Box Score VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS
MANCHESTER, N.H. – Elijah Bonsignore (Felton, Del.) finished with 21 points and nine rebounds as Southern New Hampshire University pulled away for a 74-52 Northeast-10 men's basketball victory Saturday afternoon over Saint Michael's College at the SNHU Fieldhouse. The Penmen, who won their fifth straight and their 12th game in 13 tries, improve to 19-6 and 16-4 in the NE-10, while the Purple Knights now stand 16-9 and 12-8 in the league.
Bonsignore shot 8-13 from the floor and also recorded four blocked shots, including the 200th of his career. Rodney Sanders (Linden, N.J.) tallied 15 points, while Aleksandar Dobrovic (Podgorica, Montenegro) added 14 points and five rebounds.
Mike Holton, Jr. paced Saint Michael's with 20 points and seven rebounds, while Dom Ditlefsen finished with 12 points by going 4-8 behind the arc. Mike Thompson added 10 points on 5-7 shooting.
Saint Michael's, which had trailed by as many as 16 points early in the second half, pulled within six, 58-52, with 6:42 left on a Holton basket that capped a 15-7 run. From there, the Penmen clamped down defensively, scoring the game's final 16 points en route to the victory. The guests misfired on their final 13 shots from the floor.
SNHU led 37-22 at halftime and 40-24 early in the second half before Saint Michael's started chipping away at the lead, pulling within six, 53-47, at the 11:05 mark on a Matt Bonds basket. The Penmen scored the next five points, with a Bonsignore three making it 58-47, before the Purple Knights countered with a 5-0 spurt to get within six for the final time.
The two teams traded the lead twice in the early going before a Sanders three with 13:22 left in the first half gave the Penmen the lead for good at 13-10. The basket kicked off a 9-0 run that saw SNHU go up 19-10 at the 10:11 mark. The Purple Knights scored the next seven points to pull within two, but SNHU closed the half on a 14-2 run to take a 37-22 lead into the locker room.
SNHU shot 46.7% in the second half and 42.9% for the game, went 11-38 behind the arc, and was 9-11 at the free throw line, while Saint Michael's was limited to 35% from the floor, including 10-30 from long range. The guests also went 0-8 at the free throw line. The Purple Knights held a 42-38 rebound advantage, but the Penmen held a 24-2 advantage in points off turnovers as the guests had 17 giveaways compared to a season-low seven turnovers for SNHU.
Prior to the game, the Penmen honored seniors Bonsignore, Dobrovic, Max Taylor (Shokan, N.Y.), and Phillip Tripodakis (Athens, Greece).
Southern New Hampshire closes out the regular season Tuesday night when it travels to Assumption College for a 7:30 contest.
For the latest on Southern New Hampshire University athletics, follow the Penmen via social media on Twitter (@snhupenmen), Facebook (www.facebook.com/snhupenmen), Youtube (www.youtube.com/snhupenmen), and Instagram (www.instagram.com/snhupenmen). Sign up to receive text message alerts and email newsletters about your favorite Penmen teams here: http://www.snhupenmen.com/list-signup
