EASTON, Mass. – Patrick Lee registered 21 points and 13 rebounds as Stonehill College defeated Southern New Hampshire University 70-58 in Northeast-10 men's basketball Tuesday night at Merkert Gymnasium.  The Skyhawks remain in first place in the NE-10 with a 6-1 overall record and a 5-1 mark in league play, while the Penmen are 4-4 and 2-4 in the NE-10.

Lee finished 8-14 from the floor to lead three Stonehill players in double figures.  Brian Hamor totaled 12 points, while Andre Tongo knocked down three three-pointers and totaled 11 points.

Elijah Bonsignore (Felton, Del.) led Southern New Hampshire with 14 points, while Greg DeSantis (Trumbull, Conn.) was 5-8 from the floor and finished with 13 points.  BJ Cardarelli (Manchester, Conn.) added 11 points on 4-7 shooting.

Southern New Hampshire, which trailed by as many as 17 points in the second half, used an 11-3 run to pull within nine, 49-40, with just over 12 minutes to go on a three by Max Taylor (Shokan, N.Y.).  Stonehill scored the game's next six points to push their lead to 15 with 10:37 left.

Down 57-45, the Penmen used a 6-0 burst to pull within six with 7:13 left on a Cardarelli layup.  SNHU got as close as five, 63-58 with 2:29 left when DeSantis sank a pair at the line, but the Skyhawks gradually pulled away as they scored the game's final seven points.

Stonehill never trailed and jumped out to a 9-2 lead four minutes into the game.  The Skyhawks took their largest lead of the frame, 35-18, with 1:52 remaining before halftime, but the Penmen scored the final six points of the half and a runner by Bonsignore as time expired made it a 35-24 game at the break.

Both teams shot 40% from the floor, but the Skyhawks took 11 more trips to the free throw line and were 19-27 at the line, while the Penmen were 11-16 at the charity stripe.  Stonehill outrebounded Southern New Hampshire 39-34 and generated  a 24-10 advantage in points off turnovers, as SNHU committed 14 giveaways while the Skyhawks turned the ball over 12 times.

SNHU returns to action Saturday afternoon when it hosts Merrimack College in a 3:30 Northeast-10 contest.