MANCHESTER, N.H. – Freshman Elijah Bonsignore (Felton, Del.) totaled 18 points and five blocked shots to lead Southern New Hampshire to a 72-41 victory over Mercy College in non-conference men's basketball Friday night at the SNHU Fieldhouse.  The game marked the season opener for both schools.

The 41 points allowed by SNHU marks their lowest total allowed in the shot clock era and are the third-fewest points allowed in program history.

Bonsignore finished 8-11 from the floor and also grabbed a pair of rebounds in 21 minutes of play.  Senior Tory Stapleton (Rahway, N.J.) was the other Penmen who played who reached double figures, as he totaled 13 points and seven rebounds.  Freshman Aleksandar Dobrovic (Podgorica, Montenegro) added nine points and nine rebounds, while Billy Marsden (Pelham, N.H.) added nine points, knocking down a pair of three-pointers.

Joseph Pope led the Mavericks with eight points.

Southern New Hampshire led 30-20 at halftime and outscored Mercy 15-8 over the first five minutes of the second half to build a 45-28 lead.  From there, the Penmen gradually pulled away, as Mercy came no closer than 15 points the rest of the way.

The Penmen never trailed and opened up an 18-6 lead 9:16 into the game following back-to-back layups by Bonsignore that capped a 13-1 run.  Southern New Hampshire held a 29-12 lead with just over five minutes remaining before halftime, but the Mavericks closed the half on an 8-1 run to pull within 10 at the break.

Southern New Hampshire shot 51.7% in the second half and 41.9% for the game while limiting Mercy to just 32.7% shooting, including misfiring on all 11 of their three point attempts.  The Penmen outrebounded the Mavericks 46-40 and committed just 12 turnovers while forcing 22 giveaways for the guests.

The Penmen return to action on Saturday when they host Molloy College in a 7:30 contest at the SNHU Fieldhouse.