Men's Basketball Falls to Saint Michael's 86-78

BOX SCORE

COLCHESTER, Vt. - Brian Monahan totaled 27 points and 15 rebounds in his final collegiate game to lead Saint Michael's College to a 86-78 Northeast-10 men's basketball victory over Southern New Hampshire University at the Ross Sports Center Tuesday night.  The Purple Knights close their season 8-18 and 6-16 in the NE-10, while the Penmen are 12-15 overall and 9-13 in the league.

Despite the loss, the Penmen have secured a berth in the Northeast-10 Tournament.  SNHU has earned the No. 10 seed and will hit the road for a quarterfinal game Saturday at seventh-seeded Bryant University.  The Penmen and Bulldogs split a pair of regular-season meetings.

Monahan finished 9-14 from the floor.  James Sorrentine added 20 points for Saint Michael's.  Gerald Carter (Harlem, NY) led Southern New Hampshire with 21 points.  Sophomore Kelly Coder (Exeter, NH) was 4-5 from three-point land and finished with a season-high 19 points, while Troy Bowen (Nashua, NH) added 13 points.

Saint Michael's and Southern New Hampshire traded the lead nine times and had six ties in the first 12 minutes of the second half.  The Purple Knights would take the lead for good with 7:53 left on a basket by Mike Iola that gave them a 64-62 lead.  SNHU trailed 69-67 with just over five minutes left following a Coder three but Saint Michael's would score 10 unanswered points to take a 79-67 lead with 2:39 left on a Monahan three.  The Penmen would get no closer than five points the rest of the way.

The hosts led the first 11 minutes of the game, with the Penmen taking their first lead, 15-14, with 8:58 left in the first half on a Coder three-pointer.  The lead was short-lived as Saint Michael's countered with an 8-0 run to make it 22-15 with 6:33 left on a Monahan basket.  SNHU tied the game with seven unanswered points and a Bowen layup with 4:54 to go tied the game at 22.  The two teams traded the lead seven times the rest of the half, with the Penmen going up 32-31 with 1:22 left on a three by Fotis Lioutas (Thessaloniki, Greece).  Southern New Hampshire led 33-31 at intermission.

Saint Michael's shot 68.2% in the second half and 55.1% for the game.  The Purple Knights were 25-29 at the free throw line as opposed to SNHU's 10-17 effort and the hosts held a 35-29 rebounding advantage.