SHU Battles LIU Brooklyn on MSG, FCS on Wednesday
1/26/2016 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Winners of three of its last four, including knocking off first place teams in back-to-back games, the Sacred Heart men's basketball team looks to continue its momentum at LIU Brooklyn on Wednesday night in a game to be broadcast regionally on MSG and Fox College Sports at 7 pm.
Scouting LIU Brooklyn... One of just two teams in the NEC to post a winning record in non-conference play, 6-5, LIU has begun its conference schedule 3-5 with consecutive losses to Fairleigh Dickinson and St. Francis Brooklyn last week to fall to 9-10 overall. Currently ninth in the league, the Blackbirds are just one game behind a four-way tie for fifth place. Led by its offense, LIU Brooklyn is second in the conference scoring 72.7 points per game, despite the third worst field goal percentage, 41.1 percent. The Blackbirds are atop the league with a 73.0 free throw percentage and second in assists and rebounds, averaging 13.0 and 36.7, respectively. Aside from field goal percentage, the only other category in which they are bottom three in the league is turnovers per game and three point percentage. LIU is led by Jerome Frink and Martin Hermannsson. Frink is third in the NEC in both scoring in rebounding, with averages of 16.8 points and 8.6 rebounds, while Hermannsson is fifth in scoring and fourth in assists, averaging 14.3 points and 4.4 assists. Frink is also top eight in the league in field goal percentage, blocks and minutes per game, while Hermannsson is top four in free throw percentage, steals per game, assist to turnover ratio, and minutes per game. Aakim Santil leads the Blackbirds and is third in the NEC with an average of 4.5 assists, and is also top ten in the NEC in scoring, free throw percentage, steals per game and assist to turnover ratio.
Series History... Sacred Heart broke a three-game losing streak against the Blackbirds with an 84-73 victory in the 2015 regular season finale. Even with the loss, LIU Brooklyn has won eight of the last ten and holds a 19-10 advantage in the all-time series, which dates back to 1997 when SHU was still a Division II member. The Blackbirds have been especially dominant in Brooklyn, where they are 11-3 all-time against the Pioneers, including winning six in a row, as well as eight of nine dating back to 2005. With the win in the 2015 regular season finale, Sacred Heart evened the series in Fairfield, 7-7. LIU Brooklyn was victorious the only time the two teams played in the postseason in the 2012 Northeast Conference quarterfinals.
Last Meeting… Trailing by three with 7:02 remaining, the Sacred Heart scored nine unanswered to ultimately take control of the game and pull away from LIU Brooklyn, 84-73, in the 2014-15 regular season finale on February 28 at the William H. Pitt Center. Phil Gaetano and De'von Barnett each recorded double doubles, while Cane Broome scored a game-high 21 points. Martin Hermannsson led the Blackbirds with 16 points.
Career Numbers vs. LIU Brooklyn...
NAME (GP-GS) PPG RPG APG MPG
Tevin Falzon (4-2) 7.3 7.5 0.8 26.5
Cane Broome (2-1) 18.5 2.5 1.0 35.5
Jordan Allen (2-0) 8.0 5.0 1.0 20.5
Filip Nowicki (1-0) 4.0 2.0 - 9.0
Chris Robinson (1-0) 4.0 1.0 - 9.0
A Win Over LIU Would give SHU...
-Consecutive wins over the Blackbirds for the first time since sweeping the 2008 season series.
-SHU's first away win in the series since 2008
-It's first three-game winning streak of the season, something it accomplished twice in 2014-15.
-It's third five-win month since the beginning of the 2011-12 season (January 2013, February 2015)
-Four road wins in January for the first time since the 2008 season. With the win at Wagner, it is just the second time in the last eight seasons that the Pioneers have won three road games in January.
Road Improvement... Sacred Heart comes into the game 3-2 in road games in NEC play. SHU is looking for back-to-back wins on the road for the first time since December-January of the 2011-12 season.
Defense Steps up... The 58 points Sacred Heart allowed in Sunday's win at Wagner marked the second fewest yielded in NEC play since the beginning of 2013 conference season, a span of 59 games. The Pioneers forced season-lows of 27 second half points, four three-pointers made and 6-10 shooting from the free throw line.
-The Pioneers are 4-1 when holding opponents under 75 points this season, as opposed to 1-13 when foes eclipse the mark.
Starting Five... Sacred Heart's starting lineup in the previous four games, Cane Broome, Quincy McKnight, Jordan Allen, Sean Hoehn and Falzon, are the five Pioneers who have started the most games this season. Those five are now 3-2 together, as opposed to every other lineup going 2-12.
-SHU has used five starting lineups this season. The Pioneers used four all of last season.
The Last Two NEC Months... Since the beginning of February of 2015, Sacred Heart has the third best regular season record in NEC play at 10-6, behind only Mount St. Mary's and St. Francis Brooklyn, who are both 11-5:
Mount St. Mary's 11-5
St. Francis Brooklyn 11-5
Sacred Heart 10-6
Bryant 9-7
Robert Morris 9-7
Saint Francis U 8-8
Wagner 7-9
LIU Brooklyn 7-9
Fairleigh Dickinson 6-10
Central Connecticut State 2-14
A Rare NEC Wednesday... Sacred Heart has not played a conference game on Wednesday since defeating Bryant 79-77 on February 12, 2012.
-The only day the Pioneers have not played a league game on since the beginning of the 2012 schedule is Tuesday.
