VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS

MANCHESTER N.H. – Mary Louise Dixon totaled 21 points as Stonehill College staved off a second half Southern New Hampshire University rally to post a 67-59 Northeast-10 women's basketball victory Tuesday night at the SNHU Fieldhouse.  The Skyhawks remain unbeaten, improving to 8-0 and 5-0 in the NE-10, while the Penmen are now 3-3 and 2-3 in the league.

Dixon finished 10-11 at the free throw line and also  registered five assists and four rebounds to lead three Stonehill players in double figures.  Tori Faieta tallied 16 points on 6-9 shooting, while Amy Pelletier added 14 points off the bench.

Michelle DeRoma (West Roxbury, Mass.) led  Southern New Hampshire with 15 points, going 3-5 behind the arc while also grabbing six rebounds.  Brooke Springfield (Jaffrey, N.H.) and Sloane Sorrell (Berwick, Maine) finished with nine points apiece, while Lorreta Rocha (Espargos, Cape Verde) notched eight points for the Penmen.

Southern New Hampshire, which trailed by as many as 10 points in the first half, scored six unanswered points to build its biggest lead of the game, 51-45, with 7:23 to go on a basket by Kelly Chergey (Bow, N.H.).  Stonehill scored the game's next six points and a pair of free throws by Dixon with 5:18 to go made it a 51-51 game.  Following two more ties, the Skyhawks took the lead for good at the 3:21 mark on a Pelletier basket.

The Penmen trailed 61-56 with 1:27 left following a pair of Faieta free throws before DeRoma made it a two-point game with her three from the right corner with 1:08 remaining.  Following an SNHU timeout, Asia Ewing knocked down a 17-footer on Stonehill's next possession and after an empty Penmen trip, Dixon sealed the win with a 4-4 effort at the free throw line in the final 36 seconds.

Stonehill led 32-24 at halftime, but Southern New Hampshire outscored the guests 11-2 over the first 3:12 of the second half and a Rocha basket put the Penmen on top 35-34.  The lead changed hands two times before an 8-2 spurt gave SNHU a 43-38 lead with 13:29 left.

SNHU jumped out to a quick 7-2 lead before the Skyhawks scored seven unanswered points to build a 9-7 lead 13:36 before intermission.  Stonehill took control of the first frame with a 10-0 run capped by a Faieta conventional three-point play with 6:06 to go that gave it a 23-13 lead.  The Skyhawks carried a 32-24 lead into the locker room.

Stonehill generated 11 more trips to the free throw line and went 18-20 at the charity stripe while SNHU was 5-9 from the line.  Southern New Hampshire shot 51.7% in the second half and 48.1% for the game and outrebounded Stonehill 33-26, but 22 Penmen turnovers proved costly as the Skyhawks held a 20-6 edge in points off turnovers.

Southern New Hampshire closes out first semester NE-10 play Saturday when it travels to Merrimack College for a noon tipoff.

For the latest on Southern New Hampshire University athletics, follow the Penmen via social media on Twitter, Facebook and Youtube.