EASTON, Mass. (January 26, 2025) – The Stonehill College men's basketball team (11-11, 3-4 NEC) dropped a Northeast Conference matchup against FDU (8-13, 4-2 NEC) at Merkert Gym, 65-54, Sunday afternoon.

LEADERS

• Graduate student Josh Morgan (Brampton, Ontario) had a team-high 14 points in his second start since returning from an ankle injury. Morgan shot 5-9 from the field, 2-4 from deep, and recorded four rebounds, one assist, and one steal.
• Sophomore Alex Bates IV (Charlotte, N.C.) scored a career-high 13 points, making three of his four three-pointers. He also had two rebounds and one assist in 24 minutes off the bench.
• Sophomore Louie Semona (Cincinnati, Ohio) led the Skyhawks with eight rebounds while tallying 11 points and three assists.
• FDU's Terrence Brown was the game's leading scorer and rebounder, notching 25 points and 10 boards for the double-double.

FIRST HALF

• Morgan scored the first five points of the game with a layup and a deep three-pointer but FDU scored the next seven as Terrence Brown capped off the 7-0 run with a fastbreak slam.
• The Knights remained in front, 12-11, but the Skyhawks started cashing in from beyond the arc as Bates checked in off the bench and knocked down all three of his long-range attempts.
• Semona hit a three and a pair of layups as he and Bates scored 16 of the next 18 points for the Skyhawks, leading to a 29-18 advantage for Stonehill.
• A Semona layup kept Stonehill ahead by 10, 33-23, but the final five points of the first half went to the Knights as FDU trimmed its deficit in half, trailing 33-28 at the break.
• Terrence Brown led all scorers with 13 first-half points for the Knights while Semona and Bates IV each had nine for the Skyhawks.

SECOND HALF

• FDU picked up where it left off at the break, scoring six straight points to start the second half, taking a 34-33 lead.
• The lead continued to see-saw but a wild finish, plus the foul, for senior Christopher Melis (Chappaqua, N.Y.) made it a two-possession game as Stonehill led 43-39.
• Back-to-back three-point plays for the Knights put FDU in front, 46-45, as Brown was up to 22 points halfway through the second half.
• Brown continued to light it up for the Knights, sinking his third three-pointer of the game to increase the Knights lead to six, 53-47, with just over seven minutes to play.
• A pair of free throws gave FDU its largest lead of the game, 57-49, but Morgan drilled a corner three to keep Stonehill within striking distance as the Skyhawks trailed by five late in the second half.
• FDU led the rest of the way, holding the Skyhawks to just 21 points in the second half as the Knights secured the NEC win, 65-54.

NOTEWORTHY

• Stonehill drops to 4-5 all-time against FDU, a series that dates back to 1965. Since moving up to the division I level, the Skyhawks are 1-4 against the Knights, having lost four straight matchups.
• This was Semona's sixth consecutive start and his 10th straight game scoring in double figures. Semona is now averaging 15.5ppg over the last 13 games as he's tallied 10+ in 12 of those contests.
• Stonehill falls to 7-2 at Merkert Gym this season as this was the Skyhawks' second loss at home in NEC play after going 6-0 in Easton during their non-conference slate.
• Bates notched a career-high in points (13), minutes (24), and three-pointers made (3) in Sunday's loss.
• Senior Nathan McGill (Dillsburg, Pa.) matched his career-high of five rebounds in just 17 minutes off the bench for the Skyhawks.

UP NEXT

• Stonehill men's basketball (11-11, 3-4 NEC) has two more NEC home games next weekend, beginning with a matchup against Wagner (11-9, 3-4 NEC) on Thursday at 7 p.m. followed by Central Connecticut State (14-6, 5-2 NEC) coming to Merkert Gym on Saturday at 2 p.m.

 
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