Press Release

STONEHILL EDGES PURPLE KNIGHTS IN BASKETBALL DOUBLEHEADER FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                               FOR MORE INFORMATION December 19, 2004                                                                             Contact: Seth Cole                                                                                                          Phone: (802) 654-2537 COLCHESTER, Vt. – Stonehill College raced out to early leads and held on for a pair of victories in Northeast-10 Conference basketball action on Sunday at the Ross Sports Center. In the opener, the Chieftain women bested the Purple Knights, 62-57, while the Stonehill men took the nightcap, 85-81. In the women’s contest, balanced scoring and a 52-41 rebounding advantage were the difference as the Chieftains won their fourth straight contest. Sophomore Tiffany Huggins (Stoughton, Mass.) led the visitors with 11 points, while senior Rachael Wile (Newburyport, Mass.) added 10 points, 11 rebounds and a pair of blocks. Junior Barbara Dauplaise (Brockton, Mass.) netted nine points on three 3-pointers for Stonehill (7-1, 4-1 NE-10). For the Purple Knights, junior Brigid Hegarty (North Andover, Mass./Central Catholic) posted a game-high 21 points, hitting all six of her foul shots. Sophomore Dani Rayner (Westminster, Vt./Bellows Falls Union) chipped in 10 points and seven rebounds, while freshman Adrienne Carpenter (Princeton, Mass./Wachusett Regional) posted eight points and a team-best eight rebounds off of the bench for Saint Michael’s (3-6, 0-5 NE-10). Stonehill dictated the tempo early, as the Chieftains used stifling defense to take a 15-6 lead 12 minutes into the contest. Saint Michael’s, however, closed to within 24-23 with 2:24 left in the frame, and entered the locker room down, 32-25. In the second half, a Hegarty jumper pulled the hosts within one, 40-39, with 12:22 remaining. Saint Michael’s could never complete the comeback, however, as the Chieftains then went on an 11-2 run to open their biggest lead of the game, 51-41. Hegarty cut the deficit to 54-51 with less than five minutes to go, and Rayner pulled Saint Michael’s within four in the final minute, but the Purple Knights missed their final three shots to fall for the sixth time in their last seven games. In the men’s game, the Chieftains shot 50.7 percent from the field and outrebounded the Purple Knights 43-24 in notching the win. Senior Evan Pellerin (Toronto, Ontario) led the way with 32 points, hitting 12-of-19 from the field and 8-of-9 from the foul line. Junior Marquis Taylor (Los Angeles, Calif.) added 16 points, 14 rebounds and three steals, classmate Chris Kraus (Markham, Ontario) chipped in 14 points and six assists, and senior Dezmond Morgan (Maplewood, N.J.) recorded 12 points, six rebounds and seven assists for Stonehill (6-3, 3-2 NE-10). For the Purple Knights, junior Mike Keating (Saint Paul, Minn./Cretin-Derham Hall) notched a team-high 24 points, hitting 4-of-5 3-pointers and all eight free throws. Senior Eric Swiezynski (Wilmington, Mass./Wilmington) netted a season-high 23 points and a team-best seven rebounds, while sophomore Brendan Mullins (Downers Grove, Ill./Downers Grove South) and freshman James Sorrentine (Pawtucket, R.I./Saint Raphael Academy) chipped in 13 points apiece. Junior BJ Robertson (Burlington, Vt./Burlington) was held to two points, ending his streak of 15 double-digit scoring games, as Saint Michael’s (3-7, 0-5 NE-10) dropped its seventh straight contest. Pellerin was a force from the outset, as he tallied 18 points in the first half to give the Chieftains a 39-35 lead at the break. A Sorrentine 3-pointer gave the Purple Knights their only lead of the second half, 45-44, but Stonehill countered with a 14-3 run to take a 58-48 lead. Saint Michael’s slowly came back, and evened the score at 77-all with 2:54 to play on a Swiezynski trifecta. Kraus, however, gave the visitors the lead for good with 2:09 remaining, and two free throws by junior Mike Lauricella (Norwood, N.J.) with 11 seconds to go sealed the win. Saint Michael’s is off for the holidays, and returns to action on January 3 at league-rival Le Moyne College. The Purple Knights’ next home doubleheader is January 8 versus Franklin Pierce College, with the women squaring off at 1:30 p.m. followed by the men at 3:30 p.m.  ###PURPLEKNIGHTS###

For more information please contact the SMC Sports Information Office at (802) 654-2537
Last Revised: October 25, 2002