Junior Jack Cole corralled a game-high 13 rebounds at Southern New Hampshire this afternoon. (PHOTO BY Emily Reynolds) |
Penmen ride 26 Skyhawk turnovers to victory
Senior CJ Marriro (Boston, Mass./Newton North) led Southern New Hampshire's balanced offensive effort with a game-high 15 points on 6-of-9 shooting from the floor to go with four rebounds, three steals and two assists. Junior Alexsandar Dobrovic (Podgorica, Montenegro) added 11 points and a team-high nine rebounds with three steals, shooting 4-for-8 from the field, while junior Elijah Bonsignore (Felton, Del./Kingsway) posted 11 points on 5-of-8 shooting, including 1-for-2 from three-point range, with four rebounds, two assists and three steals. Sophomore Rodney Sanders (Linden, N.J./Linden) and freshman Chris Walters (Stamford, Conn./Westhill) both chipped in with nine points for the Penmen.
Stonehill was held without a player in double-figures as sophomore Josh Heyliger (Queens, N.Y./The Hill School) and freshman Ryan Logan (Fredericktown, Ohio/Fredericktown) both finished with a team-high nine points. Heyliger made 4-of-7 shots from the field, including 1-for-2 from beyond the arc, to go with two rebounds, two assists, two steals and a blocked shot, while Logan also contributed three assists and two rebounds. Junior Jack Cole (New Providence, N.J./New Providence) pulled down a game-high 13 rebounds (six offensive) to go with six points and a blocked shot, while sophomore Pierce Cumpstone (Bainbridge Township, Ohio/Kenston) chipped in seven points, four rebounds, three blocked shots and two steals.
Sophomore Josh Heyliger scored a team-high nine points on 4-of-7 shooting. (PHOTO BY Emily Reynolds) |
Southern New Hampshire took full advantage of 26 Stonehill turnovers, including 17 in the first half alone, finishing with a 25-9 edge in points off turnovers. The Penmen shot 43.8-percent (28-for-64) from the field despite connecting on just 2-of-19 (10.5%) three-pointers and converting 15-of-19 (78.9%) free-throws. SNHU recorded a 39-34 rebounding advantage, resulting in an 18-4 advantage for second chance points. Stonehill was held to 37.7% (20-53) shooting overall, including 32.1% (9-28) in the first half, connecting on 5-of-16 (31.3%) threes and 4-of-8 (50%) free-throws.
Southern New Hampshire gained control of the game early on, opening a nine point lead (13-4) after Marriro capped a string of ten straight Penmen points with a layup 4:10 into the game. Freshman Jimmy Walsh (Manasquan, N.J./Manasquan) stopped the run with a three-pointer to cut the lead to six. The Penmen lead was seven (18-11) with 12:49 remaining in the half before pushing it to 11 (22-11) after a Bonsignore layup four minutes later.
Heyliger buried a triple to pull Stonehill within eight (26-18) with 6:59 left in the half before SNHU scored eight straight to take a 16 point lead (34-18) after layup from sophomore Kostas Mantalvanos (Athens, Greece) with 4:35 to play in the half. Marriro sent the Penmen into halftime with an 18 point lead (38-20) with a layup with 59-seconds remaining as Stonehill scored just one field goal over the last seven minutes of the half.
Stonehill drew back within 13 (44-31) after a three-pointer from sophomore Carter Smith (Columbus, Ohio/Upper Arlington) two and a half minutes into the second half. Marriro gave SNHU another 18 (51-33) lead with 12:42 left and the lead stretched to 22 (61-39) on a Bonsignore layup with 7:28 to play and weren't threatened the rest of the way.
Stonehill (7-16, 4-14 NE-10) returns to action on Wednesday when it hosts Franklin Pierce University at Merkert Gymnasium at 7:30 p.m. Southern New Hampshire (12-10, 9-9 NE-10) hosts Bentley University for a big NE-10 matchup on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m.
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