SHU Looks to Clinch Postseason Home Game Against RMU on Thursday
2/24/2016 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
With two games remaining in the regular season, the Sacred Heart men's basketball team looks to clinch its first Northeast Conference quarterfinal home game since 2009 when Robert Morris visits the William H. Pitt Center for a 7 pm tip on Thursday.
NEC Quarterfinal Home Game... Now in its 17th season in the conference, Sacred Heart has hosted a quarterfinal in NEC Tournament three times, three straight years from 2007-09.
-Wins in both of its final two games of the season would secure Sacred Heart at least a two seed and therefore home court advantage through the semifinals.
-Two wins coupled with two Wagner losses would give Sacred Heart both its first regular season conference title and one seed in program history.
NEC Win Total... Currently tied for second in the league at 10-6, one game back of first place Wagner, Sacred Heart's ten conference wins are its most in league play since going 12-6 in 2008-09, tied for the second most in program history behind only a 13-5 mark in 2007-08.
Over the Last Twelve... Since its 1-3 start, Sacred Heart's 9-3 record in the last 12 games is the best in the league.
Four Game Winning Streak... Sacred Heart is currently in the midst of its third three-game winning streak over the last two years. The Pioneers have not won four straight since February 14-March 5, 2009, when they won six in a row.
-Currently 6-1 in its last seven games, it is the first time Sacred Heart has gone 6-1 in a seven game stretch since December and January of the 2010-11 season.
-SHU has not gone 7-1 in an eight game stretch since that six game winning streak was part of it in February and March of 2009.
Six Game Home Winning Streak... Sacred Heart has also won five consecutive home games for the first time since January and February of 2013. The Pioneers have not won six in a row in the William H. Pitt Center since opening the 2009-10 home campaign with six straight victories.
-Despite the three straight loses to begin its 2015-16 home schedule, Sacred Heart is now 9-3 in its last 12 on Coach Bike Court, as it entered 2015-16 on a four-game home winning streak.
Feeling Good in February... Now 5-1 this February, Sacred Heart has won five games in back-to-back Februarys for the first time in the Division I era.
-With the win over FDU on Saturday, Sacred Heart has now gone 12-3 in its last 15 February games dating back to the 2013-14 season.
Five Win Months... With five wins in both January and February, Sacred Heart has won five games in back-to-back months for the first time since January and February of 2009.
Scouting Robert Morris... Robert Morris had won three of four before its most recent loss, 82-72, against St. Francis Brooklyn last Saturday. The defeat dropped the Colonials to 7-9 in the league standings, where they stand alone in eighth place. Much of the struggles can be attributed to averaging 14.3 turnovers per game and getting outrebounded by an average margin of 6.1 rebounds per game, both bottom two of the Northeast Conference. They do however pace the conference in steals per contest, 8.2, and are second in blocks per game, 4.0, as they are top four in the league in both points allowed and opponent's field goal percentage. Rodney Pryor leads RMU and is second in the conference in scoring, averaging 18.2 points. He is also seventh in rebounds per contest, 7.8, third in free throw percentage, .863, seventh in three pointers made per game, 1.8, and ninth in steals per game, 1.4. The next leading scorer is Isaiah Still at 9.5 points per contest. Kavan Stewart chips in with averages of 9.3 points, 4.7 assists, and 1.8 steals, the latter two of which are third in the conference.
Series History... After snapping a seven-game losing streak to Robert Morris last year, Sacred Heart made it two in a row against the Colonials on January 2 with just its third ever win in 15 games in Moon. SHU has had much more success in the William H. Pitt Center, going an even 7-7, as the all-time series is now 19-10 in favor of RMU. Currently on a two-game winning streak in the series, Sacred Heart has won three in a row just once, when the Pioneers were victorious in four straight from 2006 to 2008.
Last Meeting… Cane Broome's career-best 33 points led Sacred Heart to a 69-65 conference-opening win over Robert Morris on January 2. SHU used a 21-7 run in the second-half to take control, holding the Colonials without a field goal for nearly 13 minutes. Down 42-33 with just under 17 minutes to play, Jordan Allen brought the offense to life with a layup, sparking 10 straight Pioneer points, culminating with Quincy McKnight intercepting an RMU pass and laying in a fastbreak layup to put SHU on top 43-42. RMU was quick to reclaim the lead with four straight points, but yet another layup from McKnight with 11:28 remaining started SHU back up for eight unanswered points, reclaiming and improving its lead for good, 51-46, with 8:43 remaining. Robert Morris got within three late, but Matej Buovac preserved the victory with 6-6 shooting from the charity stripe in the final minutes. McKnight and Eyimofe Edukugho were the only other two Pioneers in double figures with 12 and ten points, respectively, while Cole Walton grabbed a career-high eight rebounds, tying for the team-lead with Broome. Kavon Stewart led RMU with 19 points and a game-high six assists, with Pryor falling one rebound shy of a double double with 16 points.
Career Numbers vs. Robert Morris...
NAME (GP-GS) PPG RPG APG MPG
Tevin Falzon (6-3) 5.3 5.2 0.8 16.5
Cane Broome (3-3) 19.3 3.3 2.7 31.0
Jordan Allen (3-0) 6.0 3.3 1.0 16.7
Filip Nowicki (2-0) 3.0 3.5 0.5 10.0
Chris Robinson (2-0) 1.0 0.5 0.5 4.5
Eyimofe Edukugho (2-0) 7.0 1.5 0.5 16.5
Quincy McKnight (1-1) 12.0 4.0 4.0 39.0
Sean Hoehn (1-1) - 5.0 3.0 34.0
Matej Buovac (1-0) 6.0 1.0 2.0 28.0
-Falzon pulled down what was at the time a new career-high 18 rebounds in his last game against Robert Morris on February 19 of last season. He missed the matchup with the Colonials earlier this year.
-Broome's 33 points against RMU on January 2 were a new career-high, easily surpassing his total of 25 points through his first two game against the Colonials in 2015.
- Edukugho's ten points at RMU are one of his six games in double digits this season
