Senior G Dipanjot Singh (Evanston, Ill.) came off the bench to score 18 points to lead UMass Lowell to its seventh straight victory - a 67-56 win over Southern New Hampshire University in a Northeast-10 Conference men's basketball clash at the SNHU Fieldhouse.

With the win, UMass Lowell improved to 16-5 overall and 12-5 in the NE-10 entering Wednesday's home game against Stonehill (7:30). The River Hawks remain in second place, though with less company: Bentley (11-6) suffered an 81-75 loss at Saint Anselm while Stonehill (11-6) fell at Merrimack 51-43.

Franklin Pierce (16-5, 12-5) defeated Saint Michael's 64-54 to remain in second place while Adelphi defeated American International 63-55 to retain the top spot. Southern New Hampshire suffered its third straight loss and stands at 11-11 overall and 7-10 in the Conference.

"That was a fiercely contested road win and again we called upon our team defense to secure the victory," said head coach Greg Herenda. "We held a potent SNHU team to 40 percent from the field and 3-21 from the 3-point line."

Singh converted 6 of 12 field goals while sophomore G Akeem Williams (Brockton, Mass.) added 15 points, five assists and four steals. Junior F Matt Welch (Lowell, Mass.) chipped in nine points, including a pair of treys in a key second half run.

Defensively, the River Hawks continue to click as their last three opponents have scored 54, 55 and 56 points.

Freshman F Aleksandar Dobrovic led the Penmen with 13 points, six rebounds and three assists while freshman G Elijah Bonsignore added 11 points (4-6 field goals) and five rebounds.

Led by three treys from Welch and two apiece from Singh and Williams, UMass Lowell outscored Southern New Hampshire from 3-point range, 27-9, hitting 9 of 24 attempts to Southern New Hampshire's 3-21.

UMass Lowell also forced the Penmen into 17 turnovers while committing only 11, leading to a 24-11 scoring edge off turnovers.

Shortly into the second half, UMass Lowell led 39-37 but embarked on a 14-1 spurt from which the Penmen were unable to recover. Welch meshed a pair of 3-point shots while Singh converted a four-point play to lead the run.

"Offensively, we had about three runs where we got out and ran and scored the ball on layups and threes. When we run and share it our offense is spcial."

The Penmen refused to bow out, however. The River Hawks led 61-48 with 8:12 left to play, but Southern New Hampshire scored eight straight points - five from Dobrovic and a layup and free throw from junior G Greg DeSantis.

Consecutive layups from sophomore F Antonio Bivins (Miami, Fla.) and senior G Robbie Walton (South Boston, Mass.) and free throws by Singh sealed the win for UMass Lowell.

UMass Lowell led at the half, 32-31.

"I would really love to see our students come out for the 'All In' night on Wednesday," Herenda added. "It will be a great night."