 35-27, but the Sharks then went on a 12-5 run to make it a one-point game, 40-39.
• LIU took its first lead of the second half after a Jamaal Fuller three-pointer made it 44-42 with under 12 minutes to go in the game.
• A layup from Jalen Lee gave the Sharks a four-point lead, 46-42, but a Semona three and a steal and slam from Stinson put the Skyhawks back in front, 47-46.
• Malachi Davis answered for LIU, converting on a three-point play to put LIU in front, and then a layup from Terrell Strickland pushed their lead up to four, 51-47.
• Meuser knocked down a three for the Skyhawks, followed by a score on the other end for the Sharks to keep LIU in front, 53-50.
• Strickland got a steal and score for the Sharks to make it 55-50 but Semona responded for the Skyhawks with a three-pointer to make it a one-possession game with under four minutes to play.
• The two teams continued to go back and forth until a three-point play on a strong offensive rebound for Brogna pulled Stonehill within one point, 61-60, with just over two minutes to play.
• Malachi Davis continued to dominate for the Sharks, scoring his eighth straight point and 22nd of the game on the next possession with a layup at the rim.
• Davis ended the game scoring 13 straight points for the Sharks en route to a game-high 27 as LIU secured the win, 70-60.
• The Sharks shot 18-26 (69.2%) in the second half compared to Stonehill, who went 9-24 (37.5%) over the final 20 minutes of action.

NOTEWORTHY

• Stonehill is now 2-3 against LIU as the Sharks have won three straight meetings after the Skyhawks won the first two.
• This was Semona's second start of the season, and after another double-digit scoring effort, Semona is averaging 16.1ppg over the last nine games, with 10+ in eight of those contests.
• Stonehill had its first home loss of the season Friday night, falling to 6-1 at Merkert Gym after going undefeated in Easton during its non-conference schedule.

UP NEXT

• Stonehill men's basketball (9-9, 1-2 NEC) is back on the road for the third time out of its first four Northeast Conference contests as the Skyhawks travel to Chicago State (1-16, 1-1 NEC) for a first-ever meeting on Sunday, Jan. 12 at 2 p.m. at the Jones Convocation Center.

 
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