MANCHESTER, N.H. – BJ Cardarelli (Manchester, Conn.) and Rodney Sanders (Linden, N.J.) each finished with 18 points as Southern New Hampshire University defeated New York Institute of Technology 74-56 in non-conference men's basketball Saturday afternoon at the SNHU Fieldhouse.  The Penmen improved to 6-3 on the season, while the Bears now stand at 6-4.

For Cardarelli, it marked a season-high as he drained four of his five three-point attempts and finished 5-8 from the field overall, while Sanders was 7-12 and also grabbed five rebounds.  Mike Stys (Hooksett, N.H.) and Aleksandar Dobrovic (Podgorica, Montenegro) each added 10 points, while CJ Marriro (Boston, Mass.) dished out six assists.

Azel Prather, Jr. was the lone NYIT player in double figures as he totaled 12 points.  Jahleel Felix tallied nine points while Kayvon Roberts finished with eight points and 12 rebounds.

Southern New Hampshire, which never trailed, opened up an 11-0 lead 2:43 into the game following a conventional three-point play by Dobrovic.  NYIT countered with nine straight to pull within 11-9 at the 15:47 mark.  The Penmen nursed a 22-18 lead with seven minutes left in the first half before going on a 19-2 run capped by a Kostas Mantalvanos (Athens, Greece) layup with 1:49 left before intermission to open up a 21-point cushion, 41-20.  The hosts took a 41-23 lead into the locker room.

The Penmen led by as many as 24 points in the second half, the last time coming on a pair of Dobrovic free throws with 10:42 left that made it 60-36.  Southern New Hampshire held at least a 15-point lead the rest of the way.

SNHU committed six turnovers while forcing 18 Bear giveaways, leading to a 24-7 advantage in points off turnovers.  The Penmen knocked down nine of their 23 three-point attempts and shot 42.6% for the contest, while holding NYIT to 27.6% shooting in the second half and 40% for the game.  The guests held a 39-36 rebounding advantage.

Southern New Hampshire returns to action Sunday, December 30 when it closes out non-conference action with a 2:00 contest at Wilmington (Del.) University.  The next Penmen home game is slated for Sunday, January 6 when SNHU entertains UMass Lowell in a 3:30 contest.

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