Box Score BOX SCORE
When and Where: January 4, 2016 – Manchester, N.H. (SNHU Fieldhouse)
Score: Concordia (N.Y.) 87, Southern New Hampshire University 85
Records: Concordia (N.Y.) 5-9, SNHU 8-5
Senior Rodney Sanders (Elizabeth, N.J.) and junior Devin Gilligan (Amherst, N.H.) combined for 49 points, but the Southern New Hampshire University men's basketball team suffered an 87-85 defeat as Concordia (N.Y.) College rallied from 22 down in the second half to snap the four-game Penmen winning streak Monday evening at the SNHU Fieldhouse.
Sanders poured in a game-high 26 points (9-15 FG, 4-5 3-FG, 4-5 FT) and pulled down seven rebounds, while Gilligan notched a career-best 23 points (7-12 FG, 2-4 3-FG, 7-8 FT) to go along with three steals and two assists. Senior BJ Cardarelli (Manchester, Conn.) was also in double figures with 11 points (3-7 FG, 1-3 3-FG, 4-5 FT).
Jalen Heath led Concordia with 24 points and 10 rebounds, while Andrew Peacock registered 22 points. Peter Aguilar added 18 for the Clippers.
Southern New Hampshire raced out of the gates with an 18-4 run over the opening 6:24. Gilligan scored 10 points during the stretch – all during the first 3:09 of the contest. Over a minute later, four scorers contributed to a 9-0 blitz that moved the SNHU lead to 27-8 with 8:57 remaining in the opening half. Concordia would get no closer than 14 for the rest of the stanza and trailed 47-31 at the break.
Consecutive 3-pointers to begin the second half from Heath pulled the Clippers within 10 at 47-37 less than a minute-and-a-half in. A pair of treys from Sanders highlighted a 12-0 counter-run that extended the Penmen lead to a game-high 22 at 59-37 with 16:37 remaining.
With the margin at 19 less than three minutes later, Concordia ripped off an 18-6 barrage – with five points from Aguilar and four each from Heath and Justyn Gardner – to slash its deficit to just seven at 72-65 with 6:39 left. The gap was eight over two minutes later when an Aguilar triple triggered a 7-1 rush that made it a two-point game at 79-77 with 2:26 on the clock.
Another Aguilar trifecta with 1:01 left made it a one-point game at 83-82 before a Gardner layup with 30 seconds to go gave Concordia its first lead of the night at 84-83. Junior Chris Walters (Stamford, Conn.) was fouled at the other end 10 seconds later and drained both free throws to put Southern New Hampshire back in front, 85-84.
The Clippers stayed hot, however, as Peacock buried a 3-pointer from the top of the key with just under 10 seconds remaining to cap the improbable comeback.
Walters finished with nine points (3-6 FG, 3-4 FT) and a career-high 15 rebounds, with freshman Daquaise Andrews (Queens, N.Y.) also adding nine points (4-11 FG, 1-2 FT), five rebounds, three assists and two steals. Junior Adrian Oliveira (Pawtucket, R.I.) chipped in six points (2-6 FG, 1-1 3-FG, 1-2 FT), three assists and two steals.
Notes:
-Southern New Hampshire narrowly outshot Concordia, 45.2 percent (28-62) to 44.8 percent (30-67), while the Clippers were slightly better from beyond the arc, 54.2 percent (13-24) to 50 percent (8-16).
-Concordia shot 55.6 percent (20-36) in the second half, including 71.4 percent (10-14) from long range.
-The Penmen were 21 of 29 (72.4%) from the stripe, with the Clippers shooting 14 of 21 (66.7%) on freebies.
-Concordia conquered the glass (43-36), while SNHU won the battle of the paint (34-26) and produced a better assist-to-turnover ratio (13/7-9/12).
-Sanders scored in double-digits for the 10th straight game.
Up Next:
The Penmen are back in action Wednesday, Jan. 6 (7:30 p.m.) when they take on the College of Saint Rose in a game that can be heard live on WGIR 610-AM. The next home game for the Penmen is Saturday, Jan. 10 (3:30 p.m.) when they play host to American International College on Kids' Day at the Fieldhouse. Tickets can be purchased HERE or at the box office on the day of the game.
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