Southern Connecticut State University Owls (16-10, 11-8 NE10)
vs. Stonehill College Skyhawks (17-10, 13-6 NE10)
Date: Sunday, March 1, 2020
Time: 4:00 PM
Location: Merkert Gymnasium (Easton, Mass.)
Live Video | Live Stats
The Southern Connecticut State University men's basketball team, the No. 3 seed from the Southwest Division, will travel to Easton Mass. to play Stonehill College, the No. 2 seed from the Northeast Division, in the Quarterfinals of the Northeast 10 Conference Tournament on Sunday, March 1, 2020. The Skyhawks are also currently ranked sixth in the latest NCAA East Region rankings. The top eight ranked teams are selected to the NCAA Division II Tournament.
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Owls fans can find the latest news, scores and highlights at the Official Website of the Southern Connecticut men's basketball team, SCSUOwls.com/sports/mens-basketball or on Twitter and Instagram at @SCSU_MBB.
All-Time Against Stonehill College: 27-38
The Last Time They Met: The Owls fell to Stonehill at James Moore Field House on Jan. 25, 2020, 67-59. Greg Jones (Bronx, N.Y.) scored a career-high 31 points, grabbed eight rebounds, and shot 12-20 from the field and 6-9 from three-point range. Taurus Adams II (Milwaukee, Wisc.) recorded a double-double with 11 points and a game-high 10 rebounds.
All-Time During The NE10 Tournament: 1-0
Southern and Stonehill have only faced each other once in the NE10 Tournament, an 80-75 Owls' win in the first round at Moore Field House last season. Kealen Ives (Providence, R.I.) scored 37 points, the the most for a Southern player in a NE10 tournament game in program history, while C.J. Seaforth (Hamden, Conn.) scored 16 points on 4-8 shooting. Joey Wallace (Rochester, N.Y.) gave the Owls a 78-75 lead with a three-pointer with 51 seconds remaining.
Last Time Out
- Southern defeated Adelphi, 94-78, on Tuesday, Feb. 25, in Garden City, N.Y.
- Lyron Bennett (Boston, Mass.) tied his career-high with a team-high 22 points on 8-13 shooting, while Levar Allen (Richmond, Va.) set a career-high with 21 points.
- Bennett and Allen are the first Southern freshman to score at least 20 points in the same game since at least the 2005-06 season.
- Isaiah Boissard (Walden, N.Y.) added 19 points and eight rebounds, and Adams II scored 18 points.
- Southern shot a season-high 59.4 percent from the field.
- That was Southern's first win against Adelphi on the road since Nov. 11, 2015.
Player Notes
- Over his last seven games, Bennett is averaging 14.9 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 6.0 assists per game. He's also hit on 50.0 percent of his shots from the field and 45.8 percent of his three-point attempts in that span.
- Bennett is shooting 44.8 percent from three-point range since Nov. 26, a span of 19 games.
- Bennett scored in double-figures in six of the seven games in February.
- Bennett has 99 assists on the season, third all-time among Southern freshman in a single season. The freshman record for most assists in a single-season is held by Mike Parenti with 175 during the 1988-89 season, followed by Robbie Thompson with 111 during the 1995-96 season.
- Adams II is averaging 17.5 points per game and 9.8 rebounds per game since Dec. 4 against New Haven, a span of 16 games, while also recording seven double-doubles and shooting 57.3 percent from the field.
- Since the start of January, Adams II is shooting 44.4 percent from three-point range.
- Adams II has scored in double-figures in 19 of his 22 games played.
- Adams II is the first Southern player to score at least 350 points and grab at least 200 rebounds in a season since Jerry Luckett, Jr. (Milwaukee, Wisc.) during the 2016-17 season.
- Allen is shooting 51.7 percent from the field over his last seven games, on his way to averaging 11.1 points per game.
- Allen has set his career-high in points scored in two consecutive games, as he scored 15 points against The College of Saint Rose before scoring 21 against Adelphi.
- Over the last nine games, Boissard is shooting 52.8 percent from the field and 44.7 percent from three-point range, averaging 14.2 points (128).
- Jones has scored at least 15 points in eight of his last 11 games.
- Jones is averaging 15.6 points per game and shooting 50.2 percent from the field over his last 17 games, dating back to Dec. 10 against Saint Rose.
- Jones has made 44 of his last 47 free throw attempts dating back to Jan. 8 against Adelphi.
