VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS

MANCHESTER, N.H. – Rodney Sanders (Linden, N.J.) totaled 26 points as Southern New Hampshire University held off Saint Anselm College for a 79-78 overtime Northeast-10 men's basketball victory Thursday evening at the SNHU Fieldhouse.  The Penmen, who won their seventh straight, improve to 14-5 and 12-3 in the NE-10, building a two-game lead for the Northeast Division's top spot.  The Hawks, who saw a four-game win streak snapped, are 13-6 and sit in a three-way tie for second in the division at 10-5.

SNHU's seven-game win streak is its' longest since winning nine in a row in the 2003-04 season.  The Penmen also completed the season sweep of Saint Anselm, earning two points in the Queen City Cup, a yearlong, multisport competition between the crosstown rivals.  It marks also just the second time, and the first since the 1979-80 season, that Southern New Hampshire has swept a pair of regular season games from its in-city rival.  The two teams have met twice in the regular season a total of 19 times.

Sanders finished 8-20 from the floor and 8-12 at the free throw line to lead three Penmen in double figures while also grabbing seven rebounds.  Elijah Bonsignore (Felton, Del.) finished with 22 points, eight rebounds and four blocked shots, while Devin Gilligan (Amherst, N.H.) added 11 points and six rebounds off the bench.

Chris Santo paced Saint Anselm with 26 points and led its furious second-half comeback, scoring the final seven points of regulation.  He also grabbed nine rebounds.  Roy Mabrey totaled 19 points and six rebounds, while Victor Joshua added 18 points, going 10-10 at the free throw line.

Southern New Hampshire never trailed in the extra session and led 78-74 with 43 seconds left following a putback by BJ Cardarelli (Manchester, Conn.) who notched eight points.  On the other end, Santo would be fouled going to the basket and made 1-of-2 at the line to make it 78-75.  The Hawks then fouled Phillip Tripodakis (Athens, Greece), who had made a pair of key steals in overtime, and he made 1-of-2 at the line with 27 ticks on the clock to push the lead back to four.

Joshua knocked down a three from the top of the key with 9.5 seconds to go to cut the lead to one, 79-78.  Following a Saint Anselm timeout, the Hawks came up with a steal on the inbounds.  The guests worked it around to Ryan Hartung wide open in the left corner, but his attempt at a game-winner was off the mark.

The Penmen led 40-32 at halftime and opened up a 47-37 lead three minutes into the second half following a Bonsignore basket.  Saint Anselm cut the lead to three twice, but each time the Penmen responded with a three.  The Hawks cut the lead to 58-55 with 8:01 left on a pair of Joshua free throws, but a Cardarelli three on the next trip doubled the SNHU advantage.

Gilligan's layup with 4:26 to go gave Southern New Hampshire a 68-59 lead.  After a pair of free throws by Joshua at the 3:52 mark made it 68-61, Santo scored the final seven points of regulation to force overtime.  His three-point play with 39 seconds left tied the game 68-68.  SNHU would get the final look, as Saint Anselm had a foul to give during the possession, but a drive to the basket by Sanders came up short.

Saint Anselm connected on six of its first seven three-point attempts to open up a 26-18 lead with 10:38 to go in the first half.  Southern New Hampshire used an 11-0 run capped by an Adrian Oliveira (Pawtucket, R.I.) layup with 6:50 to go to open a 29-26 lead. After a conventional three-point play by Mabrey to tie the game, the Penmen limited the Hawks to one field goal, a three, over the final six minutes, and opened up a 40-32 lead at halftime as Sanders capped an 11-3 spurt.

Southern New Hampshire shot 43.3% for the game and 6-21 behind the arc, while the Hawks were 12-25 from long range and 45.5% overall.  SNHU went 15-23 at the charity stripe, while the Hawks were 16-22, with Santo (2-7) accounting for five of the six misses.  The Penmen outrebounded Saint Anselm 39-36 and committed six fewer turnovers (STA 20, SNH 14), leading to a 23-16 lead in points off turnovers.

SNHU returns to action Saturday afternoon when it hosts Merrimack College in a 3:30 Northeast-10 contest at the SNHU Fieldhouse.

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