Box Score BOX SCORE
When and Where: January 2, 2016 – Colchester, Vt. (Ross Sports Center)
Score: Southern New Hampshire University 74, Saint Michael's College 66
Records: SNHU 8-4 (4-3 Northeast-10), Saint Michael's 2-10 (0-7 Northeast-10)
Junior Chris Walters (Stamford, Conn.) scored a game-high 19 points and senior BJ Cardarelli (Manchester, Conn.) scored his 1,000th career point as the Southern New Hampshire University men's basketball team captured its fourth straight win with a 74-66 victory against Saint Michael's College on Saturday afternoon at the Ross Sports Center.
Walters was an efficient 8-for-12 from the field, including 1-for-2 from beyond the arc, and 2-for-5 from the stripe, while ripping down nine rebounds, making four steals, handing out three assists and blocking a shot. Senior Rodney Sanders (Elizabeth, N.J.) netted 14 points (5-9 FG, 4-6 3-FG) to go along with three rebounds and two assists, while freshman Daquaise Andrews (Queens, N.Y.) added 14 points (4-7 FG, 6-8 FT), four boards and two blocks. Cardarelli, who became the 47th member of the program's 1,000-point club, posted 11 points (3-9 FG, 1-5 3-FG, 4-4 FT), seven rebounds, three assists and a pair of blocks.
Matt Bonds registered a double-double of 19 points and 13 rebounds for the Purple Knights.
Saint Michael's moved out to a 10-3 lead in the first five minutes, with Zaire Williams and Morrell Gaskins each contributing four points during the stretch. Southern New Hampshire responded with a 9-0 counter-run that featured four different scorers, including Andrews, whose layup at the 12:38 mark gave the Penmen their first lead of the day at 12-10.
The game was tied at 14-all when a Cardarelli bucket and Sanders 3-pointer put SNHU in front, 19-14, with 9:30 remaining in the opening half. A 6-0 run – with the final four points coming from Gaskins, leapfrogged Saint Michael's back in front at 20-19 with under eight minutes on the clock.
The lead then changed three times before a Walters basket kicked off a 6-0 spurt that was finished off with four points from Andrews to give Southern New Hampshire a 30-24 lead with 4:17 remaining. A big three-point play from Bonds later in the half would trim the Purple Knights' deficit to two and the Penmen would eventually carry a 38-36 advantage into the break.
Saint Michael's would race out of the locker room on an 11-3 wave – powered by five points from Levi Holmes III and four from Gaskins – to grab a 47-41 lead nearly three minutes into the second half. Southern New Hampshire stopped the bleeding and used a balanced 9-2 run of its own to seize a 50-49 lead with 13:19 on the clock.
Three lead changes and two ties later, the Purple Knights held a 57-56 edge before a Walters layup sparked a 7-0 run that Cardarelli finished with five straight points, including a 3-pointer with 6:23 to go that expanded the Penmen lead to 63-57 and gave him points No. 999, 1,000 and 1,001 of his career.
Saint Michael's would climb within four with under three minutes to play when a 7-1 Southern New Hampshire stretch sealed the game by making it 73-63 with 34 seconds on the clock.
Junior Devin Gilligan (Amherst, N.H.) tallied nine points (2-8 FG, 1-5 3-FG, 4-6 FT), two rebounds and two assists, with classmate Adrian Oliveira (Pawtucket, R.I.) chipping in seven points (3-7 FG, 1-4 3-FG), six assists and two steals.
Notes:
-Southern New Hampshire outshot Saint Michael's, 45.5 percent (25-55) to 43.9 percent (25-57), including 32 percent (8-25) to 18.8 percent (3-16) from distance. The Penmen also held a 69.6 percent (16-23) to 56.5 percent (13-23) edge at the line.
-The Purple Knights captured the glass, 37-32, including 17-12 on the offensive end for a 17-5 advantage in second chance points, as well as the paint, 38-28.
-The Penmen featured a better assist-to-turnover ratio (18-14/9-18) and owned a 22-16 margin in points off turnovers.
-The game featured 13 lead changes and nine ties.
-Sanders runs his double-digit scoring streak to nine games.
Up Next:
The Penmen are back in action Monday, Jan. 4 (7:30 p.m.) when they play host to Concordia (N.Y.) College at the Fieldhouse. Tickets can be purchased HERE or at the box office on the day of the game.
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