Sacred Heart
Bridgeport
SHU Defeats Bridgeport 82-63 in Exhibition
11/1/2014 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
FAIRFIELD, Conn. – The Sacred Heart University men's basketball team competed in its first competitive action of the year as it defeated Bridgeport, 82-63, on Saturday night in the William H. Pitt Center. Freshman Cane Broome led all scorers and rebounders as he tallied 23 points and eight rebounds in his first ever game donning a SHU jersey. De'von Barnett and Phil Gaetano also scored in double figures as they added 19 and 11, respectively.
After a back and forth thirteen minutes that saw five ties and neither team gaining more than a four point advantage, the Pioneers began to pull away with just over nine minutes remaining in the half. Trailing 29-26 after an Eddie Asamoah layup with 9:41, SHU went on a 26-5 run heading into halftime. After three Pioneer free throws and a Barnett put back, Broome scored six straight points, including a fast break layup after a steal and a three-point basket, to put Sacred Heart ahead 37-29 with 5:25 remaining. Over the final five minutes, Broome nailed two more threes and Evan Kelley added a trifecta to help cushion the lead to 18 at the break.
The closest that Bridgeport got in the second half was 13 after a layup by Frank Dogali with 12:17 remaining. Gaetano answered with a three-point basket and the Purple Knights were not able to get closer than 14 the remainder of the contest.
Sacred Heart used 17-31 shooting in the first half to build the 18-point lead, bolstered by 7-12 shooting from beyond the arch. They finished the game at 43.3 percent. The Pioneers also assisted on 15 of their 26 baskets, led by a team high seven from Kelley. Their defense held Bridgeport to 33.3 percent shooting as SHU scored 21 points off of 17 Purple Knight turnovers.
SHU opens its season on Friday, November 14 at the Connecticut 6 Classic against Hartford. This year's event will be hosted by Quinnipiac at the TD Bank Sports Center in Hamden, Conn. Sacred Heart opens its home slate on Thursday, November 20 against UMass Lowell at 7 pm in the William H. Pitt Center.
