EASTON, Mass. (December 11, 2024) – Stonehill College men’s basketball improved to 5-0 at home Wednesday night, defeating Lesley University, 97-53, in a non-conference matchup at Merkert Gym.
LEADERS
- Sophomore Louie Semona (Cincinnati, Ohio) led all scorers with a career-high 24 points in 27 minutes off the bench. Semona went 8-14 from the field and had five rebounds, two assists, one block, and one steal.
- Sophomore Todd Brogna (Southborough, Mass.) scored 16 points and grabbed a game-high eight rebounds, shooting 6-10 from the field and 2-3 from long range.
- Junior Chas Stinson (Charlotte, N.C.) dished out a career-high six assists to lead all passers while also swiping a career-high five steals. Stinson also corralled seven rebounds in the win.
- Lesley was led by Malachi Howard who scored 21 points and also paced the team with four assists.
FIRST HALF
- Lesley took its only lead of the game with 17:57 remaining in the first half when the Lynx went up 5-3 but Stonehill scored 25 straight points after that, making 10 of its next 11 shot attempts as freshman Hermann Koffi (Quebec City, Quebec) led the Skyhawks with nine points during the run to make the score 28-5.
- After a pair of Lesley free throws made it 28-7, Stonehill went on a 14-4 run as Semona came off the bench to score eight points for the Skyhawks as Stonehill led 42-9 with 7:15 left in the first half.
- Lesley hung around for the remainder of the half, scoring 13 points over the final seven minutes as Stonehill led 57-22 heading into the break.
- Stonehill went 23-39 (59%) from the field in the first half with 16 assists, 25 bench points, and 20 points off turnover to help propel the Skyhawks.
SECOND HALF
- Malachi Howard scored nine straight points for the Lynx to start the second half, but the Skyhawks increased their lead with a 10-1 run to go ahead 73-31 with just over 12 minutes remaining in the game.
- The two teams went back and forth to close out the game with Stonehill defeating Lesley 97-53 after 40 minutes of action.
- Stonehill finished with a season-best shooting clip of 53.6% (37-69) while holding the Lynx to a 31.1% (19-61) shooting night.
NOTEWORTHY
- Stonehill is now 1-0 against Lesley all-time and improves to 2-0 against Division III opponents this year, defeating Framingham State 81-62 to open the season.
- The Skyhawks 5-0 record at Merkert Gym to start the season is the best start at home since the 2019-20 season when Stonehill won its first six games at Merkert.
- The Skyhawks combined for 20 assists tonight, the seventh time this season they’ve hit 15+ and the third straight game with at least 20. Stonehill is now 5-2 when tallying over 15 assists and 2-1 when notching at least 20.
- Stonehill’s 53.6% (37-69) shooting clip from the field marks a season-high, surpassing a mark of 53.2% (33-62) in the win over Quinnipiac on Dec. 1.
- The Skyhawks’ 97 points tonight mark the most points by a Stonehill team since moving up to Division I and the most since Stonehill scored 100 in a triple-overtime loss to New Haven in 2020.
- Sophomore Alex Bates IV (Charlotte, N.C) scored 10 points, freshman Pearse McGuinn (Havertown, Pa.) tallied four points, and Koffi had 15 as all three set new career highs in scoring along with Semona.
- Four Skyhawks scored in double-figures for the second consecutive game, while three recorded 15+ for the first time this season.
- Stonehill has now won four of its last five games, improving to 6-5 in non-conference play heading into a two-game road trip at Boston College (12/15) and UMass Lowell (12/18).
UP NEXT
- Stonehill men’s basketball travels to Chestnut Hill, Mass. to take on Boston College in a non-conference matchup at Conte Forum on Sunday, Dec. 15 at 4 p.m. for the second matchup between the Skyhawks and Eagles at the Division I level.
For the latest on Stonehill Athletics, follow the Skyhawks via social media on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.
