NEWARK, Del. – BJ Cardarelli (Manchester, Conn.) recorded a season-high 19 points as Southern New Hampshire University downed Wilmington (Del.) University 71-57 in non-conference men's basketball Sunday afternoon.  The Penmen improve to 7-3, while the Wildcats now sit 2-10.

Southern New Hampshire wrapped up non-conference play with a 4-0 record.

Cardarelli knocked down all three of his three-point attempts and finished 8-11 from the floor to pace three Penmen in double figures.  Aleksandar Dobrovic (Podgorica, Montenegro) totaled 17 points, five rebounds and four assists, while Rodney Sanders (Linden, N.J.) added 14 points while recording seven steals.  Mike Stys (Hooksett, N.H.) notched eight points and five rebounds while CJ Marriro (Boston, Mass.) recorded seven points, eight rebounds and five assists.

Brandon Fox led Wilmington with 15 points while Herbert Dennis added 13 points off the bench for the Wildcats.

Southern New Hampshire led by three at halftime and opened the second half on a 7-0 run to open up a 40-30 lead on a Cardarelli layup with just under 17 minutes left.  The Penmen opened up a 51-38 lead with 10:27 left following a pair of Stys free throws.  A 12-3 run capped by back-to-back layups by Fox pulled Wilmington within four, 54-50, with 6:37 to play.

A Dobrovic three with 2:48 left gave the Penmen a nine-point cushion, 63-54, however, a three by Robert Byrd made it 63-57 on the next Wildcat possession.  That would be as close as Wilmington would get as Southern New Hampshire scored the game's final eight points.

Wilmington opened a 12-5 lead 5:33 into the game, but Southern New Hampshire would take its first lead, 20-19, on a Cardarelli three midway through the opening half.  The Penmen would lead the rest of the way and took a 33-30 lead into the locker room.

Southern New Hampshire shot 44.2% for the game and connected on eight of its 23 three-point attempts while the Wildcats were just 4-18 beyond the arc.  The Penmen, who outrebounded Wilmington 37-29, went 17-26 at the free throw line, while the hosts made 13 of their 23 attempts at the charity stripe.  SNHU recorded a season-high 14 steals on the afternoon.

SNHU returns to action Sunday, January 6 when it hosts UMass Lowell in a 3:30 contest at the SNHU Fieldhouse.  All youth basketball players in eighth grade and younger wearing their team uniform will be admitted free of charge to that game.