BOX SCORE

COLCHESTER, Vt. - Host Saint Michael's College outscored Southern New Hampshire University 15-5 over the final 1:16 of regulation to force overtime, then prevailed 81-78 in Northeast-10 men's basketball at the Ross Sports Center Wednesday night.  The Purple Knights improve to 5-2 and 3-2 in the NE-10, while the Penmen are now 2-3 and 1-3 in the league.

Alex Berthiaume led four Saint Michael's players in double figures with 23 points, while Nate Birr totaled 16 points and seven assists.  Tyler Schilling finished with 12 points and 10 rebounds for the Purple Knights, while Mike Iola added 10 points.

Stephen Wood (South Jamaica Queens, NY) led Southern New Hampshire with a career-high 18 points and 12 rebounds, going 8-13 from the floor.  Troy Bowen (Nashua, NH) totaled all 13 of his points in the first half before leaving early in the second half with an injury, while Marcus Matthews (Valley Stream, NY) added 11 points.  Gerald Carter (Harlem, NY) recorded nine points and five assists.

SNHU led by as many as 13 points in the second half and led 66-56 with 1:26 to play following a layup by Wood.  The Purple Knights would reel in the Penmen, taking advantage of 2-6 shooting at the foul line and two turnovers by the Penmen to draw within one, 68-67, on a basket by Mike Iola with 22 seconds to play.  Carter would be fouled, but missed two at the line, and SMC capitalized as Qua'ron Pinckney scored to give his team their first lead of the second half.  SNHU called timeout to set up its final shot, but turned the ball over.

Berthiaume would be fouled after the turnover and made two at the line to make it 71-68.  As time expired, Wood connected on a 25-foot three-pointer for the guests after a three-quarter quart pass by Tory Stapleton (Rahway, NJ) to send the game to overtime.

In overtime, the guests pulled ahead for good with 1:33 to go when Birr nailed a three to make it a 79-76 game.  Down 81-78 with the final possession after Birr made 1-of-2 at the line with 10 seconds to go, Cory Vejraska's (Alachua, FL) attempt to tie the game as time expired was off the mark.

The Penmen went on a 13-2 run midway through the second half to take a 52-39 lead with 9:31 to play on a basket by Vejraska.  Saint Michael's would get within seven, 63-56, with 2:34 to go on a Birr bucket before Wood's layup that gave the guests a 10-point advantage with 86 seconds in regulation.

SNHU used an early 10-0 run to take a 16-12 lead with 12:04 left in the first half on a basket by Bowen.  The Penmen took their largest lead of the first half, 25-16, with 7:49 before halftime when Bowen capped a 7-0 run with a three-pointer.  Saint Michael's would score the final six points of the first half and tie the game at 33 with six seconds left on a three-pointer by Berthiaume.

Saint Michael's shot 58% (14-24) in the first half and 52.7% for the game while also connecting on seven of its 16 three-point attempts.  The Penmen shot 46.9% from the floor but were just 12-25 at the free throw line.  The Penmen held a commanding 46-31 rebounding advantage and held a 29-5 edge in second chance points.

Southern New Hampshire returns to action on Saturday when it travels to face Franklin Pierce University.  That game, which will take place at Spaulding Gymnasium on the campus of Keene State College, is set for a 3:30 start.