EASTON, Mass. –  Sean Nelson scored 22 points, 19 coming in the first half, as the Stonehill Skyhawks defeated the Bryant University men's basketball team, 63-51 in Northeast-10 Conference action Saturday at Merkert Gymnasium.   Bryant, led by Chris Burns' 17 points, shot just 30.0 percent from the field and made just six of 24 three-point attempts as the Bulldogs drop to 5-3 overall and 2-3 in the NE-10. 

    The Bulldogs led 3-2 after a three by Jon Ezeokoli and held a 5-4 advantage after a bucket inside by Nick Pontes with 17:34 left, but from there it was all Stonehill (6-1, 4-1 NE-10) as the hosts would use a 15-4 spurt, keyed by a three from Lance Clarke and a Chris Krause jumper, to race out to a 19-9 advantage, and the Skyhawks would not trail again in the game.
     Nelson, a senior from Milford, MA was 8 of 13 from the floor for 19 points in the first half, accounting for a majority of Stonehill's 33 points at the break as the Skyhawks took a 33-25 lead at intermission.

    Bryant shot just 26.5 percent from the floor in the first half, thanks in part to strong defense on the part of the Skyhawks and guard Mike Lauricella. Lauricella held Bryant guard John Williams scoreless in the first half on just three shot attempts.  He would finish with eight points in the game.   

    The Bulldogs would pull to within, 54-48 following a baseline three from Burns with 5:25 left to go, but Stonehill would put the game away, moments later thanks to a three-pointer by Nelson with 3:47 remaining and the Skyhawks were never threatened again. It was Nelson's only basket of the second half. Clarke, Kraus, and Marquis Taylor each finished with 12 points for the Skyhawks.  Dan Hammond had five points and a game-high 11 rebounds for the Bullogs while Ezeokoli finished with seven points and eight rebounds. 

    Bryant will be off for the holiday's and return to action against Bloomfield College in the first game of the Bryant Comfort Suites Holiday Classic at the Chace Athletic Center, Dec. 28.