SYRACUSE, N.Y. – Lucas Croteau (Rochester, N.H.) totaled a career-high 16 points and made the go-ahead basket with 1:45 remaining as Southern New Hampshire University posted a 62-58 Northeast-10 men's basketball victory over Le Moyne College at Grant Court Saturday afternoon. The Penmen, who snapped a four-game slide, improve to 6-9 and 2-9 in the NE-10, while the Dolphins are now 6-9 and 4-7 in the league.
The win marks SNHU's first in Syracuse since the 2005-06 season.
Croteau went 6-10 from the floor and made a pair of three-pointers to lead three Penmen players in double figures. Greg DeSantis (Trumbull, Conn.) went 4-9 behind the arc and finished with 14 points, while Tory Stapleton (Rahway, N.J.) totaled 12 points and six rebounds. Cory Vejraska (Alachua, Fla.) and Josh Morgan-Green (Upper Marlboro, Md.) each registered seven points, with Vejraska also grabbing nine rebounds.
Chris Johnson made five three-pointers and led Le Moyne with 17 points, while Kevin Roth finished with 12 points and a game-high 15 rebounds.
In a game that saw six ties and six lead changes and neither team led by more than six, Le Moyne took a 55-50 lead with just over five minutes to go on a tip-in by Roth. The Penmen would then go on a 10-0 run to take a 60-55 lead on a conventional three-point play by Morgan-Green with 1:23 to go. Vejraska knotted the game 55-55 with 3:49 left on a three, while Croteau broke the tie with a basket at the 1:45 mark.
Johnson would pull Le Moyne within two when he knocked down a three with 56 seconds remaining. The Penmen worked the shot clock down but came up empty, with Roth collecting the rebound. Johnson's three-point attempt with 13 seconds left was off the mark, with Croteau grabbing the rebound and getting fouled. He made both free throws to make it 62-58 with 10 seconds left. Le Moyne came down once again but Nate Champion failed to convert a layup and the Penmen controlled the carom.
SNHU trailed 30-28 at halftime and took their first lead of the second half on a DeSantis three with 14:11 to go that made it 38-36. Le Moyne countered with a 7-0 run and a basket by Roth made it 43-38 with 12:20 on the clock. Stapleton gave the Penmen back the lead when his layup with 7:24 left made it 50-49, but the Dolphins had the game's next six points to build their 55-50 lead.
The guests led much of the first half and opened up a 19-13 lead on a Croteau three with 8:31 left before intermission. Le Moyne took its first lead on a Johnson three with just under three minutes to go, and took a 30-28 lead into the locker room as it closed the first frame on a 10-5 run.
Both teams shot 39% for the game but the Dolphins would go just 4-14 at the free throw line while SNHU was 4-9 at the charity stripe. Le Moyne outrebounded the Penmen 46-38, while SNHU committed just 11 turnovers, its second-lowest total of the season.
SNHU returns to action Wednesday night when it travels to Pace University for a 7:30 contest.
