When and Where: January 4, 2023 – Springfield, Mass. (Henry A. Butova Gymnasium)
Score: Southern New Hampshire University 69, American International College 59
Records: SNHU 7-6 (4-3 NE10), AIC 4-11 (2-5 NE10)
Junior
Matt Becht (Vienna, Va.) paced four Penmen in double figures with 15 points, as the Southern New Hampshire University men's basketball team won its third straight game with a 69-59 victory against American International College on Wednesday evening at Butova Gymnasium.
STANDOUT PERFORMERS
- Becht – 15 points (4-14 FG, 4-10 3-FG, 3-4 FT), 4 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals
- Sophomore Derrick Grant (Plainfield, N.J.) – season-high 11 points (4-7 FG, 3-4 FT), 6 rebounds, 2 blocks
- Sophomore Evan Guillory (Springfield, Mo.) – 10 points (3-10 FG, 4-4 FT), 7 rebounds, 2 assists
- Junior Noah Kamba (Lynn, Mass.) – 10 points (3-4 FG, 2-3 3-FG, 2-4 FT), 2 rebounds, 1 assist, 14 minutes
- Sophomore Jordan Brathwaite (Silver Spring, Md.) – 9 points (4-8 FG, 1-5 3-FG), 5 rebounds
- Graduate student Ryan Layman (Wrentham, Mass.) – 8 points (4-5 FG), 8 rebounds, 2 assists
- Sophomore Ethan Okwuosa (No. Haven, Conn.) – 6 points (2-7 FG, 2-3 FT), 4 rebounds, 6 assists, 2 steals
KEY MOMENTS
- American Int'l led by two, 15-13, a little over seven minutes into the contest when Becht drained a 3-pointer that gave Southern New Hampshire its first lead of the night and set off a 16-5 run – with six each from Becht and Grant – that made it 29-20 with 6:53 left in the first half. SNHU's lead would grow to as large as 13 at 35-22 with 2:11 on the clock before an AIC bucket trimmed the halftime deficit to 35-24.
- The Yellow Jackets buzzed out of the locker room to score 12 straight and grab a 36-35 lead a little over three minutes into the second half. The Penmen countered with an 18-4 barrage – led by six from Kamba and four from Grant – that ran the lead back to 13 at 53-40 with 8:34 to play.
- The gap was 10 a little over two minutes later when seven straight, including the final five from Brathwaite, gave SNHU its largest lead of the contest at 62-45 with 3:45 remaining. AIC would get as close as 68-59 with 52 seconds on the clock.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- SNHU outshot American Int'l, 42.1 percent (24-57) to 38.3 percent (23-60), including 33.3 percent (7-21) to 23.8 percent (5-21) from long range.
- The Penmen were also plus-6 from the line, despite AIC shooting it better, 80 percent (8-10) to 73.7 percent (14-19).
- The Penmen narrowly won the glass (36-33) and the paint (32-30), gathered more second chance points (10-6) and received more scoring from their bench (21-7). The Yellow Jackets scored more points off turnovers (7-3) and on the fast break (10-4), and featured a better assist-to-turnover ratio (14/8-16/10).
NOTES
- Southern New Hampshire has now captured three straight and four of its last seven.
- SNHU, which leads the all-time series, 30-19, has won six of the last eight meetings against the Yellow Jackets. The Penmen have also won five of six in Springfield, including two straight.
- Brathwaite had his four-game, double-digit scoring streak halted, but is still averaging 12.0 points per game over his last five contests.
WHAT'S NEXT
- The Penmen are back in action Saturday, Jan. 7 (3:30 p.m.) when they take on Saint Michael's College.
The next home contest for SNHU is Tuesday, Jan. 10 (7:30 p.m.) when it plays host to the University of New Haven at the Stan Spirou Field House in a game that will air on WGIR 610-AM and Fox Sports 930-AM.