- Seaforth has scored at least 15 points in nine of his 23 games played this season.
- Zack Penn (New Hartford, Conn.) has been a solid producer over off the bench this season, as he is the only player to have appeared in every game for Southern this year. He is shooting 55.8 percent from the field and pulling down 4.7 rebounds in 21.1 minutes per game since Jan. 22.
- Over his last 12 games, Khalil Richard (Baltimore, Md.) is averaging 9.9 points per game and shooting 45.5 percent from the field.
- Adams II was named NE10 Player of the Week, while Bennett was named Rookie of the Week for the 15th week of the season for their performances against New Haven and Saint Rose.
Team Notes
- The Owls have made the NE10 Tournament in 10 consecutive seasons dating back to 2010-11, the longest current steak among NE10 programs.
- Southern has also made the NE10 Tournament in seven straight seasons since the NE10 adopted the Northeast and Southwest Divisions prior to the start of the 2013-14 season.
- The Owls are tied for 25th nationally in free throw percentage at 77.7 percent.
- Southern is third in the NE10 in rebounds per game (38.5) and in offensive rebounds per game (11.2)
- Defensively, the Owls are holding opponents to 43.9 percent shooting (fourth lowest in the conference) and 34.9 percent from beyond the arc (third lowest in the conference), while allowing 73.8 points per game (fifth lowest in the conference).
- The Owls are shooting 51.0 percent from the field and 37.1 percent from beyond the arc over their last three games, averaging 86 points.
- Over their last four games, Southern is holding opponents to 41.6 percent shooting and 34.7 percent from three-point range as well as just 72.5 points per game.
- Southern closed the season by winning back-to-back conference games by at least 15 points for the first time since the 2015-16 season, when they defeated St. Michael's by 21 on Jan. 1 and Stonehill by 16 on Jan. 9.
- Southern scored at least 90 points in two consecutive games for the first time this season. They did it once last season as well, when they scored 100 points in each game on Jan. 23, 2019 against Bentley and Jan. 26, 2019 against Franklin Pierce.
NE10 Rankings
- Jones leads the NE10 in free throw percentage at 91.2, among players that have made at least two free throws per game and played in 60 percent of their team's games.
- Jones is sixth in blocks per game with 1.2, recording 30 total in 24 games, and eighth in rebounds per game with 7.7.
- Adams II is second in offensive rebounds per game with 3.8, and tied for third in rebounds per game with 9.2.
- Adams II is seventh in field goal percentage, as he's shooting 54.5 percent from the field.
- Seaforth is tied ninth in steals per game (1.4).
- Bennett is eighth in assists per game with 4.0, which is first among freshman in the conference.
DII Rankings
- Jones is ninth in free throw percentage.
- Adams II sixth in offensive rebounds per game.
Up Next
With a win, the Owls will play in the semifinals of the conference tournament on Wednesday, March 4th at 7:00 p.m.
NE10 Men's Basketball Championship
Northeast Division:
1. Saint Anselm (14-5)
2. Stonehill (13-6)
3. Franklin Pierce (10-9)
4. Bentley (9-10)
5. Southern New Hampshire (9-10)
Southwest Division:
1. Le Moyne (15-4)
2. Adelphi (11-8)
3. Southern Connecticut (11-8)
4. Pace (10-9)
5. New Haven (10-9)
First Round Friday, February 28th:
Game 1: New Haven (No. 5 seed SW) at Bentley (No. 4 seed NE) – 5:00 PM
Game 2: Southern New Hampshire (No. 5 seed NE) at Pace (No. 4 seed SW) – 7:30 PM
Quarterfinals Sunday, March 1st:
Game 3: Game 1 winner at Le Moyne (No. 1 seed SW) – 4:00 PM
Game 4: Game 2 winner at Saint Anselm (No. 1 seed NE) – 4:00 PM
Game 5: Franklin Pierce (No. 3 seed NE) at Adelphi (No. 2 seed SW) – 4:00 PM
Game 6: Southern Connecticut (No. 3 seed SW) at Stonehill (No. 2 seed NE) – 4:00 PM
Semifinals Wednesday, March 4th (at highest seeds remaining):
Game 7: Game 6 winner vs. Game 3 winner (7:00 PM)
Game 8: Game 5 winner vs. Game 4 winner (7:00 PM)
Championship Saturday, March 7th (at highest seed remaining):
Game 9: Game 8 winner vs. Game 7 winner (1:00 PM)