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THIS WEEK
The Owls have two conference games this week. They host Southern New Hampshire at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday and travel to Franklin Pierce this Saturday for a game at 3:30 p.m.

SCOUTING SOUTHERN NEW HAMPSHIRE
• The Penmen enter Wednesday's game 10-7 overall and 6-4 in the NE-10. They have lost two straight games at Bloomfield and Adelphi.
• Rodney Sanders leads the team in scoring with 19.2 points per game, sixth in the NE-10. He is shooting 51.5-percent from three. Chris Walters is right behind Sanders in scoring with 16.4 points per game, 11th in the conference. He is also first in rebounding on the team at 9.9 boards a game, second in the conference. 
• The Penmen are seventh in the NE-10 in points per game with 76.7. They are also seventh in points allowed with 71.5.

ALL-TIME vs. SOUTHERN NEW HAMPSHIRE
The Owls are 17-49 all-time against the Penmen, including going 1-1 against them last year. Southern Connecticut won the regular season matchup 75-70 but fell in the NCAA Tournament 75-58 to SNHU.

SCOUTING FRANKLIN PIERCE
• As of Monday, the Ravens are 8-7 overall and 5-5 in the NE-10. They will travel to UNH to play the Chargers on Wednesday before hosting Southern Connecticut on Saturday. 
• Franklin Pierce has four players that average double figures. Its leading scorer is Donte Gittens with 14.5 points per game. Mike McDevitt puts up 13.5 points, Matt Banton scores 12.3 and Tyler Iacuone rounds them out with 10.5 points per game. 
• The Ravens score 75.1 points per game and allow 74.6 points per game.

ALL-TIME vs. FRANKLIN PIERCE
The Owls are 17-26 all-time against the Ravens, including wins in their last four matchups against them. 

NORTHEAST-10 SCORING LEADERS
Michael Mallory and Desmond Williams are first and third, respectively, in the Northeast-10 in scoring. Mallory is scoring 22.4 points per game and Williams is putting up 20.2 points per game. Williams is also averaging 9.1 rebounds per game, fifth in the conference.

LAST WEEK'S GAMES
Southern Connecticut went 2-0 in the conference last week with wins over Merrimack 80-77 on Tuesday afternoon and No. 12 Saint Anselm 99-94 on Saturday afternoon. 

EDGING THE WARRIORS
Southern Connecticut defeated Merrimack 80-77 on Tuesday afternoon in a close game throughout. 
• The Owls had a lead until halfway through the second half when a technical foul allowed Merrimack to shoot two free throws to tie the game at 56. Two more Warrior foul shots  shortly thereafter gave them a 58-56 lead. The lead would change five more times before the end of the game.
• The teams traded runs of 9-0, 8-0 and 9-2 until Southern took a 78-73 lead with 1:55 remaining.
• Merrimack cut it to 78-75 with 20 seconds left. With the Owls on offense and the shot clock winding down, the ball got deflected out to Joey Wallace. He fired a three and missed, but the rebound was grabbed by Stefon Williams, who passed to Michael Mallory. Mallory was fouled and missed the front end of a 1-and-1.
• Up by three and now on defense, Southern fouled Merrimack's Gelvis Solano, forcing him to take two free throws with 2.8 on the clock. He made them both to make it 78-77, Owls. 
• Mallory was fouled on the ensuing inbound pass with 2.2 left. He made both free throws to make it 80-77, Southern. Merrimack turned the ball over on the inbound pass.
• Mallory finished as the game's leading scorer with 26 points.
• Desmond Williams posted his eighth double-double of the year with 16 points and 13 boards.
• Austin Carter also chipped in with 16 points, six rebounds and two blocks.

WILLIAMS' HUGE SECOND HALF SENDS OWLS PAST NO. 12 SAINT ANSELM
Southern Connecticut posted its second five game win streak of the year with a hard fought 99-94 win over No. 12 Saint Anselm.
• Desmond Williams scored a career high 31 points, 25 of them coming in the second half when the Owls needed him most. 
• The Owls held a 45-39 lead at the half but Saint Anselm came back to take the lead several times throughout the middle of the second half. With 11:27 remaining, Williams hit a three-pointer that would give Southern a lead it would hold for the rest of the game.
• Southern Connecticut forced 15 turnovers and scored 24 points off them while only turning it over four times, tying a season low.
• Isaiah McLeod scored 21 points on 7-of-12 from the field and 4-of-4 from deep. He hit a three pointer to extend Southern's lead to six with under five minutes left and iced the game with three free throws in the final minute.
• Austin Carter posted a career high 18 rebounds for the Owls, the most by a Southern player since Dec. 22, 2013.

