Game Highlights

FAIRFIELD, Conn. – Cane Broome scored a game-high 24 points in Sacred Heart's Northeast Conference home opening 80-68 loss to Fairleigh Dickinson on Thursday night in the William H. Pitt Center. After opening NEC paly with a victory over defending conference champion Robert Morris, the Pioneers have lost two in a row to fall to 2-12 overall and 1-2 in league play. 

A Marques Townes three-point play with an even 15 minutes showing on the first half clock gave FDU (6-8, 2-1 NEC) a lead it would not relinquish the remainder of the game, as it led for a total of 36:32. The Knights used a 20-4 first half run, capped by a Townes three-pointer to take a game-high 47-19 lead with 2:16 remaining in the first.

Sacred Heart scored the final eight points of the half to cut the deficit to 47-27 at the break, but could not manage to get it closer than 15 until the final 1:53 of the game. Broome scored ten points in the final 3:39, all in a 12-0 flurry to get SHU within single digits, 76-68, for the first time since the 10:42 mark of the first half on a triple with 1:03 to go. Fairleigh Dickinson made all four of its free throws in the next 22 seconds though, and the Pioneers would not score a point the remainder of the game.

With Fairleigh Dickinson making just two more field goals on one less shot attempt, the difference was three-point and free throw shooting, as well as the rebounding battle. The Knights more than doubled SHU in threes made, 9-4, and made three more free throws, 19-16, despite taking six less attempts. The Pioneers shot just 30.8 percent from beyond the arch 55.2 percent from the line, compared to 42.9 and 82.6 percent for FDU. The Knights also held a 41-28 rebounding advantage. 

Scoring 17 of his 24 in the second half, Broome made 8-15 from the floor and added three assists, three steals and two rebounds. Tevin Falzon contributed 17 points, while Quincy McKnight finished with 13 points, five rebounds, three assists and a game-high four steals. Jordan Allen led the team with eight rebounds, adding eight points.

Two Knights finished with double doubles. Earl Potts led FDU with 20 points and 11 rebounds, while Mike Holloway tallied 15 and 10, including going 7-7 from the line. Darian Anderson recorded 18 points on 7-11 from the floor and dished out a game-high seven assists, more than double any other player.

Sacred Heart returns to the Pitt Center on Saturday to host Wagner at 3:30 pm as part of a doubleheader with the women, who tip at 1:00 pm. The Seahawks are one of four teams currently sitting at 2-1 in the NEC, and are a league best 9-5 overall after 65-56 victory over previous conference unbeaten Bryant. 

Inside the Box:

•  Sacred Heart turned the ball over just 11 times, its second lowest total of the season, while also forcing its second most turnovers on the year, 19
• The Pioneers outscored FDU 18-2 in fast break points

How it Happened

• First Half
  • The two teams combined to miss the first nine shots of the game
  • After the two teams traded baskets for a 4-4 tie 4:33 into the game, a Townes three-point play with an even 15 minutes showing on the clock would give the Knights its third lead, which would last the remainder of the game
  • Following an Anderson layup 34 seconds later, the closest Sacred Heart would get was three, 9-6, when Broome made a layup 33 seconds after
  • The lead would stray between five and seven over the next few minutes before a Tyrone O'Garro layup to make it 16-9 with 11:16 to go sparked a 27-8 run over the next 7:09
  • A Broome layup at the 8:01 mark got the Pioneers as close as 12, 27-15, but Fairleigh Dickinson would answer with ten unanswered in just 1:31, capped by Potts' layup for a 37-15 advantage
  • The lead reached a first-half high 28 when Jiggetts and Townes drained back-to-back triples 1:11 apart, the second coming with 2:16 on the clock to cap a 20-4 stretch and  make it 47-19
  • SHU would score the final eight points of the half, with Falzon making his second three just 21 seconds before the break to cut the deficit to 47-27
  Second Half
  • With the lead still at 20 over four and a half minutes in, Sacred Heart within 15 when Allen converted a three-point play and McKnight made a transition layup to pull the Pioneers within 54-39 with 14:51 remaining
  • Potts Jr. responded with a triple on the ensuing trips down the court, and just over three minutes later FDU would put the game away with three-pointers on back-to-to-back possessions, the second by Anderson to balloon the lead back to 66-43 at the 10:28 mark of the second half
  • The 12-0 run began after two free throws by Holloway gave the Knights a 76-56 lead with 3:51 left
  • Broome nailed a triple 12 seconds later before making a layup and then two free throws over the next 1:58. Sean Hoehn then contributed a layup at the 1:20 mark before the Broome trifecta to get the game back within single digits