When and Where: February 21, 2024 – New Haven, Conn. (Moore Fieldhouse)
Score: Southern New Hampshire University 82, Southern Connecticut State University 70
Records: SNHU 15-10 (11-9 NE10), SCSU 17-9 (11-9 NE10)
Senior
Preston Santos (Providence, R.I.) erupted for a career-high 27 points to lead the Southern New Hampshire University men's basketball team to a crucial 82-70 victory at Southern Connecticut State University on Wednesday night at the Moore Fieldhouse.
STANDOUT PERFORMERS
- Santos – career-high 27 points (12-14 FG, 1-2 3-FG, 2-2 FT), 8 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 blocks
- Graduate student Matt Becht (Vienna, Va.) – 22 points (8-13 FG, 6-11 3-FG)
- Junior Kurtis Henderson (Brockton, Mass.) – 13 points (5-8 FG, 3-4 3-FG), 6 assists, 3 steals
KEY MOMENTS
- Southern New Hampshire trailed, 7-2, when it ripped off a 13-4 run – led by six points from Henderson and four from Santos – to open a 15-11 advantage just under five-and-a-half minutes in. The Penmen would eventually score the final seven points of the stanza – capped by a 3-pointer from senior Noah Kamba (Lynn, Mass.) in the closing seconds – to bring a 43-34 lead to the locker room.
- The margin was seven just over seven minutes into the second half when 3-pointers from Becht and Henderson quickly expanded the lead to 59-46 just 17 seconds later. Becht did it himself later in the frame, nailing back-to-back triples to balloon the lead to 73-55 with 5:19 remaining. A dunk from junior Derrick Grant Jr. (Plainfield, N.J.) handed SNHU its largest lead of the night at 78-59 with 3:15 to go. The Owls would score 11 of the final 15 over the last three minutes.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- Kamba registered eight points (3-6 FG, 2-4 3-FG), three rebounds and two assists.
- Grant Jr. posted six points (3-6 FG), four rebounds and a pair of assists.
- Graduate student Alex Rivera (Lowell, Mass.) chipped in four points (2-6 FG) and three assists.
- Junior Jordan Brathwaite (Silver Spring, Md.) added two points (1-2 FG) and three boards.
- Southern New Hampshire outshot Southern Connecticut, 61.8 percent (34-55) to 44.6 percent (29-65), including 52.2 percent (12-23) to 26.1 percent (6-23) from deep. SNHU also made both of its free throws, while SCSU went 6-for-8 (75%) at the stripe.
- The Penmen scored more second chance points (10-9) and featured a better assist-to-turnover ratio (17/17-14/16), while the Owls captured the glass (29-20) and the paint (44-34), scored more points on the fast break (8-2) and received more scoring from their bench (20-10). Points off turnovers were even (19-19).
NOTES
- The win snaps a two-game skid for Southern New Hampshire, which had dropped four of its last five.
- SNHU leads the all-time series with SCSU, 58-25, and has won six of the last seven, including five straight. The Penmen have also won two-in-a-row at Southern Connecticut.
- The Penmen recorded an 84-71 victory at home back on Jan. 13 and has now swept the regular-season series in back-to-back years.
- The .618 shooting percentage is the highest for the Penmen since it hit at a .653 clip against Rivier University on Dec. 18, 2005, while the .522 3-point percentage is the most since they posted a .565 in a 78-64 NCAA Championship first round victory last season against St. Thomas Aquinas College on March 11.
WHAT'S NEXT
- The Penmen return to action Saturday, Feb. 24 (3:30 p.m.) when they play host to Assumption University on Senior Day at the Stan Spirou Field House.