OUTWORKING SAINT MICHAEL'S
Southern rolled past the Purple Knights on Wednesday night, 100-79. 
• Jack McCarthy scored a career high 14 points on 7-of-7 from the field in his first start of the year.
• Michael Mallory finished with a game high 22 points and seven assists. 
• Austin Carter continued his hot play with 13 points, six rebounds, three assists and three steals.
• Saint Michael's kept the score close in the first half until Southern was able to pull away before halftime. They took an 11 point lead into the break.
• A series of runs allowed the Owls to extend their lead to as much as 29 late in the game. 
• SCSU had five players score in double figures for the first time since December 12 against Pace.
• The Owls are 2-0 against Saint Michael's this year. 

HUGE FIRST HALF SPARKS OVER STONEHILL
The Owls went on a 25-0 run in the first half against Stonehill, opening the path to a 94-78 conference win on Saturday afternoon.
• In the first half, Southern shot 60-percent (20-of-33) from the field and 60-percent (6-of-10) from three-point range.
• Desmond Williams had arguably his best game of the year with a season high 30 points and 13 rebounds, his seventh double-double this year.
• Michael Mallory, the NE-10's second leading scorer, put up 24 points (on five three-pointers) and seven rebounds.
• Joey Wallace was very efficient with 12 points on 6-of-7 shooting and six boards. 
• The Owls held Ryan Logan, who came into the game ranked in the top five in both scoring and rebounding in the conference, under his season averages in both categories with 17 points and four rebounds.

WILLIAMS, MALLORY EARN NE-10 WEEKLY AWARDS
• Desmond Williams has been named the Northeast-10 Player of the Week for his performances last week. He averaged 24.5 points, 10.0 rebounds, 5.0 assists, 3.5 steals and 1.5 blocks per game in the Owls' two wins over Saint Michael's and Stonehill.
• In addition, Michael Mallory was named to the NE-10 Weekly Honor Roll. He averaged 23.0 points, 5.5 assists, 5.0 rebounds and 2.0 steals per game last week.

FALLING OUT OF THE NATIONAL RANKINGS
Southern Connecticut is no longer ranked in the National Association of Basketball Coaches Poll after previously being ranked No. 20 and going 1-1 during its last week of action. The team is still receiving votes.

BEGINNING THE YEAR WITH A BANG
The Owls began 2016 with an 83-72 win over Le Moyne. Michael Mallory went off in the second half with 21 points on 9-of-13 shooting to propel Southern to victory in a game that the Dolphins kept close.
• Le Moyne got to within two points of the Owls three times in the second half but never took the lead.
• Both Desmond Williams and Austin Carter nearly double-doubled. Williams finished with 19 points and nine boards while Carter had 12 points, nine boards, two blocks and two steals. 

MALLORY NAMED TO NE-10 HONOR ROLL
Michael Mallory has been named to the Northeast-10 Weekly Honor Roll for his performance against Le Moyne. Mallory had 28 points, 21 coming in the second half, as the Owls held off the surging Dolphins.

CARTER LEADS OWL COMEBACK BUT FALL SHORT
Austin Carter posted a career high 20 points on 9-of-13 shooting with eight boards, five assists and four blocks for the Owls in their 92-104 loss to the University of the Sciences.
• Michael Mallory and Desmond Williams also added 20 points, each.
• The Devils led by as much as 24 in the second half but Southern Connecticut came charging back to cut the lead to five with 1:48 remaining.
• U. Sciences made 20-of-22 free thows in the final 3:50 of the game to seal the win.
• The Owls scored 62 points in the second half - the most they have scored in any half all season. 

McLEOD GOES OFF, OWLS MAKE 18 THREES
Freshman Isaiah McLeod scored 24 points in 22 minutes on 8-of-10 shooting and 5-of-7 from deep to propel the Owls to a 100-71 win over Caldwell on Thursday, December 17. McLeod added six rebounds, five assists and two steals. 
• The Owls posted season highs in three pointers made (18) and three point percentage (47-percent).
• Southern out-rebounded Caldwell 49-36. 
• Eleven players scored for Southern, tying a season high, and four players scored in double figures.

