In a non-conference matchup at Conte Forum on Sunday night, the Stonehill College men's basketball team faced a tough challenge against Boston College. Sophomore Todd Brogna stepped up with a career-high 25 points, shooting 10-16 from the field and 3-4 from long range. Junior Chas Stinson led the team with seven rebounds and four steals, while Junior Ethan Meuser contributed 11 points, five rebounds, and two blocks on 4-4 shooting from the field and 3-3 from deep. Boston College was led by Chad Venning with 13 points, and Roger McFarlane had six rebounds.

First Half Highlights

Todd Brogna won the tip and Ethan Meuser started the scoring with a triple assisted by graduate student Amir Nesbitt. A pair of two-point baskets from Brogna and Nesbitt gave Stonehill an early 8-4 lead. However, BC rattled off a 7-0 run to take the lead. But Brogna began to heat up, scoring seven points in a row for Stonehill and then assisting on a Louie Semona three to give the Skyhawks a 22-19 lead with 7:41 to go in the half. Boston College used an 11-4 run to take a 30-26 lead into the final media timeout of the half (3:52). BC led at the half, 35-30, shooting 14-29 (48.3%) while Stonehill shot 9-25 (36.0%). Brogna led all first-half scorers with 14, while Chas Kelly III led the Eagles with 10.

Second Half Struggles and Comebacks

The second half started with a back-and-forth battle, and BC took a 46-37 lead into the under-16 media timeout (15:03). Nesbitt knocked down a contested three from the corner to cut the Eagle lead to seven, but BC responded with back-to-back baskets to extend their lead to 11 with 10:21 to play. Meuser hit back-to-back threes to trim the BC lead to four with 3:29 to go, including a turnaround, fading three as the shot clock buzzer sounded. After BC extended the lead to eight, Brogna and freshman Hermann Koffi (Quebec City, Quebec) hit threes to cut the Boston College lead back to four with 1:36 remaining. Brogna then hit a reverse layup to cut the deficit to two with 21 seconds remaining, the closest margin of the second half. But Boston College knocked down all of its free throws down the stretch to close out the win, 73-69.

Noteworthy Statistics

Stonehill is now 0-17 against Boston College all-time and 0-2 at the Division I level. With this loss, the team has dropped its last 27 road contests. Stonehill falls to 2-2 in games decided by single digits this season. This marked just the fifth game of the season that Stonehill finished under 15 assists after finishing the past three games with at least 20+. The four-point margin of defeat is the closest versus a high major school in Stonehill's Division I history. Brogna followed up his 16-point performance against Lesley with a career-high 25 points tonight. He currently ranks sixth in the NEC in scoring at 13.3 points per game. Stinson recorded his fifth straight game with 2+ steals, fourth straight with 3+, and second straight with at least four. His 2.1 steals per game ranks tied for third in the NEC.

Upcoming Matches

Stonehill men's basketball will stay on the road for a matchup with UMass Lowell on Wednesday, December 18 at 6:00 PM. Then, they will take on another American East opponent, the University of New Hampshire on Sunday, December 22 at 1 p.m. at Merkert Gymnasium. For the latest on Stonehill Athletics, follow the Skyhawks via social media on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.