The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Chief Sports Editor

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

GRAND Bahamian senior Paul Greene and his Southern New Hampshire University Penmen men’s basketball team will now play for another Northeast 10 Conference championship title.

Greene, a 6-foot, 6-inch forward, produced a double-double with 20 points, shooting 9-for-19 from the field and 2-for-2 from the free throw line, with 14 points to lead the second-ranked Penmen to a 58-56 victory over the third-seed Bentley University on Wednesday night in the semifinal of the tournament at the Stan Spirou Field House in Manchester, New Hampshire.

Southern New Hampshire University, who erased an 11-point deficit late in the second half, will now host the fifth-seeded Pace University in the NE10 championship title game on Saturday at the Stan Spirou Field House. The Penmen, coached by Jack Perri and David Steckel, head into the game having won 11 of its last 13, including eight of nine and seven straights. They reached the 20 wins plateau for the third consecutive season – the first time they have accomplished the feat since 2014-15 to 2016-17.

SNHU improves to 28-16 (.636) in its 20th appearance in the NE10 Championship. After winning their third NE10 title last season, the Penmen have captured six straight NE10 postseason contests. They are now 4-2 against Bentley in the NE10 championship, as the two teams met for the first time since the Penmen captured their second title with a road win over the Falcons in 2016.

SNHU split the regular-season series with the Setters and is 2-2 against Pace in the NE10 postseason. The teams, who have never met past the quarterfinal round, hooked up in the NE10 Championship last season when SNHU went on the road and secured a win to advance to the semifinals.

If Southern New Hampshire is successful in winning the title, they will be the seventh repeat NE10 champion and first since Bentley in 2007 and 2008. 

The Penmen are the first team to play in the NE10 finals in back-to-back years since the University of New Haven in 2019 and 2020, as well as the first program to host consecutive NE10 title tilts since Bentley in 2007 and 2008. 

SNHU has not captured back-to-back conference crowns since 1997-98 and 1998-98 when it was a member of the New England Collegiate Conference (NECC).

Greene’s double-double was his 19th of the season, as well as his 11th in the last 16 games and seventh in the last nine. Greene, who had never scored 20 points in his career before the NE10 postseason began, has now reached the 20-point plateau in back-to-back games after dropping a career-high 27 against Saint Anselm in the semifinal round Sunday.

Greene, a business major, is the son of Paul and Shantel Greene. He is a former member of the St George’s Jaguars’ team who went to play at Independence High School, J Addison Prep in Canada and Chipola Junior College. His hobby is listening to music and his favorite sports team is the Milwaukee Bucks and favorite movie is Friday.