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ALBANY, N.Y. – Junior forward Preston Bell (Brooklyn, N.Y.) scored a team-high 17 points and fell one rebound shy of his first career double-double, but the Southern Connecticut State University men's basketball team fell at the College of Saint Rose by a score of 87-72 on Saturday afternoon from Nolan Gymnasium in Albany, N.Y. With the loss, the Owls fell to 7-19 overall and 3-18 in the Northeast-10 Conference. Steve Dagostino, the reigning conference Player of the Year, led all scorers with 25 points.

The Owls opened the game on an 11-2 run over the initial 3:50, led by seven points from junior forward Bell. The Golden Knights used the three-ball to keep up with the fast-paced Owls, with five of their 11 total field goals coming from behind the arc. Bell led all scorers in the opening stanza with 12 points. Senior forward Devon Sullivan (Jamaica, N.Y.) netted eight for Southern Connecticut, as the Owls entered the intermission leading by a score of 36-33.. Shanty Robinson and Will Monica led the Saint Rose offense with nine points apiece.

Saint Rose broke the game open in the second half, with Dagostino netting all eight points in an 8-2 run that put the Golden Knights up 58-51. Dagostino and the Golden Knights offense proved to be too much for the Owls, as Saint Rose never slowed down en route to winning by 15 points, 87-72.

Sullivan and junior guard Justin Gardenhire (Rosedale, N.Y.) each finished with 15 points to join Bell in double figures. Robinson (15 points, 12 rebounds) and Evan Lane (11 points, 11 rebounds) each posted double-doubles for Saint Rose. Dagostino complimented his 25 points with nine assists.

The Owls will wrap up the 2007-08 season on Tuesday, Feb. 26 as they travel to Waltham, Mass. to challenge No. 1 Bentley. The action tips off at 7:30 p.m. from the Dana Center.