Pioneers Host Bryant Saturday Afternoon
2/3/2017 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Game Notes | NEC Front Row | Live Stats
Bryant (8-16, 5-6 NEC) at Sacred Heart (9-15, 4-7 NEC)
Saturday, Feb. 4 - 3:30 PM
Coach Bike Court at the Pitt Center - Fairfield, Conn.
Setting the Scene... Three weeks after winning a triple-overtime thriller at Bryant, the Pioneers welcome the Bulldogs to the Pitt Center for a Saturday matinee.
Last Time Out... Sacred Heart snapped a four-game losing streak Thursday night with a 74-70 win at Fairleigh Dickinson. With the game tied at 70-70, Joseph Lopez scored the eventual game-winning basket with 0:31 left. Quincy McKnight led SHU with 18 points, 10 rebounds, and six assists. Mario Matasovic, Charles Tucker Jr., and Sean Hoehn each scored 10 points.
All-Time vs. Bryant... The Pioneers lead the all-time series against the Bulldogs 21-13. Sacred Heart has won five of the last six meetings overall, and four of the last five at the Pitt Center.
Last Meeting... Joseph Lopez's layup in the final seconds of the third overtime gave Sacred Heart a 112-110 win over Bryant at the Chace Athletic Center on Jan. 14. Quincy McKnight scored a career-high 44 points while filling up the box score with nine rebounds, six assists, and four steals. Lopez had a double-double of 19 points and 10 rebounds. Matej Buovac had 18 points off the bench. Adam Grant led Bryant with 32 points, making nine three-pointers.
February Frenzy... Sacred Heart has hit its stride in February over the last two seasons. In 2014-15, the Pioneers went 5-2 in February to finish tied for fifth in the NEC. Last season, SHU was 6-2 in February to tie for second place in the NEC. The Pioneers are currently tied for seventh in the NEC at 4-7 with Robert Morris.
Thursday Night Was McKnight's Night... Sophomore guard Quincy McKnight filled the box score Thursday at FDU with 18 points, 10 rebounds, six assists, and two steals. McKnight has had some of his best games this season on Thursdays. In NEC play, the sophomore is averaging 21.2 points per game on Thursday, shooting 43.5% from the field and 79.5% at the foul line. He has scored over 20 points three times on Thursdays including a pair of 26-point efforts against St. Francis Brooklyn and Mount St. Mary's.
Points In Reserves... Since the start of NEC play, the Sacred Heart reserves are averaging 22.5 points per game. The Pioneers' bench is averaging 9.1 points per game for from its bench than its conference opponents. Led by nine points each from Matej Buovac and Chris Robinson, SHU's bench outscored the FDU bench 18-9 Thursday night. Robinson also had a career-high nine rebounds.
Scouting the Bulldogs... Bryant sits in sixth place in the NEC at 5-6, one game ahead of the Pioneers and Robert Morris. The Bulldogs fell at first-place Mount St. Mary's 77-70 Thursday night. Bryant led 38-37 at halftime, but the Mountaineers shot 57.1% from the field in the second half to rally back for the win. Nisre Zouzoua, the leading scorer in the NEC at 20.5 points per game, led all scorers with 25 points. Bryant leads the NEC with a 1.05 assist-to-turnover ratio.
