MANCHESTER, N.H. – Tory Stapleton (Rahway, N.J.) totaled 22 points and 11 rebounds and made the go-ahead layup with 36 seconds remaining as Southern New Hampshire University rallied from an eight-point second half deficit to post a 72-69 Northeast-10 men's basketball victory over Pace University Tuesday night at the SNHU Fieldhouse.  The Penmen improved to 10-7 overall and 6-6 in the NE-10, while the Setters are now 8-8 and 6-6 in the league.

Stapleton finished 10-13 from the floor and registered a season-high in points to lead four SNHU players in double figures.  Aleksandar Dobrovic (Podgorica, Montenegro) (pictured) finished with 12 points, while Josh Morgan-Green (Upper Marlboro, Md.) was 6-6 at the free throw line and totaled 11 points.  Elijah Bonsignore (Felton, Del.) added 10 points and eight rebounds for Southern New Hampshire.

Denzel Primus-Devonish led Pace with 20 points, going 11-13 at the free throw line.  Keon Williams was 6-7 from the floor and finished with 13 points, while Delroy Daley made all five of his field goal attempts and added 10 points.

Southern New Hampshire trailed by as many as eight points in the second half and was down 69-63 with 4:08 left when a pair of Primus-Devonish free throws capped a 6-0 Setter run.  The Penmen pulled within one, 69-68, with 1:14 left on a Stapleton basket.  On the other end, the guests came up empty when Primus-Devonish's layup attempt was blocked by Bonsignore, who also grabbed the rebound.

Stapleton would work free for a wide-open layup with 36 seconds left to give SNHU its first lead since the 6:57 mark.  Primus-Devonish fired a wild baseline jumper with 23 seconds left that Bonsignore collected, and Morgan-Green would sink two at the line with 20 seconds to go to make it 72-69.  Pace attempted two game-tying threes in the waning moments but both were off the mark.

Pace trailed 39-28 at halftime, but outscored the Penmen 16-4 over the first 4:19 of the second half and a conventional three-point play by Primus-Devonish at the 15:41 mark gave the guests their first lead of the game, 44-43.  The Setters extended their lead to eight, 56-48, with 10:09 left on a Justin Alston basket.

The Penmen got back in the game with a 13-4 run capped by a Stapleton layup with just under seven minutes to play that gave the hosts a 61-60 lead.  Alston would knock down a three on Pace's next trip, but Morgan-Green knotted the game 63-63 with 5:23 left on a breakaway layup.

SNHU led the entire first half and built a 15-6 lead nine minutes into the game following a conventional three-point play by Bonsignore.  Pace used a 14-6 run to pull within one with 7:30 left before halftime, 21-20, but the Penmen countered with a 14-3 run and a three by Morgan-Green with 2:58 to go made it a 35-23 game.  Southern New Hampshire led 39-28 at halftime.

Pace shot 54.3% for the game and was 15-20 at the free throw line, but Southern New Hampshire outrebounded the Setters 30-22, including an 11-4 offensive rebounding advantage that led to a 16-2 lead in second chance points for the Penmen.  SNHU, which committed just seven turnovers, was 21-26 from the free throw line and shot 59.1% in the first half and 46.9% for the contest.

Southern New Hampshire travels to Adelphi on Saturday afternoon for a 3:30 Northeast-10 contest.