Box Score BOX SCORE
When and Where: January 20, 2016 – New Haven, Conn. (Moore Fieldhouse)
Score: Southern Connecticut State University 95, Southern New Hampshire University 92
Records: SCSU 15-3 (10-1 Northeast-10), SNHU 10-8 (6-5 Northeast-10)
Junior Devin Gilligan (Amherst, N.H.) led five scorers in double figures with 19 points, but the Southern New Hampshire University men's basketball team wound up on the wrong end of a 95-92 outcome in an outstanding game against Southern Connecticut State University on Wednesday night at the Moore Fieldhouse.
Gilligan was 7-for-16 from the floor, including 2-for-6 from long distance, and 3-for-5 from the stripe, while grabbing five rebounds. Senior Rodney Sanders (Elizabeth, N.J.) tallied 18 points (5-11 FG, 2-4 3-FG, 6-6 FT), seven rebounds, a career-high nine assists, two steals and a block. Classmate BJ Cardarelli (Manchester, Conn.) netted 17 points (5-11 FG, 4-6 3-FG, 3-4 FT) to go along with two assists, while freshman Daquaise Andrews (Queens, N.Y.) posted his second straight double-double with 15 points (4-11 FG, 2-3 3-FG, 5-6 FT), 10 boards and four steals. Junior Adrian Oliveira (Pawtucket, R.I.) added a career-best 13 points (6-8 FG, 1-1 FT).
Michael Mallory led the Owls with a game-high 37 points. Desmond Williams registered 17 points, 10 rebounds, nine blocks, three assists and two steals, with Joey Wallace also kicking in a double-double of 15 points and 10 boards.
The first half of the opening frame featured eight lead changes and six ties before layups from Caldarelli and Oliveira gave Southern New Hampshire a 26-21 lead with 9:23 to play. Five straight points from Mallory sparked a 7-0 Southern Connecticut run that put the hosts back in the lead at 30-28 with 5:35 on the clock.
Three minutes later, a Sanders 3-pointer followed an Oliveira bucket to put the Penmen on top, 38-36. After the Owls tied the game, Sanders connected on another triple with 44 ticks left to send SNHU into the break with a 41-38 edge.
Southern New Hampshire crafted a 6-2 run – capped by a Cardarelli trey – to open the second half and stretch the lead to 47-40 just 1:27 in. With the gap up to eight, a 12-2 Southern Connecticut blitz – with half the points contributed by Jack McCarthy – erased its deficit and gave it a 54-52 lead with 13:50 to go.
A 3-pointer from freshman Charlie Russo (Syracuse, N.Y.) triggered an 8-2 Southern New Hampshire run that gave it a 60-56 lead with 11:17 remaining before three straight trifectas put Southern Connecticut back on top, 65-60, with under 10 minutes to play.
The lead was six when a three-point play from Gilligan sparked another 8-2 surge that left the game knotted at 73-all with 6:06 left. With the game tied at 84 nearly four minutes later, the Owls reeled off seven straight points to go up 91-84 with 1:09 to go.
A three-point play from Sanders gave SNHU hope before it took advantage of a Mallory turnover and trimmed the deficit to one with a Cardarelli 3-pointer with 41 seconds on the clock. It was a two-point game with six seconds left when Mallory drained the front end of a 1-and-1, but missed the back half to give the Penmen a chance. Their potential game-tying 3-pointer, however, was blocked by Williams just before the buzzer to seal the victory.
Russo finished with eight points (3-4 FG, 2-3 3-FG) and three rebounds.
Notes:
-Southern Connecticut narrowly outshot Southern New Hampshire, 46.8 percent (37-79) to 45.6 percent (31-68), while SNHU returned the favor from behind the arc, 46.2 percent (12-26) to 44 percent (11-25). The Penmen also held an advantage at the free throw line, going 18-for-22 (81.8%), while the Owls were 10-for-13 (76.9%).
-Southern Connecticut outrebounded Southern New Hampshire, 49-35, including 22-12 on the offensive glass for a 26-18 gap in second chance points, and won the paint, 46-34. The Owls also owned a 16-10 margin in points off turnovers, despite SNHU holding the slightly better assist-to-turnover ratio (16/11-13/11).
-The contest featured 19 lead changes and 15 ties.
-Sanders scored in double figures in his 15th consecutive game.
Up Next:
The Penmen are back in action 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.
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