STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. (January 24, 2016)—The Sacred Heart University men's basketball team earned a second consecutive win over a Northeast Conference frontrunner on Sunday when it rallied to defeat Wagner 67-58 at the Spiro Sports Center. Cane Broome (East Hartford, Conn.) tied for a game best with 17 points, while Tevin Falzon's (Newton, Mass.) presence was felt on both sides of the ball recording his third double-double of the season with 13 points and 11 rebounds.

Wagner owned an 18-5 lead through the first seven minutes of the game, but would be held to just 10 points through the final eight minutes of the first half as the Pioneers went on the offensive attack. Quincy McKnight (Bridgeport, Conn.) and Chris Robinson (Bronx, N.Y.) chipped away at the Seahawks lead, but it was Matej Buovac (Zagreb, Croatia) whose hot hand led the way for SHU's comeback.

The RS-junior added five points on two baskets igniting a 23-6 spree over the final 6:48 of the first half. With 1:11 on the clock, SHU worked its way all the way taking a 32-31 lead on Tevin Falzon's (Newtown, Mass.) straight-away three. Cane Broome (East Hartford, Conn.) and McKnight helped SHU build its lead combining for five points in the final 10 seconds, giving the Pioneers a 37-31 lead at halftime. 

Sacred Heart held on through a close second half, fending off all the Seahawks threats to improve to 5-14 on the season and 4-4 in Northeast Conference play, while Wagner falls to 12-7 overall and 5-3 against league foes.

The Pioneers will travel to Brooklyn for a rare Wednesday night league game against the LIU Brooklyn Blackbirds live on ESPN3. Tip-off is at 7:00 p.m.

Noteworthy:

• Falzon recorded his third double-double of the season with 13 points and 11 rebounds
• The win marks the first time this season the Pioneers have won back-to-back games

Turning Point:
Buovac sparked a 23-6 SHU hot streak in the latter part of the first half, which included Falzon landing a straight-away trey giving the Pioneers a 32-31 lead. They did not relinquish that lead for the rest of the game.

First Half:

• Wagner came out red hot scoring on its first three possessions for an early 6-0 lead forcing Sacred Heart Head Coach Anthony Latina to burn a timeout just over two minutes into the game
• Broome landed a triple coming out of the break for SHU's first points, but Corey Henson answered with one of his own
• Michael Carey added two for Wagner from the foul line extending the Seahawks lead to 11-3 at the 15:52 media timeout
• The Seahawks added seven more points to their side of the scoreboard before the 10:13 timeout, while holding the Pioneers to just three field goals through nearly the first 10 minutes
• With just under eight minutes remaining in the half McKnight laid one in sparking a 10-4 SHU run that brought the Pioneers within six points of catching the Seahawks, 25-19
• Dwaun Anderson tried to halt SHU's hot streak with a layup, but Buovac had the hot hand knocking down back-to-back shots for five points, minimizing the margin to three points, 27-24, with 5:01 on the clock
• Buovac's two baskets spurred a 18-4 run for the Pioneers, during which Falzon landed the straight-away three to give Sacred Heart a 32-31 advantage, SHU's first lead of the game, with just over a minute left in the half
• Ending the half with 13 straight points in the final three minutes, SHU owned a 37-31 lead at the halftime buzzer

Second Half:

• After Falzon made the first basket of the half, the teams traded four-point spurts before a pair of free throws from Carey sparked an 8-2 streak for the Seahawks that brought them within two points of the Pioneers, 47-45 with 12 minutes left in regulation
• Wagner chipped away at Sacred Heart's lead, coming within a basket three times, but the Pioneers always managed to make the next basket fending off the threatening Seahawks
• With 6:33 left in the game, and SHU up 54-52, Falzon put four straight points on the board for the Pioneers expanding their lead before the final media timeout at 3:17
• SHU accounted for eight of the game's final 10 points holding onto for the win