MANCHESTER, N.H. – Gelvis Solano recorded 24 points to lead Merrimack College to an 85-73 upset of Southern New Hampshire University in Northeast-10 men's basketball Saturday afternoon at the SNHU Fieldhouse.  The Warriors improve to 11-9 and 6-9 in the NE-10, while the Penmen saw their seven-game win streak snapped and are now 14-6 and 12-4 in the league.

Solano finished 8-13 from the floor, including 3-5 behind the arc, and led five Merrimack players in double figures.  Troy Hammel had 16 of his 20 points in the opening 20 minutes, while James Kennedy notched 13 points and 11 rebounds.  JT Strickland registered 12 points and six rebounds, while Kyle Howes added 11.

Sophomore Devin Gilligan (Amherst, N.H.) paced Southern New Hampshire with a career-high 20 points off the bench, going 7-11 from the floor, while also grabbing nine rebounds.  Aleksandar Dobrovic (Podgorica, Montenegro) notched 14 points and eight rebounds, while Rodney Sanders (Linden, N.J.) and Elijah Bonsignore (Felton, Del.) posted 11 points apiece.  BJ Cardarelli (Manchester, Conn.) added 10 points and six boards.

Tied 34-34 at halftime, Merrimack torched the nets early in the second half, connecting on 10 of its first 12 shots, including a 5-5 effort behind the arc, to build a 62-52 lead following a Howes three with 11:13 left.  Southern New Hampshire chipped away, and a Gilligan free throw with 7:25 left made it a four-point game, 66-62.  The Warriors responded with a 11-4 spurt to make it 77-66 on a three with 3:33 remaining, and the guests maintained at least an eight-point margin the rest of the way.

The first half saw 10 lead changes.  Merrimack held a 25-20 lead with 5:49 to go following a Hammel three, but a 9-3 Penmen run capped by a Sanders basket gave SNHU a 29-28 lead with 2:55 left.  The two teams traded the lead four times before a pair of Kennedy free throws 28 seconds before halftime tied the game 34-34 at the break.

Merrimack shot 57.7% from the floor over the final 20 minutes, including a 6-9 effort behind the arc, while shooting 45.6% for the game and 54.5% (12-22) from long range.  The Penmen shot 43.8% and 30.4% (7-23) from three.  The guests took 11 more trips to the free throw line, going 21-24, while SNHU was 10-13 at the stripe.  The hosts held a 39-32 rebounding advantage.

Southern New Hampshire returns to action Tuesday night when it hosts Franklin Pierce University in a 7:30 Northeast-10 contest at the SNHU Fieldhouse.  The game can be heard in the Manchester area on WGIR 610 AM.

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