EASTON, Mass. – Four starters reached double figures as Stonehill College cruised to a 79-54 Northeast-10 men's basketball victory over Southern New Hampshire University at Merkert Gymnasium Saturday.  The Skyhawks, who are ranked No. 3 in the East Region, improved to 21-5 and 16-5 in the NE-10, while the Penmen are now 10-15 and 6-15 in the league.

Daniel Heppert led a balanced Skyhawk attack with 17 points and six rebounds.  Ivan Almeida totaled 16 points, while Mike Kernan finished with 15 points and nine rebounds.  Sam Markle added 11 points and seven assists for Stonehill.

Cory Vejraska (Alachua, Fla.) was the lone Penmen player in double figures as he finished with 16 points, going 6-6 at the free throw line.  Corey Boland (Union, N.J.) registered eight points while Josh Morgan-Green (Upper Marlboro, Md.) added seven.

Stonehill trailed just once, at 2-0, and opened a 24-10 lead midway through the first half on a pair of free throws by Markel.  The Penmen used a 14-5 run to pull within five, 29-24, with 4:31 before halftime on a Vejraska layup, and got within four, 32-28, with 2:45 left on a pair of free throws by Vejraska.  The Skyhawks closed the frame on a 7-0 run and took a 39-28 lead into the locker room.

The hosts outscored Southern New Hampshire 14-2 over the first six minutes of the second half to build a 53-30 lead on a layup by Andre Tongo.  Stonehill maintained at least a 19-point lead the rest of the way and led by as many as 35 down the stretch.

Stonehill shot 60% (15-25) in the second half and 57.7% for the game while limiting the Penmen to 30.9% shooting.  Stonehill outrebounded SNHU 34-31 and took nine more trips to the free throw line, going 14-23, while the Penmen made all 12 of their free throw attempts, with Vejraska and Boland each going 6-6.  The hosts owned a commanding 44-14 advantage in points in the paint.

Southern New Hampshire closes out its season Wednesday when it hosts Merrimack College in a 7:30 contest at the SNHU Fieldhouse.