EASTON, MA – Stonehill College generated a 48-30 margin on the glass, which led to a 20-6 advantage in second chance points as the Skyhawks fended off The College of Saint Rose 72-62 in a Northeast-10 Conference contest today at Merkert Gymnasium.
The Golden Knights (13-7/8-7 NE-10) overcame a six-point first half deficit behind a 10-2 run to take a 21-19 lead with 8:25 on the clock. Sophomore guard
Andre Pope helped punctuate things with back-to-back 3-pointers and then freshman forward
Dominykas Milka sunk a pair of free throws. The two clubs virtually traded baskets the rest of the way although Stonehill went into the locker room up a pair, 30-28, at the break.
Saint Rose kept pace and maintained a slim lead 37-34 after junior forward
Sheldon Griffin finished off a feed from Pope in the paint at the 15:58 mark. However, sophomore guard Brian Hamor jump-started a 17-4 run that all but put things away for the Skyhawks (16-4/11-4 NE-10).
When the outburst ended, Stonehill claimed a 51-41 lead with 8:39 on the clock and the Golden Knights could get no closer than seven points the rest of the way against the league's top scoring defense. Saint Rose did not help its cause by recording its second-lowest shooting performance of the year after hitting just 35.2 percent (19-for-54) of its opportunities in the contest.
Junior guard
Rob Gutierrez was one of three Saint Rose players in double-figures despite fouling out with almost seven minutes remaining in the game. Gutierrez wound up with 18 points on 7-of-11 shooting from the floor. Pope tossed in 16 points and added three assists, while junior forward
Brian Hanuschak added 12 points and six boards.
Senior guard Daniel Heppert led the Skyhawks with 19 points. Meanwhile, junior guard Ivan Almeida contributed 14 points and senior forward Mike Kernan had a “double-double” behind 11 points and 19 boards.
Both clubs have a pair of league games on tap at 7:30 pm Wednesday. The Golden Knights head to Assumption College, while Stonehill travels to Franklin Pierce University.
Box Score