OUTPACING THE SETTERS
The Owls took care of Pace 84-74 on Saturday, December 12. Michael Mallory had a game high 29 points and nine assists along with three rebounds, two blocks and one steal. The game was tight throughout, with Southern taking the lead for good midway through the second half. Desmond Williams notched his sixth double-double of the year with 14 points and 11 boards.

TIGERS TOO MUCH
Desmond Williams led the way for Southern, scoring 21 points on 9-of-14 shooting and adding eight rebounds in the 90-70 loss to Holy Family on December 7. Freshman Joey Wallace scored 13 points and had career highs in rebounds (six), assists (four) and steals (two). 

KNIGHTS CAN'T HANDLE OWLS
Southern Connecticut got out to a quick 7-0 lead against the Purple Knights and never looked back on their way to a 101-80 victory. They led by as much as 35. Joey Wallace led the Owls with 20 points on five made threes.

MALLORY NAMED TO THE NE-10 HONOR ROLL
Michael Mallory was named to the Northeast-10 Honor Roll for his performances in Southern's games the week of December 7. Mallory capped off a 2-1 week with a 29 point, nine assist game against Pace. For the week, he averaged 18.3 points, 7.3 assists, 4.0 rebounds and 2.0 steals per game.

DESMOND WILLIAMS NAMED TO NE-10 HONOR ROLL
Williams tallied two double-doubles in three games from Nov. 30 to Dec. 5 as he averaged 21.7 points, 11 rebounds and six assists per game. He posted stat lines of 28 points, 10 boards and nine assists in the win over LIU Post and 19 points, 14 rebounds, six assists, three blocks and three steals in the win over Saint Rose.?

BACK TO THEIR WINNING WAYS
The Owls picked up their sixth win of the year in a hard-fought game against Saint Rose, 86-79. 
• Michael Mallory led all scorers with 27 points, 20 coming in the second half.
• Desmond Williams picked up his fifth fouble-double in seven games this year with 19 points and 14 boards. He added six assists, three blocks and three steals.
• The Owls were down for much of the second half (14 being the largest deficit) before roaring back with a 12-0 run to take the lead with 3:09 remaining.
• Southern shot 7-of-7 in the final seven minutes of the game and went 7-of-8 from the free throw line to ice the win.

MALLORY EARNS NE-10 PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Michael Mallory was the Northeast-10 Player of the Week on Nov. 30 after posting career highs with 43 points and nine three pointers made in last week's win over AIC. The point total was the most any player in the program has scored in nearly 40 years and was just three points shy of the all-time single-game scoring record. He also added six rebounds, two blocks and two steals.

SCOTT BURRELL'S FIRST WIN
The Owls dominated Dominican in the first game of the season, 99-69. The game was even through the first six minutes, but Isaiah McLeod led a 14-0 run in the middle of the first half to start a series of runs that would lead to Coach Burrell's eventual win.
• McLeod finished as the second leading scorer with 19 points in 18 minutes off the bench on 7-of-9 shooting and 4-of-6 from three.
• Southern Connecticut attempted 80 field goals, Dominican attempted 56.

FANTASTIC FRESHMEN
Isaiah McLeod and Joey Wallace both averaged over 20 minutes per game in Southern's first two games this season. McLeod averaged 15 points and three assists in two games, while Wallace had an average of nine points, two and a half rebounds and two assists.
• McLeod had a big game against Dominican on Saturday, scoring 19 points in 18 minutes of 7-of-9 shooting and 4-of-6 from deep.
• Wallace scored 16 points on 5-of-7 shooting against Bridgeport on Sunday, including 10 points in the close second half.

RECAPPING LAST YEAR
The Owls are coming off a year in which they went 24-8, finished first in the NE-10 Conference Southwest Division and advanced to the Sweet 16 in the NCAA Tournament. It was the second straight year and the third time in program history Southern Connecticut made it that far in the national tournament. The Owls were ranked as high as No. 2 in the national rankings last season.

PRESEASON RANKINGS
The Owls are ranked No. 19 in the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) Preseason Poll. The team is also ranked first in the Southwest Division in the NE-10 Men's Basketball Coaches' Poll and 13th in the Division II Bulletin Preseason Poll.

