Support The Daily Orange this holiday season! The money raised between now and the end of the year will go directly toward aiding our students. Donate today.

When the Stonehill Skyhawks enter the JMA Wireless Dome on Monday, it’ll be a banner moment for the program in multiple regards. For one, it will mark the first time the Skyhawks have ever set foot in the Dome, as it didn’t exist when Syracuse last hosted Stonehill.

Secondly, it’ll be the first time these two programs have squared off as Division I rivals, with Stonehill amid its fourth season of D-I play after jumping up prior to the 2022-23 campaign. The transition hasn’t exactly gone swimmingly for the Skyhawks, who carry a 36-70 record as a D-I school.

But for the Orange — coming off recent subpar performances against Hofstra, Mercyhurst and Northeastern — a matchup against a floundering Stonehill squad might be exactly what they need to get back on track before conference play.

Here’s everything to know about the Skyhawks (3-9, Northeast) before they square off against Syracuse (8-4, Atlantic Coast) Monday.

All-time series

Syracuse leads 1-0.

Last time they played

These programs’ lone matchup came on Feb. 16, 1976, a 101-55 shellacking by SU. The Carrier Dome was about four years away from coming into existence.

In the comforts of the Manley Field House, Syracuse gave Stonehill a mightily rude welcome. Only one Skyhawk — Brian Tracy — scored in double figures, while four SU players reached that threshold in the rout. James Williams led the Orange with 22 points, while Chris Sease added a 17-point, 12-rebound double-double.

KenPom odds

KenPom gives Syracuse a 98% chance of defeating Stonehill, with a 79-57 projected score.

The Skyhawks report

It’s been a rough season for Stonehill. The Skyhawks currently sit at just 3-9, with only one of their wins coming against a D-I opponent — a 74-70 win over Lafayette. The other two came against two Division III foes: Thomas College (Maine) and Vermont State-Johnson.

There is, however, a slight consolation for Stonehill. It shares a common opponent with Syracuse — Iowa State — and with the Orange getting blown out 95-64 by the Cyclones, the Skyhawks’ 39-point loss to ISU is only marginally worse than SU’s defeat.

Stonehill is helmed by Chris Kraus in his 13th year as the program’s head coach. He helped guide the program through its transition to D-I, and claimed 2023 NEC Coach of the Year honors in the process.

After returning for a second year with the program, Hermann Koffi leads Stonehill with 15.3 points per game and an NEC-leading 34.1 minutes per game. He’s flanked by three transfers in the starting lineup: Raymond Espinal-Guzman, Ridvan Tutic and Rex Sunderland.

How Syracuse beats Stonehill

The rebounding battle is about the only area in which the Skyhawks might be able to trouble SU. They rank 63rd in the nation in total rebounds — averaging 39.8 per game — and 23rd among D-I teams with a gaudy 29.0 defensive boards per game.

If William Kyle III and Sadiq White can clean up on the glass, this should be a breeze for the Orange. SU’s defense has locked teams down for most of the season, ranking 37th with an average of 66.3 points against per game. Against Stonehill — who ranks 356th out of 365 Division I teams in offensive efficiency, per KenPom — that trend won’t change.

Stat to know: 62.1%

Opponent free-throw percentage is an amusing statistic. What does it really tell you about a team? Absolutely nothing. These are, quite literally, uncontested shots. Stonehill’s players have zero impact on the result of their opponents’ charity stripe attempts.

And yet, somehow, the Skyhawks rank first in the country in it, allowing a meager 62.1% opposing free throw percentage. Could it be that Stonehill has some elite trash talkers — Draymond Green, Dillon Brooks archetypes — who are particularly effective at getting in their opponents’ heads at the line? Possibly. It could also just be plain-old variance.

But whatever the case may be, it’s certainly something to monitor in this contest. The Orange rank dead last among Division I programs with a 58.0% free throw percentage.

Player to watch: Raymond Espinal-Guzman, forward, No. 13

Across three seasons at Sacred Heart University, Espinal-Guzman started just seven of his 68 games, never averaging five points per game in a season. But after transferring to Stonehill this past offseason, the senior has finally come into his own for the Skyhawks.

Espinal-Guzman is one of three Skyhawks to have started every single game this season, and one of three Stonehill players with at least 100 total points thus far. He also leads the team with an average of 7.9 rebounds per game. Kyle III and White are perfectly capable of holding their own in the paint, but Espinal-Guzman won’t make it easy for them down low.

Published on December 21, 2025 at 5:32 pm
Contact Mauricio: mjpalmar@syr.edu | @mpalmarDO