Pioneers to Open 2014-15 Home Slate on Thursday Against UMass Lowell
11/19/2014 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
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Setting the Scene... The Sacred Heart University men's basketball team opens its 2014-15 home slate as the River Hawks of UMass Lowell visit the William H. Pitt Center on November 20 for a 7 pm tip.
Last Time Out... For the third time in four seasons the Sacred Heart University men's basketball team opened the season with a victory in the Connecticut 6, defeating the University of Hartford 71-53 at TD Bank Center in Hamden, Conn. The Pioneers shot 58.8 percent from the field in the win and out rebounded the Hawks 35-23. De'von Barnett led three Pioneers in double figures, with 18 points on 8-11 shooting. He also finished with a game-high seven rebounds. Jordan Allen added 13 points on 5-5 shooting in 22 minutes off the bench. Evan Kelley chipped in with 13 points and Phil Gaetanodished out a game-high seven assists.
Series History... In a storied matchup that dates all the way back to 1981 and the New England Collegiate Conference, Sacred Heart and UMass Lowell will meet for the first time ever as Division 1 opponents on Thursday Night. Sacred Heart leads the all-time series, played as Division II opponents, 23-16, including a 97-73 victory in their first ever meeting on February 23, 1981. Sacred Heart would go onto win 13 of the first 14 meetings through the 1986-87 season. That streak included nine straight between 1984-1986. The River Hawks twice have had four-game winning streaks, both over a two-season period. They first swept consecutive season-series in 1991-92 and 1992-93, and then did it again in 1995- 96 and 1996-97. UMass Lowell has won 11 of the past 17 meetings, including three of the last four at Sacred Heart. The Pioneers are 3-0 against the River Hawks in playoff matchups.
Last Meeting... The two schools' last meeting came on January 18, 1999, in what was SHU's last season as a Division II program. The Pioneers were victorious by a score of 64-51. Dave Feako and John Randazzo led the way, scoring 21 and 17 points, respectively. Kurt Reis dished out 7 assists, while Andrew Hunter grabbed 10 rebounds. SHU shot 14-23 in the second half and outrebounded the River Hawks 43-27.
Scouting UMass Lowell... One year removed from the program's (10-18, 8-8 America East) first season as a Division I program, the River Hawks were picked ninth in the America East preseason poll. UMass Lowell comes into today's contest with a 0-2 record on the year. They opened the season with a 92-55 defeat at Ohio State and then fell to Rhode Island 72-56 this past Sunday. Opponents are shooting 62.6 percent against the River Hawks so far this season, and are outrebounding them by an average of 36-21 per game. Jahad Thomas leads UMass Lowell in scoring, rebounding, and minutes, as he averages 17.5 points and 5.5 rebounds in 32.5 minutes per game. Lance Crawford is also averaging double figures at 13.5 points per game, and is leading the River Hawks in assists at 2.5 per contest.
50th Season... The Sacred Heart University men's basketball team is beginning its 50th season in 2014-15. The program's first season came in 1965-66.
Home-Openers... The Pioneers are 33-16 all-time in home openers, including winning 21 of their first 22. Since moving to Division I in 1999, SHU has gone 7-8 in home-openers. As a Division II team, they were 26-8. Sacred Heart has lost its home opener the last two seasons. They have not lost three straight since the move to DI. Last season, they lost the opener in the William H. Pitt Center to Brown, 85-73.
Happy to be Home?... Last year the Pioneers went 1-10 in the William H. Pitt Center. That lone win came on January 11, as they defeated Fairleigh Dickinson, 71-67.
Hot Shooting... Sacred Heart shot 58.8 percent (30-51) from the field in its opening night 71-53 victory over Hartford on Friday. It was the program's best shooting night since February 28, 2009, when the Pioneers shot 60 percent (33-55) in a 90-60 victory over Bryant.
Margin of Victory... The 18-point victory was the largest margin of victory for Sacred Heart since a 72-46 (26 points) victory over Bryant on February 11, 2012.
