SHU to Meet Holy Cross for Wednesday Matinee
11/24/2015 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Sacred Heart (1-3, 0-0 NEC) at Holy Cross (1-3, 0-0 Patriot)
Wednesday, November 25, 2015 - 1:05 pm - Hart Recreation Center (3,600) - Worcester, Mass.
Game Notes | Audio | Video | Live Stats
The Sacred Heart men's basketball team looks to head into the Thanksgiving break with a win at Holy Cross on Wednesday at 1:05 pm. The fourth game of a Division I record six game road trip, the Pioneers have dropped the first three games, including the last two by a combined seven points.
Last Time Out… Sacred Heart's comeback was cut short as the Pioneers fell to Fairfield 83-79 in an overtime thriller at the Webster Bank Arena in Bridgeport, Conn. in the second game of the 2015 Crosstown Classic on Saturday. Six Pioneers reached double-digit points with Cane Broome (East Hartford, Conn.) leading the way with 18.
Scouting Holy Cross... After winning its season-opener over Marist, 67-64, the Crusaders have lost three in a row, including, 62-56, this past Sunday at Quinnipiac. Robert Champion and Cullen Hamilton both average double figures at 12.0 and 11.0 points per game respectively, while the Malachi Alexander pulls down a team-high 6.5 rebounds per game and Anthony Thompson leads the team at 3.8 assists per game. Holy Cross plays at a slower pace, averaging just 61.3 points per game and allowing 67.5 for a combined average of 128.8 points, compared to Sacred Heart's 163.2. The Crusaders take care of the ball as they lead the Patriot league averaging just 9.6 turnovers and are in the top three in turnover margin and assists to turnover ratio. They also rank second with a 74.2 free throw percentage and fourth averaging 8.5 three pointers per game. They struggle shooting the ball and on the boards, ranking ninth with a 38.7 field goal percentage and a - 10.5 rebounding margin.
Last Meeting…Broome registered career highs in both points and rebounds as the Sacred Heart defeated Holy Cross, 81-68, on December 6 of last season at the William H. Pitt Center. The freshman was one rebound shy of a double double as he scored a game-high 25 points and grabbed a game-high nine rebounds. SHU shot 55.1 percent from the field, while limiting the Crusaders to 32.4 percent. Anthony Thompson and Justin Burrell led Holy Cross with 16 each.
Series History... With an 81-68 victory on December 6 of last season, Sacred Heart snapped a three game losing streak against Holy Cross and brought the all-time series to 6-5 in favor of the Crusaders. Excluding its first ever meeting in SHU's final year as Division II program in 1998-99, the series is an even 5-5 in the Division I era. Home teams have dominated the series history, going a combined 9-2, with HC going 5-1 in Worcester and the Pioneers going 4-1 in Fairfield.
Career Numbers vs. Holy Cross..
Name (GP-GS) PPG RPG APG MPG
Tevin Falzon (3-1) 4.0 4.0 1.0 22.0
Cole Walton (2-1) - - - 9.5
Cane Broome (1-1) 25.0 9.0 3.0 34.0
Jordan Allen (1-0) 14.0 3.0 - 21.0
-Broome's 25 points and 9 rebounds were season-highs in 2014-15.
All-Time vs. Patriot League...SHU is 14-17 all-time vs. teams currently in the Patriot League, having never played American, Boston University, Bucknell, or Navy.
Army 3-3 Lehigh 2-4
Holy Cross 5-6 Loyola 1-0
Lafayette 2-4 Colgate 1-0
Common Opponent.... Both teams have played Quinnipac this season. The Pioneers defeated the Bobcats 76-64 in their season-opener, while Holy Cross is coming off a 62-56 defeat to Q on Sunday.
Welcome Back... Playing in their first games of the season, Tevin Falzon and Matej Buovac entered the starting lineup and made an immediate impact both scoring in double figures.
-Sacred Heart had six players in double figures for the first time this season, with the previous high being four. It was the first time six Pioneers have scored in double figures since at least the 2010-11 season.
Similar Pattern?... Sacred Heart began last season losing three in a row after winning its season opener. The Pioneers would go on to win their next three games, as well as five of their next six.
Top Rated Offense... A year after ranking first in the NEC in scoring offense at 73.8 points per game, the Pioneers are averaging a conference best 79.0 through the four three games
Three-Point Outburst... After making just a combined ten three pointers in the first three games, Sacred Heart made ten at Fairfield on Saturday night. The Pioneers made ten just once all of last season.
Road Worries... SHU has now lost six of its past seven road contests dating back to last season.
