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Nick Smith has made 14 of his first 21 shots so far this season. |
Orlando, Fla. - Down by 13 with a little more than four minutes to go to the No. 3 team in the country, Stonehill put together a 14-3 run over the next three and a half minutes to mount a furious comeback that whittled a Grand Valley State lead down to two, but in the end the Lakers proved to have too much firepower escaping with a 76-72 win over the Skyhawks at the Disney Tipoff Classic.
Nick Smith (Colonia, N.J.) led three Stonehill (1-1) players in double figures with a game-high 21 points, going seven-for-seven from the field, including all three attempts from the three-point line and 4-for-4 from the free throw line. Matt Hall (Springfield, Mass.) added 17 points, shooting 6-of-10 from the field (3-for-4 3-pt FG). A.J. Rudowitz (Monroe Township, N.J.) followed up a double-double effort on Friday (12 points, 10 rebounds) with 16 points and five rebounds.
Grand Valley controlled the first half leading by as many as 12 points (33-21) with 5:30 left until intermission, when Stonehill went on a 14-5 run to close out the half, cutting the lead to 38-35.
The Skyhawks continued the run to start the second half scoring eight of the first 12 points to take their first lead of the game, 43-42, at the 17:41 mark. The lead changed hands five times over the next four minutes, until the Lakers scored 12 straight points to take a commanding 11-point lead (61-50) with 8:17 left.
The Lakers, who entered the game having made national news late, last week with a double overtime win at Division I Michigan State, broke a tournament record shooting 64.7 percent (11-for-17) from beyond the three-point line.
Jason Jamerson recorded a team-high 20 points to lead the Lakers (2-0), while Pete Trammel added 18 points. Callistus Eziukwu contributed with a balanced effort of 10 points, four rebounds, five assists and three blocks.
Both teams shot identical from the field, 26-46 (56.5 FG pct.).
The Skyhawks return to the hardwood on Sunday when they face Columbus State in their final contest of the event at 12 noon.
