SPRINGFIELD, Mass. – Second-seeded Southern New Hampshire University clamped down defensively and ended the game on a 17-1 run to post a 71-59 win over seventh-seeded Stonehill College in the first round of the NCAA Division II Men's Basketball Championship East Regional Saturday at Butova Gymnasium.  The Penmen, who defeated the Skyhawks for the third time this season, improve to 22-7, while Stonehill sees its season come to a close at 19-10.

The Penmen, who recorded their first win in the NCAA tournament since the 2004-05 season, advance to face sixth-seeded University of the Sciences in Sunday's regional semifinal at 5:00 pm.  The Devils posted their first-ever NCAA win with a 73-57 upset of No. 3 seed Saint Anselm College in the first game on Saturday.

Sophomore Devin Gilligan (Amherst, N.H.) led five Southern New Hampshire players in double figures with 17 points and nine rebounds off the bench, going 6-9 from the floor.  Junior BJ Cardarelli (Manchester, Conn.) had three three-pointers and totaled 15 points, while Aleksandar Dobrovic (Podgorica, Montenegro) tallied 12 points.  Elijah Bonsignore (Felton, Del.) and Rodney Sanders (Linden, N.J.) had 11 points apiece.

Carter Smith led Stonehill with 14 points, while Ryan Logan and Pierce Cumpstone notched 10 points apiece for the Skyhawks.

In a game that saw seven ties and 11 lead changes, Stonehill used a 6-0 spurt capped by a Logan basket with 4:41 left that gave it a 58-54 lead.  Coming out of a timeout, Cardarelli and Bonsignore knocked down back-to-back threes to give the Penmen a 60-58 lead with 3:11 remaining.  Logan made 1-of-2 at the line with 2:46 left to make it a 60-59 game.

On SNHU's next possession, Dobrovic air-balled a three-point attempt with the shot clock winding down, but Gilligan collected the offensive board and put it back for a 62-59 lead.  After Sanders got a five-second call on Smith defensively, Dobrovic would be fouled going to the basket and made both for a 64-59 advantage.  Sanders came up with a block on Stonehill's next possession, and from there, Southern New Hampshire went 5-for-6 at the free throw line to secure the victory.

The lead changed hands eight times in the second half, with neither side leading by more than five.  Stonehill opened a 43-38 lead four minutes into the second half, but seven straight points capped by a Dobrovic layup gave SNHU a 44-43 lead with 13:47 remaining.

Stonehill led much of the first half and opened up a 21-11 lead with just under nine minutes remaining following a basket by Cumpstone.  Southern New Hampshire outscored the Skyhawks 18-6 over the next six minutes and a pair of free throws by Phillip Tripodakis (Athens, Greece) with 3:05 left gave the Penmen their first lead, 29-27.  The lead was short-lived, as Daniel Brix made two at the line on Stonehill's next possession.  The two teams went into the locker room tied 31-31 after a Cardarelli layup as time wound down.

Southern New Hampshire outrebounded Stonehill 33-22, leading to a 13-4 lead in second-chance points, and went 16-18 at the free throw line while the Skyhawks went 10-16 at the stripe.  Both teams shot the ball similarly, with SNHU shooting 46.2% overall and 7-19 behind the arc, while Stonehill was 46.7% overall and 7-16 from long-range.

Southern New Hampshire and University of the Sciences have never faced each other.

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