Southern Conn. St. SCSU 12-9,8-7 NE10

Southern N.H. SNHU 13-8,9-6 NE10

Southern Conn. St. SCSU

12-9,8-7 NE10

Final

Feb. 08, 2025

Southern N.H. SNHU

13-8,9-6 NE10

Score By Periods
Team	1	2	F
Southern Conn. St. SCSU	32	37	69
Southern N.H. SNHU	22	40	62

Summary
Box Score

Game Recap: Men's Basketball | 2/8/2025 6:03:00 PM

Coach Burrell Picks Up 150th Career Win, SCSU Men's Basketball Defeats Southern New Hampshire 69-62

MANCHESTER, N.H. - Southern Connecticut Men's Basketball defeated Southern New Hampshire, 69-62 on the road, for Head Coach Scott Burrell's 150th career win. The Owls improve to 12-9 on the season, 8-7 in Northeast-10 Conference play.

In 10 seasons as the Owls' head coach, Scott Burrell has been incredibly successful. He has a record of 150-106, good for a winning percentage of 59%. Under his coaching, the Owls have only recorded one season where the team went below .500, and has recorded two seasons of 20+ wins. Burrell has led the Owls to three NCAA Division II Tournament appearances, including an East Region Semifinal appearance. He currently sits at second in all-time wins, behind Art Leary's 373.

Against SNHU, Albert Vargas led the team with 17 points and six assists, with Antonio Chandler also adding 16 points, eight rebounds and two assists. Isaac Hester scored 10, going 2-4 from deep, and Cherif Diarra added 7 points, nine rebounds, two asissts, a block and a steal. It was the tenth time this season Diarra had a game with at least one block and one steal. Sean James scored seven off the bench, also grabbing three boards, and Elijah Wood scored five. Christian McClease scored four points and grabbed eight boards, the second-highest total this season.

The Owls came out of the gates hot, going on a 9-0 run to open the game. Christian McClease, Cherif Diarra, Antonio Chandler, and Isaac Hester all scored in the first five minutes to give the Owls an early lead. The Penmen would get on the board, but five straight from Elijah Wood off the bench extended the Owls' lead to double digits with just over 10 minutes left in the half. Southern New Hampshire would cut their deficit to five, but timely baskets from Chandler, Albert Vargas, and Sean James, maintained the Owls' advantage. Chandler had a phenomenal first half, scoring eight points and grabbing five boards . The Owls had an incredibly impressive defensive half, holding the Penmen to 22 points on only 25.8% shooting from the field. Southern had a balanced offensive attack, with every player who entered the game scoring and four players (Chandler, Vargas, Hester, Wood) scoring over five. With 32 seconds left, Chris Joe knocked down a three to send the Owls into the break up 32-22.

The Owls picked up right where they left off in the second half, going on a 9-3 run. Vargas scored or assisted on all nine points. The Owls lead got up to 16 before the Penmen bounced back, going on a 7-0 run of their own to cut the lead to single digits. Diarra and Hester brought the Owls back ahead by 12 with 13 minutes left. Both offenses stalled, but the Penmen again struck back, scoring five straight to cut the lead to eight. The two teams traded blows, with the Owls offense fueled by Vargas and Chandler, but SNHU stayed hot, scoring two consecutive layups to bring the lead down to four, the Owls' smallest advantage since the 17:48 mark in the first half. The Owls regained their footing and brought their lead back up to nine with timely buckets coming from James, Vargas, and Diarra. However, SNHU refused to go away, this time bringing the Owls' advantage all the way down to three. In the clutch, SCSU locked in, getting a few key stops and knocking down free throws. Hester hit a huge three with just over a minute left to add some relief, and Chandler, James, and Vargas closed the door from the charity stripe, leading the Owls to a 69-62 victory. The win was the 150th of Head Coach Scott Burrell's career. Albert Vargas had an incredible second half, scoring 12 points and recording four assists.

The Owls continue to wind down regular season play when they take on American International at home on Tuesday, February 11th at 7:30 p.m.

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