Dec. 10, 2005

Final Stats

LORETTO, PA - Junior forward Jarrid Frye (Maspeth, NY) scored 20 points, including the game-winner with :05 left, to lift the Sacred Heart University Pioneers to a 74-72 win over St. Francis University in the Northeast Conference men's basketball opener for both teams.

St. Francis, 2-6, led 29-27 at the intermission after erasing a seven-point Sacred Heart lead with a 9-0 run midway through the period. Freshman guard Marquis Ford led the Red Flash with eight points in the half. The Pioneers, who hit seven of their first ten shots, finished the half by making just three of their last 16.

Sacred Heart, 4-5 and winners of three straight, opened the second half with an 8-3 run to open up a 37-32 lead with 16:19 left after a Kibwe Trim dunk. The Pioneers would eventually extend that lead to 46-38 on a Frye layup with 12:37 to play.

A 10-1 Red Flash run over the next three minutes, keyed by three-pointers by Garret Farha and Rahsaan Benton, gave St. Francis a 49-47 lead. Another Benton three with 6:52 to go gave the Red Flash a five-point edge at 54-49, but the Pioneers came roaring back again.

Sacred Heart used a 12-4 run, capped by a fast-break three by Drew Shubik with 4:29 left to take a 61-58 lead. An offensive rebound and put-back by sophomore Gene Pettway (Bridgeport, CT) with 1:40 to play put the Pioneers ahead 69-64.

The Red Flash had one last gasp left and when Farha was fouled on a three-point attempt by Shubik with :21 left, he canned all three tries to put St. Francis within two at 71-69. Frey was fouled at the other end but made just one of two, and freshman Greg Suprenant nailed a three at the other end to tie the game at 72-72 with :10 remaining.

Frye took the inbound pass and dribbled the length of the court, finishing it off with a layup with :05 to give SHU the lead. St. Francis lost the ball out of bounds trying for the last shot and the Pioneers escaped with the win.

Trim completed his fourth straight double-double for the Pioneers with 18 points and a game-high ten rebounds. Sophomore Drew Shubik (Stoystown, PA) finished with a career-high 16 points. Pettway finished with 11.

Farha and Benton led the Red Flash with 17 apiece.