Pioneers Look to Protect Home Court Against CCSU on Saturday
2/12/2016 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Sacred Heart (8-16, 7-6 NEC) vs. Central Connecticut State (3-21, 2-11 NEC)
Saturday, February 13, 2016 - 3:30 pm - William H. Pitt Center (2,067) - Fairfield, Conn.
The Sacred Heart men's basketball team looks to bounce back from having its three-game winning streak snapped when it welcomes in-state rival Central Connecticut State to the William H. Pitt Center on Saturday at 3:30 pm. The contest will follow the conclusion of the women's game, which tips at 1 pm as a part of a "Health and Wellness Fair" doubleheader.
Health and Wellness Fair... Admission to the Fair is free of charge with the purchase of a ticket to the basketball games. Numerous local organizations are scheduled to attend, and provide health screening and information. The Connecticut State Police will have their Convincer in the Pitt Center, showing the importance of wearing seat belts. Blood pressure screening will be conducted by AMR, Body Mass Index screening will be conducted by the Northeast Medical Group and Greater Bridgeport Area Prevention Program (G.B.A.P.P) will conduct free AIDS screening. Bridgeport Hospital will have representatives from the Ahlbin Center, Urgent Care, Cardiac Rehab and Stroke Program and the REACH Program. Mother's Against Drunk Driving (M.A.D.D.) will have information on the dangers of drunk driving, and the Center for Family Justice will be represented to discuss domestic violence. In addition, both CT Challenge and the Colon Cancer Alliance will have information booths.
Scouting CCSU... After winning two of three, Central Connecticut has lost two in a row and currently sits at the bottom of the Northeast Conference with a 2-11 league mark. At 3-21 overall, the only statistical categories in which the Blue Devils rank in the top five of the conference are three point percentage, rebounding defense and blocks per game. Along with Khalen Cumberlander, Austin Nehls leads the team and is the top scoring freshman in the NEC, averaging 11.8 points per game. He is in the top nine of the conference in free throw percentage, three pointers per game, three point percentage and minutes per game. Cumberlander is atop the team with in assists per game at 3.0, while Brandon Peel leads the Blue Devils in rebounding, grabbing an average of 8.5 each time out, good for fourth in the NEC, to go along with 10.7 points per game.
Series History... This will be Sacred Heart and Central Connecticut State's 58th ever meeting dating back to 1971, tying Southern Connecticut State for the second most ever games SHU has against one opponent behind only 65 against Quinnipiac. The two teams faced off every year from 1971-1985, before a 13-year stretch until 1998 when they did not play each other. After taking another year off in 1998-99, the two teams renewed their rivalry when Sacred Heart joined the Northeast Conference in 1999-2000. CCSU has a strong edge in the all-time series, leading 37-20 although SHU has won two of the previous three. The Pioneers have had much more success at home with last year's win giving them a 10-14 record in Fairfield. The victory earlier in the season in New Britain made the all-time series at Central, 19-8, in favor of the Blue Devils.
Last Meeting… With time winding down in overtime, Cane Broome found a cutting Quincy McKnight, and the freshman delivered the game winning layup with just .2 seconds remaining to put the final touch Sacred Heart's thrilling 80-78 comeback win over Central Connecticut State on January 14.Trailing by as many as 15 in the first half, and by seven with less than nine minutes to go, SHU got a chance to win it in overtime thanks to Jordan Allen's layup on an out of bounds play tying the score at 70 with just two seconds left in regulation. Tevin Falzon became the first Pioneer to make a perfect 10-10 at the line since Louis Montes did so at Brown on November 29, 2012. He had a double double of 16 points and 10 rebounds in the second half and overtime alone, and finished with 20 points and a season-high 14 rebounds, also adding four blocks. Broome also came alive after halftime, scoring 18 of his game-high 24 after the break on a near perfect 8-9 shooting. McKnight finished one rebound shy of his first career double double with 17 points and a career-high nine rebounds Jahlil Nails led Central with 18 points, 14 of which came in the first half on a perfect 5-5 from the floor and 4-4 from beyond the arch.
Blue Devil Sweep... Sacred Heart has not swept Central Connecticut State since the 2008-09 Season. The Pioneers also defeated the Blue Devils in the Northeast Conference quarterfinals that year, making it a perfect three for three.
Career Numbers vs. CCSU...
NAME (GP-GS) PPG RPG APG MPG
Tevin Falzon (5-3) 12.8 10.2 0.6 28.0
Cane Broome (3-3) 19.0 4.3 3.3 36.0
Jordan Allen (3-0) 4.3 3.3 0.3 19.0
Filip Nowicki (2-0) 2.0 1.5 - 8.0
Quincy McKnight (1-1) 17.0 9.0 2.0 41.0
Sean Hoehn (1-1) 2.0 - 4.0 29.0
Matej Buovac (1-0) - 2.0 - 30.0
Eyimofe Edukugho 6.0 4.0 - 12.0
Cole Walton (1-0) - - - 3.0
Jermaine Ukaegbu (1-0) - - - 1.0
-Falzon has reached double-digit in rebounding in each of his previous three games against the Blue Devils, including a season-high 14 to go along with 20 points earlier this season. He is averaging 16.0 points, 12.3 rebounds and 3.3 blocks in those three games.
-Broome has scored at least 16 in all three career meetings.
-After scoring a combined two points against CCSU in 2014-15, Allen scored 11 against the Blue Devils earlier in the year.
-McKnight's 17 points on January 14 are a conference-high, while his nine rebounds are tied for a season-high.
Over the Last Nine... Despite the loss to the Mount on Thursday, Sacred Heart's 6-3 record over its last nine games is tied with league leaders Fairleigh Dickinson and Saint Francis U for the best in the league.
Five Game Home Winning Streak... Sacred Heart is currently in the midst of its third four-game home winning streak in the last two years. SHU has not had a five-game winning streak in the William H. Pitt Center since January and February of 2013.
- Sacred Heart is now 8-3 in its last 11 on Coach Bike Court.
Single Digit Games... The five-point margin at Mount St. Mary's on Thursday marked Sacred Heart's seventh consecutive games decided by single digits.
Eighth League Win... A win would give Sacred Heart its eighth conference victory of the season. The Pioneers have not had eight league wins this early in a season since they did so on January 31 of the 2009 NEC season.
