THE BASICS:

- Score: Southern New Hampshire 82, Assumption 70

- Records: Assumption (6-14, 2-13 NE-10) Southern New Hampshire (14-8, 10-5 NE-10)

- Location: Worcester, Mass. (Laska Gym)

- The Lead: The Assumption College men's basketball team rallied from a 14-point, second-half deficit to cut the lead to just five with 4:31 left before Southern New Hampshire held off the Hounds for an 82-70 final on Wednesday night at Laska Gym.

HOW IT HAPPENED:

- In the first half, the Hounds jumped out to an 8-3 lead over the first 2:23 as sophomore Kamali Bey (Springfield, Mass./Wilbraham & Monson) knocked down a pair of free throws. A 9-0 Penmen run over the next 1:31 put the Penmen ahead by four before the Hounds eventually regained the lead at 24-23 after a layup from Bey midway thru the half.

- With the score tied at 30-30 with 6:17 on the clock, a 12-3 Penmen run pushed the lead out to nine for the first time before the visitors eventually took a 47-38 lead into the halftime break. The Penmen outscored the Hounds in the paint by a 16-6 margin in the opening half, as well as 10-2 in second-chance points.

- In the second half, the Hounds trailed by 14 at 54-40 after a three from Rodney Sanders before cutting into the Penmen lead. A three from freshman Justin Tuckson (Stafford, Va./Christ Chapel Academy) made it a single-digit game at 60-51, followed by six Hounds points off turnovers to cut the advantage down to 71-64 with 5:58 on the clock.

- A pair of free throws from junior Declan Soukup (Melbourne, Australia/Hallam Senior College) with 4:31 remaining made it just a five-point game at 71-66 before the Penmen answered for the decisive scoring run. Sanders knocked down a three with 1:27 left to make it a 10-point game again at 78-68, en route to the eventual 12-point victory.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS:

- Four Hounds finished in double figures, including a 17-point effort off the bench from senior Julian Aiken (Randolph, N.J./Randolph) and a 15-point, seven-rebound game from Bey. Soukup picked up 12 points and four assists, while senior Tre Owens (Rota, Spain/Rota) finished with 11 points.

- Sanders was the top Penmen scorer with 23 points, while Chris Walters posted a 21-point, 13-rebound double-double. Devin Gilligan picked up 11 points and seven boards, along with 10 points from BJ Cardarelli.

UP NEXT:

- Assumption is back in action on Saturday, February 6th as the Hounds travel to Bentley University for a 3:30 p.m. start at the Dana Center in Waltham, Mass.

STAY CONNECTED:

For the latest on Assumption College Athletics, follow the Hounds via social media on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube. For more information, contact the Office of Athletic Communications at 508-767-7240.

- Fans can also sign up for email updates and text message alerts for the men's basketball team and all of the other 23 Assumption varsity sports by clicking here.