MANCHESTER, N.H. – Four players reached double figures as Southern New Hampshire University defeated Bentley University 70-60 in Northeast-10 men's basketball Saturday afternoon at the SNHU Fieldhouse.  The Penmen snapped a two-game slide and improved to 4-2 and 2-2 in the NE-10, while the Falcons saw a three-game win streak halted and are now 4-3 and 2-2 in the league.

Mike Stys (Hooksett, N.H.) led a balanced Penmen scoring column, going 8-8 at the free throw line and scoring 15 points.  Rodney Sanders (Linden, N.J.) totaled 13 points, six rebounds and three assists while Phillip Tripodakis (Athens, Greece) connected on all three of his three-point attempts and registered 12 points.  Aleksandar Dobrovic (Podgorica, Montenegro) had 10 points in his 2012-13 debut.

Jasper Grassa led all scorers with 21 points for Bentley, finishing 8-20 overall and 4-10 behind the arc.  Tyler McFarland recorded a double-double with 17 points and 10 rebounds.

Southern New Hampshire, which led nearly the whole way, found itself up 53-43 with 7:44 left following a Dobrovic layup, but a 10-2 Bentley run, capped by a McFarland layup at the 4:44 mark, pulled the guests within two, 55-53.  The Penmen responded by scoring the next six points, and a Stys layup with 2:44 left made it a 61-53 game.  The Falcons would get back within five twice, the last time following a pair of free throws by Mike Topercer with 2:05 left that made it 63-58, but SNHU sealed the win by going 7-8 at the free throw line in the final 1:23.

The Penmen led 30-22 at halftime and extended the lead to 10 early in the second half before Bentley pulled within four, 32-28, on a McFarland tip-in at the 16:25 mark.  Southern New Hampshire clung to a 41-39 lead with 11 minutes left before going on a 10-2 run to take a 51-41 lead with 8:16 left on a Dobrovic basket.

Bentley led just once, at 4-2, and the hosts raced out to a 16-9 lead with 12:36 left in the first half following a three by Tripodakis.  The Penmen saw their lead cut to two, 24-22, with 2:20 left on a Topercer basket, but SNHU scored the final six points of the frame and a Sanders layup with a minute to go made it 30-22 at the break.

Southern New Hampshire cashed in its opportunities at the free throw line, going 21-26 at the stripe while Bentley was 7-11.  The Penmen held a 14-6 advantage in second chance points and outscored the Falcons 20-13 in points off turnovers.  Neither team shot well from the field (Bentley 37.5%, SNHU 36.1%) and the guests held a 42-41 rebounding advantage.

Southern New Hampshire returns to action Tuesday night when it hosts nationally-ranked Stonehill College in a 7:30 Northeast-10 contest at the SNHU Fieldhouse.