SNHU seniors, including Nashua's Brenden Choate, celebrate Senior Day on Saturday. (Photo courtesy of SNHU Athletics)

MANCHESTER — Senior Brenden Choate of Nashua went off for a career-best 20 points on Senior Day, as the Southern New Hampshire University men’s basketball team pulled the upset on the top team in the NE10, defeating 15th-ranked Adelphi University, 75-72, Saturday at the Stan Spirou Field House. With the win, Jack Perri recorded the 200th victory of his head coaching career.

Choate’s 20 points is double his previous career high of 10, which he scored Feb. 5 and Feb. 19

Southern New Hampshire fell behind, 9-4, in the opening two-and-a-half minutes, but later responded with a 10-2 charge – buoyed by 3-pointers from senior Jordan Brathwaite (Silver Spring, Md.) and Harris – to open a 23-16 advantage just past the midway point of the half. Adelphi hit back with its own 10-2 rush to go back on top, 29-28, with 5:13 left. Four lead changes and a tie followed, before five straight from Fricas powered a 7-0 run that put SNHU in front, 40-34, with 1:15 on the clock. Adelphi would trim its halftime deficit to 40-38.

A 9-2 run in the first four minutes of the second half flipped Adelphi back into the lead at 49-46 with 16:10 remaining. It was a two-point game when eight straight, including four from Greene, opened up a 61-55 advantage for SNHU with 9:14 on the clock. The margin was five with less than five minutes to go when the Panthers ripped of an 8-2 to go up, 72-71, with 1:26 to play. Choate made a driving layup with 1:11 on the clock and then, following an Adelphi miss, sank two free throws to make it a three-point game. The Panthers fired up a 3-pointer at the buzzer, but it did not fall.