SAYING GOODBYE
The Owls are forced with the task of replacing Tylon Smith, Luke Houston and Jose Cruz this season. The three-member senior class of 2015 tied the program record for the most wins by one class in SCSU history with 85 victories over the past four seasons, tying the Class of 2000.
• Smith finished his career at SCSU as the program's all-time leader in career assists with 528, and ranks seventh in both scoring (1,778) and rebounds (705). Last season, he led the team with 18.7 points per game and 5.6 assists per game. He was also one of only two active players in all of college basketball (all divisions) last season with at least 1,500 points, 500 rebounds and 500 assists for his career.
• Houston earned a spot on the All-Conference Second-Team last season after ranking ninth in the conference scoring 18.4 points per game and shooting 44.9 percent from the three-point line.

OWLS WELCOME STATE STAR
To replace Mike Donnelly who left to become the head coach at Florida Southern College, Southern Connecticut hired Scott Burrell, who spent the last eight seasons as an assistant coach at Quinnipiac University. Burrell was a first-round draft pick (20th overall) of the Charlotte Hornets in the 1993 NBA Draft and played for a total of four teams in the NBA over a fourteen year professional career. He also spent five years playing professionally in Japan, Spain, the Philippines and China before becoming an assistant coach with the Colorado 14ers of the NBA Developmental League. In his eight years at Division I QU, the Bobcats won 143 games and made it to the postseason four times. Quinnipiac also moved conferences from the Northeast Conference to the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference during Burrell's tenure.

RETURNING STARTERS
Southern Connecticut will be led by junior Michael Mallory, who was second on the team with 18.3 points per game and tied for first in 3-pt shooting at 41-percent per game, senior Desmond Williams, who averaged 12.8 points on 47-percent shooting and 7.4 rebounds in 26.4 minutes per game last year, and senior Stefon Williams, who shot 52-percent from the field last season. Junior Austin Carter should see a spike in his minutes this season after averaging 18 minutes a game last year. Transfer Eric Ross should also see a good amount of playing time after averaging 7.2 points per game and 9.1 rebounds per game for Triton College last season.

MALLORY PRESEASON ALL-AMERICAN
Michael Mallory has been named a preseason All-American by The Sporting News and The Basketball Times. Mallory earned Third-Team All-Conference honors last season and set a single-season program record of 90 three-pointers made.

HOME COURT ADVANTAGE
Southern Connecticut went 10-4 at Moore Field House last season, including going 9-1 in the conference at home.

LAST SEASON'S CONFERENCE STATS
Southern Connecticut played at a fast pace last year, as it led the Northeast-10 in scoring (89.0 points per game), field goals made (1024), field goals attempted (2181), three-pointers made (312) and three-pointers attempted (848). The Owls had 153 more field goals and 291 more attempts from the field than the second place finisher in the conference. The team also finished first in steals per game (8.1) and blocks per game (6.1) and second in rebounds per game (40.1). Defensively, SCSU held its opponents to 41-percent shooting from the field, good for second in the conference.

STARTING OFF STRONG
The Owls have not lost a season opener in six seasons. In that time, Southern has beaten Chestnut Hill, Post, Goldey-Beacom, Molloy, Dowling and Dominican.

FACING OTHER NATIONAL TEAMS
The Owls will face six teams that reached the NCAA Division II Tournament a year ago - American International, Bridgeport, Southern New Hampshire, Stonehill, Saint Anselm and the University of the Sciences in Philadelphia.

NEWCOMERS
The Owls will welcome five new players to the team this year, including transfers Eric Ross and Brett Buser and freshmen Isaiah McLeod, Joey Wallace and Toby Christensen.

WELCOME BACK
Southern Connecticut returns nine players from last year's squad - seniors Desmond Williams, Stefon Williams and Jack McCarthy, and juniors Michael Bozzuto, Austin Carter, Michael Mallory, Dominic Migliaro, Jonathan Paul and Lucas Van Nes.

THRIVING IN THE CLASSROOM
All nine returning members of last year's team were named to the Northeast-10 Conference Commissioner's Honor Roll during the course of the 2014-15 academic year. Student-athletes must maintain a semester average of at least 3.0 in order to be eligible for this honor.

UP NEXT
Southern Connecticut will play two conference games next week. The Owls begin with a home matchup with Assumption on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. and travel to Bentley for a game on Saturday at 3:30 p.m.