Pioneers Return Home Saturday For Autism Awareness Day Against Saint Francis
1/9/2015 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Setting the Scene... Coming off an, 82-81, defeat at LIU Brooklyn in its NEC road opener on Thursday, the Sacred Heart University men's basketball team returns to the William H. Pitt Center for the first of back to back games with the Red Flash of Saint Francis U at 3:30 pm on Saturday. SHU will travel to Loretto next Friday for a rematch.
Autism Awareness Day...Sacred Heart University, in conjunction with the Fairfield/Westchester Chapter of Autism Speaks, will host an event benefitting Autism Speaks at its women's and men's basketball doubleheader on January 10. Fans attending the game will be able to learn more about autism spectrum disorder as well as the mission of Autism Speaks at an information table located in the lobby of the Pitt Center. Donations for Autism Speaks will also be accepted, with items such as pins, water bottles and hats being provided as a thank you from Autism Speaks. In addition, local merchants, including; The New York Mets, The Field House, Fairfield Ice Academy, Gymnastics and Cheer Academy and GCA Parkour, Carabiner's Indoor Climbing, Benefit Cosmetics, Chip's, Orange Theory Fitness, Brick & Wood and Colony Grill; have donated items for fans in attendance that support Autism Speaks that day, with a contribution, to win.
Those in attendance will also notice that the atmosphere of the game will be slightly quieter than a normal SHU basketball game. The volume of public address announcements and music played throughout the game will be turned down to make the environment more hospitable for any fans with sensory sensitivities. There will also be a quiet area in the Pitt Center made available to those fans who may need to take advantage.
2014-15 Preseason NEC Poll... Sacred Heart was selected to finish tenth in the Preseason NEC Coaches poll, while Saint Francs U was chosen fourth, receiving one first place vote.
1. St. Francis Brooklyn (6) 6. Bryant
2. CCSU (3) 7. Wagner
3 Robert Morris 8. LIU Brooklyn
4. Saint Francis U (1) 9. Fairleigh Dickinson
5. Mount St. Mary's 10. Sacred Heart
Series History... The series between Sacred Heart and Saint Francis U began in 2000 in the first season SHU became a member of the Northeast Conference. The Pioneers hold the slight, 12-11, edge in the all-time series, but the Red Flash have won two straight meetings, including the only matchup last year in the William H. Pitt Center, 68-66. The two teams have split the series at the Pitt, each winning five. SFU has won two of the past three, but SHU has won three of the past five. In Loretto, Sacred Heart holds a slight, 7-6, advantage all-time, including winning six of the past eight. The longest winning streak in the series is by SHU, who won seven straight from 2006-09. The Red Flash's best stretch came in the beginning of the series, when they won five of the first six meetings and seven of the first nine. That included winning three straight from 2002-03.
Last Meeting... The Sacred Heart Pioneers finished a four game road trip winless after a 68-66 setback to the Saint Francis Red Flash January 25, 2014 at the DeGol Center. Chris Evans (Stamford, CT) led the way for Sacred Heart with 18 points, making 10-of-11 from the free throw line. Freshman De'von Barnett (Waldorf, MD) put in 14 points for Sacred Heart on 6-of-12 shooting, while senior Mostafa Abdel Latif (Alexandria, Egypt) chipped in 13 points and 8 rebounds.Sacred Heart grabbed 16 offensive rebounds but struggled finishing from arounds the rim, shooting 37.1 percent (23-of-62) from the field.Saint Francis had four different players in double figures, with Earl Brown leading the way with 16 points on 6-of-10 shooting. Ronnie Drinnon, Dominique Major, and Ben Millaud-Meunier all joined Brown in double figures. SFU shot 51.1 percent (24-of-47) from the field. The Pioneers stretched a first half lead all the way to ten points after Barnett knocked down a jumper with 8:05 remaining. From there, Saint Francis closed out half on a 17-6 run.Sacred Heart made just 2 shots from the field in the final 7:24 of the first half. Barnett knocked down one of the two with 42 seconds left to cut the lead to one, 34-33 at halftime. It was consistently a one point lead either way for much of the second half, until Dominique Major made a big transition three to put SFU up 51-47 with 6:57 left in the game. Malik Harmon found Major in the corner for the open trifecta. Phil Gaetano knocked down a big three to get SHU within one at 61-60. After getting a defensive stop, the Pioneers had a chance to take the lead. Evans missed a reverse lay-up with 30 seconds left that stayed on the rim for a millisecond but did not fall.Saint Francis closed SHU out with clutch foul shooting down the stretch. The Red Flash made 9-of-10 from the free throw line in the final 1 minute and 16 seconds of the game. Ben Millaud Meunier made 5-of-6 from the line in the final 17 seconds, with the only miss coming intentionally with a two point lead with .9 seconds left. Barnett grabbed the miss but a final heave did not make it to the basket.
