BOX SCORE
RAPID REACTION WITH HEAD COACH STAN SPIROU

When and Where: December 9, 2015 – Manchester, N.H. (SNHU Fieldhouse)
Score: Southern New Hampshire University 78, Merrimack College 63
Records: SNHU 5-4 (2-3 Northeast-10), Merrimack 5-5 (1-4 Northeast-10)

Senior Rodney Sanders (Elizabeth, N.J.) scored a game-high 21 points and junior Chris Walters (Stamford, Conn.) produced his fifth double-double of the season as the Southern New Hampshire University men's basketball team posted a 78-63 victory against Merrimack College on Wednesday evening at the SNHU Fieldhouse.

Sanders was 8-for-20 from the floor, including 4-for-10 from beyond the arc, and 1-for-1 from the line, while collecting eight rebounds and dishing five assists. Walters recorded 15 points (7-16 FG, 1-4 FT) and matched his career high with 12 rebounds. Freshman Daquaise Andrews (Queens, N.Y.) netted 15 points (7-10 FG, 1-3 3-FG) and grabbed six rebounds, with junior Devin Gilligan (Amherst, N.H.) tallying 12 points (4-7 FG, 1-3 3-FG, 3-5 FT), six boards, three assists, two steals and a block. 

JT Strickland led Merrimack with 19 points.

The game was tied at 10 just six-and-a-half minutes in when five points from Sanders and four from Andrews powered a 13-5 rush that gave Southern New Hampshire a 23-15 advantage midway through the opening half. 

Merrimack responded late in the stanza with a 10-3 run – with five points from Troy Hammel and four from Strickland – to climb within 30-29 with under three minutes remaining. Baskets from Walters and freshman Remo Simankevicius (Melbourne, Australia) sent the Penmen into the locker room with a 34-29 edge.

After SNHU had widened the gap to six, it was a one-point game more than five minutes into the second half when the Penmen scored 14 straight as part of a 27-4 burst that broke the game open and gave the hosts their largest lead of the night at 70-46 with 6:36 to go. Sanders netted 11 points during the span, while junior Adrian Oliveira (Pawtucket, R.I.) added seven. A four-point play from Sanders, a trey from freshman Charlie Russo (Syracuse, N.Y.) as the shot clock expired and a fast-break dunk from Walters highlighted the stretch. 

Strickland scored six points as part of a 10-2 counter-run that cut the Merrimack deficit to 16 with 3:23 on the clock.

Oliveira put together a solid game with nine points (4-9 FG, 1-3 3-FG) and nine assists. 

Notes:
-Southern New Hampshire outshot Merrimack, 47.8 percent (32-67) to 33.3 percent (21-63), including 62.1 percent (18-29) to 36.4 percent (12-33) in the second half and 32 percent (8-25) to 25 percent (6-24) from long distance.
-Merrimack made more free throws (15) than SNHU attempted (12) and held a 44-42 edge on the glass.
-The Penmen held a 38-28 advantage in the paint and featured a much better assist-to-turnover ratio (22/7-10/11).
-Walters posted his fifth straight 10-rebound game and his sixth in the last seven contests. 

Up Next:
The Penmen are back in action Saturday, Dec. 12 (3:30 p.m.) when they play host to Stonehill College at the Fieldhouse in a game that can be heard live on WGIR 610-AM. Tickets can be purchased HERE or at the box office on the day of the game.

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