Box Score BOX SCORE
When and Where: January 14, 2016 – Bloomfield, N.J. (Bloomfield College Gymnasium)
Score: Bloomfield College 95, Southern New Hampshire University 89 (OT)
Records: Bloomfield 6-10, SNHU 10-6
Senior Rodney Sanders (Elizabeth, N.J.) netted a game-high 25 points and junior Chris Walters (Stamford, Conn.) recorded his eighth double-double of the season, but the Southern New Hampshire University men's basketball team closed out non-conference play with a 95-89 overtime loss to Bloomfield College, which overcame an 18-point second-half deficit Thursday evening at the Bloomfield College Gymnasium.
Sanders was an efficient 9 of 13 from the field, including 6 of 8 from beyond the arc, and 1 of 2 at the line, while pulling down six rebounds and handing out five assists. Walters, who was coming off a game last Sunday in which he poured in a career-high 31 points and ripped down 10 rebounds, posted 22 points (7-13 FG, 2-4 3-FG, 6-11 FT) and 10 boards. Fellow junior Devin Gilligan (Amherst, N.H.) registered 17 points (6-15 FG, 3-8 3-FG, 2-2 FT) and five rebounds, while senior BJ Cardarelli (Manchester, Conn.) added 10 points (3-8 FG, 2-7 3-FG, 2-2 FT) and a pair of blocks.
Claude Blue paced the Bears with 22 points, with Juan Brown and Nick Davidson adding 21 and 20, respectively.
After Sanders knocked down a jumper with 3:02 remaining in regulation to put the Penmen up by six, 80-74, Bloomfield scored six straight, including four from Ignacio Diez, to knot the game at 80-all with 1:27 on the clock.
After Diez missed a pair of free throws over half a minute later, Cardarelli drained a pair at the line to put Southern New Hampshire back on top, 82-80, with 34 ticks left. Brown would tie the game for Bloomfield with two freebies with 23 seconds to play and the Penmen would miss a shot inside the final five seconds that would have won the game.
With the contest tied at 87 with a minute left in overtime, the Bears would go a perfect 8-for-8 from the line to close the game on an 8-2 run.
Junior Adrian Oliveira (Pawtucket, R.I.) finished with nine points (4-7 FG, 1-2 3-FG) and nine assists, while freshman Daquaise Andrews (Queens, N.Y.), who scored the first four Penmen points of overtime, chipped in six points (2-6 FG, 2-2 FT), three rebounds, five assists, two steals and a block.
Playing just 20 minutes from his hometown, Sanders opened the game with back-to-back 3-pointers as part of an 11-4 run over the first three-and-a-half minutes of the contest. Bloomfield would shave its early deficit to three points, but a Gilligan trifecta ignited a 23-7 rush – led by eight points from Sanders and five from Gilligan – that widened the gap to a game-high 19 at 36-17 with 8:05 to go in the opening half.
Four points from Davidson would help Bloomfield rip off a 10-0 run that slashed the deficit to single digits, but Walters scored seven straight to put the Penmen back up big at 43-27 with 3:22 left. SNHU would head into the locker room with a 46-33 advantage.
Southern New Hampshire began the second half with a 6-2 spurt, which included a Sanders trey that made it 52-35 nearly two minutes in. A Walters triple over two minutes later gave the Penmen their largest lead of the second half at 60-42 with 15:44 remaining.
With SNHU seemingly ready to cruise to victory, Bloomfield tore off a monster 23-4 run that spanned more than six minutes and gave the Bears their first lead of the night at 65-64 with 9:03 to go. Brown, Blue and Diez contributed nine, seven and five points, respectively, during the stretch.
Gilligan responded with consecutive 3-pointers that triggered a 13-5 run that put SNHU back on top, 77-70, with 6:20 left, but Bloomfield answered that with a 10-3 push that left the game tied at 80.
Notes:
-Southern New Hampshire narrowly outshot Bloomfield, 50 percent (31-62) to 46.9 percent (30-64), while the Bears returned the favor from deep, 46.2 percent (6-13) to 45.2 percent (14-31). Bloomfield shot 14-for-22 (63.6%)in the second half.
-Bloomfield held a huge advantage at the free throw line, going 29-for-36 (80.6%), while SNHU was just 13-for-19 (68.4%).
-The Bears outrebounded the Penmen, 46-26, including 17-5 on the offensive glass for a 17-8 margin in second chance points.
-Sanders scored in double-digits for the 13th straight game.
Up Next:
The Penmen are back in action Saturday, Jan. 16 (3:30 p.m.) when they take on Adelphi University. Penmen fans near Garden City, N.Y., can attend the "Penmen on the Road" community reception during the women's and men's basketball games for just $5, which includes tickets to both games. For more information and to reserve your spot, click HERE. The next home game for the Penmen is Saturday, Jan. 23 (3:30 p.m.) when they play host to the University of New Haven at the Fieldhouse. Tickets can be purchased HERE or at the box office on the day of the game.
For the latest on Southern New Hampshire University athletics, follow the Penmen via social media on Twitter, Facebook, Youtube and Instagram. Sign up to receive text message alerts and e-mail newsletters about your favorite Penmen teams here.
