ERIE, Pa. – The 2025-2026 Stonehill men's basketball came to a close in the NEC Semifinals falling to Mercyhurst, 56-51, on Saturday afternoon. It was the first trip to the conference semifinals since elevating to Division I four years ago.
STONEHILL HIGHLIGHTS
- Junior guard Davante Hackett led the Skyhawk offense with 21 points – 20 in the second half.
- Hackett was nearly perfect from the charity stripe knocking down seven-of-eight free throws.
- Senior guard Chas Stinson followed up with nine points.
- Senior center Ridvan Tutic was a force in the post with eight rebounds, while tacking on seven points on the offense end.
HOW IT HAPPENED
It was a low scoring, defensive game from the opening tip. The Lakers jumped out to an early five-point lead, but the Skyhawks chipped their way back. Graduate student
Raymond Espinal-Guzman knocked two a jumper moments before junior guard
Davante Hackett made one of two from the line to pull Stonehill to within one.
Midway through the half, senior center RidvanTutic ripped down a defensive board and converted it into points at the other end of the floor to tie the game. However, the Lakers answered going back up by four. It was short-lived as senior guard
Chas Stinson knotted the game back up netting a pair from the free-throw line.
It remained a two-possession game for the entirety of the first half as the Skyhawks went into the locker room trialing by four, 23-19.
When the teams returned to the court at the start of the second, Mercyhurst extended their lead to double figures twice in the second half. Stonehill was resilient. Stinson turned a Laker turnover into points with a fast-break layup to cap a 6-0 run and pull the Skyhawks to within three, 50-47. It was also close as they would get as the Lakers held on for the victory.
