Hunter O. Lyle—Sports Editor
In their second consecutive year hosting the first round of the playoffs, Southern snuck past Stonehill College with a big effort from senior guard Kealan Ives.
Coming in as the fourth seed (12-8 in NE10) in the Southwest Division, the Owls took on the fifth seed in the Northeast Division, Stonehill (8-13 in NE10), who they lost to earlier this season.
The game started off with the Skyhawks shooting lights out from deep. Junior guard Brandon Twitty caused the most trouble for the Owls early, connecting on his first five shots from deep, while the rest of the Skyhawks combined shot 4-7 from deep.
After giving Stonehill a 20-11 lead with just over 12 minutes left, Ives started to pour it on, slicing and dicing to collect 20 points in just the first half, and bringing the Owls within three at halftime, 43-40.
Coming out of the break, Southern kept the tempo up, and was able to gain a two-point lead with 10 minutes remaining. Stonehill stuck with the Owls, continuously hitting deep shots and flipping the lead several times.
As the clock ran down, the Owls were able to pull ahead, thanks to efforts from Ives, sophomore guard C.J. Seaforth, and senior forward Joey Wallace, who hit a dagger three with only minutes left. The Owls went on to win 80-75.
Three Owls ended the game in double digits: Ives finished with a career-high 37 points and 7 assists, Seaforth tallied 16 points and two steals on the night, and senior guard Isaiah McLeod, who left the game early due to an on-court injury, grabbed 12 points and 2 steals as well.
Southern’s next game will be played in hostile territory against the number one seed Saint Anselm on March 3.
