EASTON, Mass. (February 13, 2025) – The Stonehill College men's basketball team (13-13, 5-6 NEC) defeated Saint Francis (10-16, 5-7 NEC), 79-74, at Merkert Gymnasium Thursday night as junior Ethan Meuser (Shavertown, Pa.) scored a career-high 17 points.

LEADERS

• Meuser scored a career-high 17 points, shooting 5-of-7 from the field and 4-of-5 from deep. He also tallied three rebounds and two steals.
• Sophomore Todd Brogna (Southborough, Mass.) led the Skyhawks with 18 points, going 5-for-10 from the floor and 7-for-8 from the charity stripe. Brogna also led the team with eight rebounds to go with two assists, one steal, and one block.
• Freshman Hermann Koffi (Quebec City, Quebec) tallied 17 points, knocking down a career-high five threes on 10 attempts.
• Saint Francis was led by Valentino Pinedo, who scored a career-high 24 points on an efficient 11-for-13 shooting performance with seven rebounds, two blocks, and two assists.

FIRST HALF

• Despite Saint Francis jumping out a five-point lead, 13-8, the Skyhawks would bounce back with a 9-2 run as Meuser and Koffi each made two three-pointers in the early stages of the game to give Stonehill a 17-15 lead.
• Brogna and Semona each scored seven points in the final 11 minutes of the first half as Stonehill outscored Saint Francis by five, building its largest lead of the half after a Koffi three-pointer with 48 seconds left sent the Skyhawks into the break with a 38-31 lead.
• Pinedo did all he could to keep the Red Flash in the game, scoring 16 first-half points in a half that Saint Francis shot 51.9% (14-27) from the floor in.

SECOND HALF

• Stonehill kept Saint Francis at bay over the first eight minutes of the half, leading the Skyhawks to their largest lead of the game, 58-45, with Brogna and junior Chas Stinson (Charlotte, N.C.) both tallying six points during the Skyhawks run.
• The Red Flash erupted for a 12-2 run, trimming the Skyhawk lead to just three points, 60-57, with over seven minutes remaining in the game.
• Stonehill went on a run of its own, building a double-digit lead once again, 68-58, just two minutes later.
• A driving layup from Victor Payne made it a four-point game with 53 seconds left on the clock, 72-68, but the Skyhawks made seven of their final eight free throw attempts to seal the NEC win, 79-74.
• The Red Flash finished the game shooting 54.4% (31-57) from the field, but the Skyhawks won the rebounding battle, 35-30, with 14 on the offensive end en route to 17 second chance points.

NOTEWORTHY

• Stonehill improves to 4-2 all-time against Saint Francis, including a 3-0 record at Merkert Gymnasium. The Skyhawks have won three straight matchups against the Red Flash.
• Meuser surpassed his career-high of 13 points that he set earlier this season against Lindenwood, scoring 17 points tonight while matching his career-high of four threes that he hit in the Lindenwood game as well.
• Brogna remains the lone NCAA Division I basketball player, averaging 50/40/90 shooting splits, as he now sits at 52.6/42.6/90.6 after tonight's 5-10 FG, 1-2 3PT, and 7-8 FT performance.
• Brogna has now scored in double figures in seven of the past nine games while recording at least six rebounds in nine of the last 11 games.
• This was Semona's 14th straight game scoring in double figures as the sophomore from Cincinnati is averaging 15.8ppg over the last 17 games (since Dec. 1).
• Koffi made a career-high five three-pointers, marking the fourth time this season he's hit at least four shots from long range.

UP NEXT

• Stonehill men's basketball (13-13, 5-6 NEC) plays host to Mercyhurst University (13-15, 7-6 NEC) on Saturday, Feb. 15, at Merkert Gymnasium in a televised broadcast at 3:30 p.m. The game will be streamed on ESPN+, SportsNet Pittsburgh, YES Network, NESN Nation, and NEC Front Row.

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