BOX SCORE

When and Where: February 22, 2020 – Easton, Mass. (Merkert Gymnasium)
Score:  Stonehill College 78, Southern New Hampshire University 75
Records: Stonehill 17-10 (13-6 NE10), SNHU 15-11 (8-10 NE10)

Junior Michael Almonacy (Brentwood, N.Y.) scored a team-high 23 points, but the Southern New Hampshire University men's basketball team was edged by Stonehill College, 78-75, Saturday afternoon at Merkert Gymnasium.

STANDOUT PERFORMERS

• Almonacy – 23 points (8-13 FG, 6-10 3-FG, 1-2 FT), 4 rebounds, 3 steals
• Senior Eamonn Joyce (Medford, Mass.) – 16 points (5-12 FG, 1-5 3-FG, 5-10 FT), 4 rebounds
• Senior Shawn Montague (Yorktown Heights, N.Y.) – 15 points (7-12 FG, 1-3 FT), 7 rebounds, 2 steals
• Junior Corry Long (Cincinnati, Ohio) – 11 points (4-9 FG, 1-2 3-FG, 2-5 FT), 5 rebounds
• Freshman Jacari Sanders (San Antonio, Texas) – 8 points (3-9 FG, 2-2 FT), 4 assists, 2 rebounds

KEY MOMENTS

• Southern New Hampshire trailed, 59-49, with just over 11 minutes remaining in the contest, when a 17-4 burst - led by 10 points from Almonacy - put the Penmen into the lead at 66-63 with 5:02 left.
• SNHU held a 75-74 edge with 35 seconds to go when Will Moreton dropped in a layup that would give Stonehill the lead for good. After a Penmen miss on the other end, Owen Chose buried a pair of free throws and Southern New Hampshire's potential game-tying triple at the buzzer would not fall.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

• Moreton led all players with 27 points (10-17 FG, 1-6 3-FG, 6-7 FT) and 10 rebounds for Stonehill.
• The Skyhawks outshot the Penmen, 54.3 percent (25-46) to 49.1 percent (28-57), including 50 percent (8-16) to 40 percent (8-20) from beyond the arc.
• Stonehill was plus-9 from the line and shot it better, 95.2 percent (20-21) to 50 percent (11-22).
• The Penmen captured the paint (40-32), collected more points off turnovers (14-8), second chance points (9-3) and points on the fast break (9-2), and featured a better assist-to-turnover ratio (8-7/10/14), while the Skyhawks won the glass (29-26) and received more scoring from their bench (13-2).

NOTES

• Southern New Hampshire had won six of its last eight. 
• Stonehill has won seven of the past 10 meetings with the Penmen, despite trailing in the all-time series, 32-31
• The Skyhawks have won five-in-a-row against the Penmen on their home floor, with SNHU last coming away victorious there Feb. 14, 2015 (58-41).
• The teams split the regular-season series after SNHU was victorious on its home floor, 77-61, on Dec. 20.
• Southern New Hampshire is locked into the No. 5 seed in the Northeast-10 Northeast Division standings, based off potential tiebreakers with Bentley University and Assumption College, and will play its first round NE10 Championship tilt on the road.
• Almonacy reaches the 20-point plateau for the sixth time this season.
• Joyce passes Eddie Ithier (1983-87) for sole possession of 44th place on SNHU's all-time scoring list with 1,083 points.

WHAT'S NEXT

• The Penmen close out the regular season Tuesday, Feb. 25 (7:30 p.m.) when they play host to Saint Michael's College on Senior Night at the Stan Spirou Field House. The game will air on both FOX College Sports and WGIR 610-AM.

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