NEW BRITAIN, Conn. (Jan. 8, 2025) – The Stonehill men's basketball team (4-12, 1-2 NEC) dropped back to 1-2 in NEC play following a 76-69 loss to Central Connecticut State (8-6, 2-1 NEC) on the road on Thursday evening.
STONEHILL HIGHLIGHTS
- Junior guard Davante Hackett came off the bench to led the Skyhawks with 19 points.
- Sophomore guard Hermann Koffi netted five three-pointers for the first time since December 12 to finish with 17 points.
- Senior guard Chas Stinson rounded out the trio in double figures with 12 points.
- Graduate student Raymond Espinal-Guzman pulled down 10 rebounds.
- The Skyhawks outscored the Blue Devils in the paint, 36-32.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Skyhawks fell behind early, trailing the Blue Devils, 6-0, but answered with gritty play in the low post. Senior guard
Chas Stinson capped off a 5-0 run, battling for the offensive rebound before laying it in for the quick two.
CCSU was offensively on fire, shooting over 50% from the field in the first half. But the Skyhawks kept it close. Late in the half, junior guard
Davante Hackett pulled the Skyhawks to within one possession with a driving lay-up to cut the deficit to, 26-24.
After a 5-0 run to end the first half sent the Blue Devils into the locker room with a 31-24 lead, they kept their offensive momentum flowing in the second, shooting over 55%. But Stonehill matched the offensive output in the second, shooting 56.7% from the field, including 50% from long range.
While neither team had a transition, fast-break basket in the first half, the Skyhawks changed that in the second. Keeping with form, junior center
Ridvan Tutic battled for the defensive board and kept it in bounds with a flip to Stinson, who found Hackett bolting up the sideline for the fast-break lay-up.
The Blue Devils built themselves a double-digit lead with five minutes to play, but the Skyhawks were not going to make it easy. With seconds to remaining in the game Stinson closed the gap to two possessions, with a driving lay-up off a turnover. But it was as close as they would get.
UP NEXT
Stonehill returns to Merkert Gymnasium on Saturday, January 10 hosting Chicago State. Tip-off at 2 p.m. Follow all the action on the NEC Front Row.
