Mar 23, 2006
SPRINGFIELD - Stonehill's magical ride through the NCAA Division 2 basketball tournament has at least one more stop to make.
Seniors Marquis Taylor and Chris Kraus each scored 17 points as Stonehill held off Tarleton State to advance to the Final Four with a 69-59 victory last night at the MassMutual Center.
The Skyhawks (27-6) will face Winona State in tonight's second semifinal. Winona State rallied from a 14-point deficit to defeat Barton in overtime, 86-78.
"When we came in as freshmen, we had hopes and dreams, but to be here right now is just amazing," Kraus said. "We're just enjoying every minute of it, but we're also preparing for the Final Four."
Stonehill struggled at the onset, missing its first eight shots from the field. Taylor broke the drought with a layup off a nice feed from Kraus at the 15:33 mark.
"I'd like to apologize for the first five minutes of the game," Stonehill coach David McLaughlin said. "After both teams settled down, I thought we made some really good defensive stops - we were able to hold that team to 30 percent in the first half."
Stonehill got a huge lift off the bench from Soap Toun. The junior knocked down a pair of 3-pointers to fuel a 9-0 run midway through the half.
The Skyhawks caught a big break when Tarleton State standout John Davis picked up his third foul with 1.2 seconds left in the half. Colin Scanlon hit both free throws to give Stonehill a 36-22 lead at the intermission.
Things got worse for Davis early in the second half. The 6-foot-7 forward picked up his fourth foul, then compounded matters by getting hit with a technical foul. He ended his night with two points, 13 below his season average.
Without the inside presence, the Texans scuffled and fell behind by as many as 17 with 13:50 left. But Tarleton State (27-7) was far from finished as LaShon Sheffield (13 points) and Nic Gamble triggered a comeback that brought the Texans to within five points, 58-53, with five minutes left.
SPRINGFIELD - Stonehill's magical ride through the NCAA Division 2 basketball tournament has at least one more stop to make.
Seniors Marquis Taylor and Chris Kraus each scored 17 points as Stonehill held off Tarleton State to advance to the Final Four with a 69-59 victory last night at the MassMutual Center.
The Skyhawks (27-6) will face Winona State in tonight's second semifinal. Winona State rallied from a 14-point deficit to defeat Barton in overtime, 86-78.
"When we came in as freshmen, we had hopes and dreams, but to be here right now is just amazing," Kraus said. "We're just enjoying every minute of it, but we're also preparing for the Final Four."
Stonehill struggled at the onset, missing its first eight shots from the field. Taylor broke the drought with a layup off a nice feed from Kraus at the 15:33 mark.
"I'd like to apologize for the first five minutes of the game," Stonehill coach David McLaughlin said. "After both teams settled down, I thought we made some really good defensive stops - we were able to hold that team to 30 percent in the first half."
Stonehill got a huge lift off the bench from Soap Toun. The junior knocked down a pair of 3-pointers to fuel a 9-0 run midway through the half.
The Skyhawks caught a big break when Tarleton State standout John Davis picked up his third foul with 1.2 seconds left in the half. Colin Scanlon hit both free throws to give Stonehill a 36-22 lead at the intermission.
Things got worse for Davis early in the second half. The 6-foot-7 forward picked up his fourth foul, then compounded matters by getting hit with a technical foul. He ended his night with two points, 13 below his season average.
Without the inside presence, the Texans scuffled and fell behind by as many as 17 with 13:50 left. But Tarleton State (27-7) was far from finished as LaShon Sheffield (13 points) and Nic Gamble triggered a comeback that brought the Texans to within five points, 58-53, with five minutes left.