Scouting Saint Francis U... The Red Flash have started the season, 8-6, after most recently falling at Bryant, 80-54, on Thursday night, to drop to 2-1 in the NEC. Prior to that loss, SFU had won five of its previous six, including its first two games in conference, as well as the NEC's first ever victory over a Big Ten team when it defeated Rutgers. The Red Flash lead the Northeast Conference in points per game allowed, holding opponents to an average of 63.8. They also rank first in three pointers made per game, averaging eight makes on 37.3 percent shooting. SFU ranks in the top three in a number of other categories as well, including FG percentage (.446), opponents three point percentage (.303), assists (12.3), turnover average (12.2), and turnover margin (+0.3). The Red Flash are led by Earl Brown, who leads in points (15.6), FG percentage (.541), and blocks (0.6). Those numbers rank in the top four in the conference in points and FG percentage. Brown also ranks second on the team in rebounding at 6.6 per game, behind Ronnie Drinnon's 7.5 per contest, which ranks third in the league. Malik Harmon is the only other Red Flash member of the team in the top thirty of the NEC scoring, averaging 9.8 points. Harmon is also second on the team with 2.8 assists, right behind team leader Greg Brown, who averages 3.0. Harmon and Brown ranks tenth and 11th in the conference, respectively.
Common Opponent... Both teams have played against Rutgers. The Red Flash defeated the Scarlet Knights, 73-68, on December 20, while the Pioneers fell to RU three days later, 79-54.
Career Numbers vs. Saint Francis U...
NAME (GP-GS) PPG RPG APG MPG
Steve Glowiak (5-2) 6.2 2.4 1.4 26.2
Gaetano (4-3) 5.0 2.5 5.8 32.0
Evan Kelley (4-2) 8.3 2.7 2.0 25.3
Tevin Falzon (3-0) 2.0 1.7 - 12.0
Barnett (1-1) 14.0 7.0 1.0 28.0
High Percentage Shooting...The matchup will feature the first and second highest shooting percentage teams in the Northeast Conference. Sacred Heart is first, shooting 45.1 percent, while Saint Francis U is shooting 44.6 percent.
Stifling Defense... Each team ranks first in the conference in a major defensive category. SHU ranks first in opposing FG percentage, holding foes to 42.1 percent shooting, while SFU ranks first in points allowed per game, at 63.8. That being said, the Pioneers rank ninth in points allowed, at 72.1, and the Red Flash rank just sixth in opposing FG percentage, allowing 44.4 percent shooting.
Expect Assists.... The two teams rank first and second in the NEC in assists per game. Sacred Heart leads the way, averaging 14.9 per contest, while SFU tallies 12.3 each time out.
High Disparities...The Pioneers could have an advantage on the glass, as they rank third in the league averaging 37.4 per game, compared to the Red Flash who only rank ninth with an average of 30.3. On the other side, Saint Francis has a big edge in three pointers made per game. SFU is leading the conference with an average of 8 made per contest, while Sacred Heart only averages 4.8, which ranks ninth.
Happy to be Back Home... Sacred Heart will certainly be happy to be back in the William H. Pitt Center, as the Pioneers have struggled on the road this season, going 1-6 after the Loss at LIU Brooklyn. Things have gone much better at home, where the team has compiled a 5-3 record, including a four game winning streak earlier in the year.
Continuing to Lose Close... With the one-point loss to LIU Brooklyn, 18 of the Pioneers' past 22 losses have been by single digits, including 12 of their last 16 losses in NEC play.
-SHU's last four losses in NEC play have come by a combined 11 points.
