ALBANY – The College of Saint Rose men's basketball team dug itself a 14-point halftime deficit it could not overcome as visiting Stonehill College came away with a 76-64 Northeast-10 Conference victory this afternoon at the Daniel P. Nolan Gymnasium. The Skyhawks (16-4/13-2 NE-10), who are receiving votes in the NABC/Division II Coaches Top-25 Poll, knocked off the Golden Knights (10-10/7-8 NE-10) for the sixth time in seven meetings in the process.
As part of its annual “Think Pink and Coaches vs. Cancer Day”, Saint Rose donated paid admissions to three different cancer charities; the Susan G. Komen Foundation, the V Foundation for Cancer Research and Camp Bravehearts, an oncology camp for women. Furthermore, Saint Rose President Dr. R. Mark Sullivan matched the gate receipt total and the campus bookstore donated $1 for each of some 200 “hot pink” sweatshirts it sold during the day to bring the total to more than $4,400.
Stonehill shot 68.2 percent (15-for-22) from the floor in the first half on the way to a 41-27 lead at the break. The Golden Knights trailed by just four, 23-19, following a layup by freshman forward Devin Grimes at the 6:48 mark. The Skyhawks asserted themselves from that point by outscoring Saint Rose 18-8 the rest of the way. Senior forward A.J. Rudowitz sent Stonehill into the locker room on a high note after burying a 3-pointer as the buzzer sounded.
The Skyhawks quickly pushed their advantage to 21, 54-33, in the opening six minutes of the second period. The Golden Knights tried to mount a rally by scoring eight straight points to cut their deficit to 54-41. Sophomore guard Shea Bromirski started things with a layup, senior guard Jermaine Clark knocked down a “three” from the left wing and Bromirski added another trey in the right corner to account for the outburst.
Stonehill regained its composure by scoring seven straight points to again make it a 20-point affair. Saint Rose did not pose a serious threat after that despite drawing to within 12 on two occasions throughout the final minute.
Sophomore forward Brian Hanuschak led four players in double-figures for the Golden Knights with 16 points. Freshman guard Andre Pope finished with 12 points, six assists and five steals, while Bromirski and sophomore guard Rob Gutierrez contributed 10 points apiece.
Junior forward Mike Kernan registered a “double-double” to lead the Skyhawks. Kernan tossed in 19 points and hauled in 10 rebounds off the pine. Meanwhile, freshman guards Ivan Almeida and Brian Hamor added 14 and 11 points respectively.
Up next, both squads are scheduled to host a pair of league games at 7:30 pm Wednesday. Saint Rose is slated to meet Assumption College, while Stonehill welcomes Franklin Pierce University to Easton, MA.
Box Score; Think Pink -- Coaches vs. Cancer Photo Galley
