Box Score FAIRFIELD, Conn – In a game with 30 lead change and neither team leading by more than five points, Tevin Falzon's second consecutive three-pointer with 2:32 remaining to make the score 67-66 would put Sacred Heart ahead for good in a 76-71 triumph over first place Mount St. Mary's in Northeast Conference action at the William H. Pitt Center on Thursday night. The Pioneers have won two of three to improve to 3-4 in the league and 4-14 overall.
Following a defensive stop the ensuing trip down the floor, Cane Broome was fouled while shooting a three-pointer and would make 3-3 from the line to extend the lead to four, capping a 10-3 run with 1:50 left. Junior Robinson quickly responded 19 seconds later to cut the deficit back to one before Falzon and the Mount's Taylor Danaher each made 2-2 free throws for yet another one-point game, 72-71, with 54 seconds to go.
After a SHU miss, Mount St. Mary's (8-12, 5-2 NEC) would have a chance to take the lead late, but the Pioneer defense forced a deep three-pointer with just seven seconds on the clock that drew no iron. Broome possessed the rebound and went 2-2 from the line for a 74-71 lead.
Following two timeouts, Sacred Heart elected to foul as opposed to give the Mountaineers a chance to tie on the three with under five seconds remaining. Gregory Graves missed the first free throw and could not make contact with the rim on the second, all but sealing the Pioneer victory. Falzon put the closing stamp on the win by making both foul shots just .7 seconds before the final buzzer.
That was the tenth consecutive free throw Sacred Heart made in the final 4:58, as the Pioneers shot 20-24 in the game for its second highest percentage, 83.3, of the season. The Mount made just 12-19 for 63.2 percent. SHU also shot a season best 44.4 percent from beyond the arch, making eight of 18, and outrebounded the Mountaineers 37-29 for a 13-6 edge in second chance points.
Falzon led the charge at the line, making a perfect 7-7, all in the second half, to extend his streak of consecutive free throws made to 23 over the last four games, four shy of tying a school record. Held scoreless in the first half, he scored all 15 of his points after the break and added seven rebounds and two blocks.
Broome led all scorers with 24 points, adding six rebounds and a game-high four assists while going a perfect 5-5 from the charity stripe himself.
Eyimofe Edukugho came off the bench to contribute 12 points on 4-6 from the field and 4-5 at the line and also recorded a career-high seven rebounds and a team-high three steals.
Jordan Allen led the Pioneers with eight rebounds, coming up just shy of a double double with nine points.
Elijah Long led MSM with 20 points, shooting 8-13 from the floor and a perfect 3-3 from three-point range. Junior Robinson and Taylor Danaher each added 14, while BK Ashe chipped in with 12 points and a team-high seven boards. Robinson and Long each had three assists, with Robinson adding a game-high four steals.
Sacred Heart will face a first place team for the second consecutive game on Saturday when it travels to Staten Island for a 4 pm matchup with Wagner. At 5-2 in NEC play, the Seahawks are tied atop the standings with Mount St. Mary's and Fairleigh Dickinson after defeating St. Francis Brooklyn 83-59 tonight.
Noteworthy
- Ahead at the half for just the third time this season, Sacred Heart is now 2-1 when taking a lead into the break
- Shooting at least 79.3 percent from the line in three straight games, the Pioneers had eclipsed that mark just twice in the previous 53 games dating back to the 2013-14 season
- SHU led for 18:35, Mount led for 16:43 and the game was tied for 4:42
- Allen made his first career three-pointer
Inside the Box
- Getting outshot from the field 46.4 percent to 43.6 percent, it was the first time all season Sacred Heart has won a game with a lower field goal percentage than the opponent
How it Happened
- First Half
- The opening half saw a total of 12 lead changes and five ties
- After Mount St. Mary's took two four-point leads early, at 6-2 and 8-4, neither team would gain larger than a three-point lead until Buovac hit a three-pointer to put SHU up 34-30 with 1:08 left
- That capped an 8-2 spurt that started with an Edukugho three-point play and also included a Broome layup
- The largest lead of the half came after Danaher answered Buovac's trifecta on the next trip down the court. Broome hit a three of his own for a 37-32 Sacred Heart lead at the :46 mark
- The Mount closed the opening half scoring with two Danaher free throws 22 second before buzzer for a 37-34 halftime score
- Second Half
- Very similar to the first half, neither team led by more than four until Broome's layup made it 52-48 Sacred Heart with 13:25 showing
- Mount answered 17 seconds later with a Danaher layup and there would not be another four-point lead until Broome made 3-3 from the line at the 1:50 mark
- Those free throws capped a 10-3 run, as the Mountaineers took its largest lead of the second half, 63-60, on Long's trifecta with 5:13 remaining
- He also gave MSM its last lead, 66-64, on yet another triple with 2:51 left
- Falzon had hit the first of his consecutive threes just 35 seconds earlier to put the Pioneers on top 64-63
