NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. – Following the trend of making adjustments for the second game of the back-to-back Northeast Conference series, the Sacred Heart University men's basketball team forged a split at Merrimack. The Pioneers upped the offense in the final 20 minutes to beat the Warriors, 68-62, on Friday.

Records:
Merrimack: 1-1, 1-1 NEC
Sacred Heart: 3-4, 3-3 NEC

Top Performers:
Tyler Thomas (SHU): 22 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists
Mike Sixsmith (SHU): 17 points
Alex Watson (SHU): 8 points, 3 assists

Up Next:
The Pioneers return home to face Central Connecticut State University at 7 p.m. on January 14.

Of Note:
The Pioneers were almost perfect from behind the arc in the second half, shooting 7-of-8 as part of their 11-of-22 overall. SHU also made more free throws (13-of-20) in the second half than the Warriors made in the entire game (8-of-15).

Merrimack held the lead through the first five minutes of the second half before Tyler Thomas and Mike Sixsmith knocked down back-to-back three-pointers to give SHU a lead it would not relinquish.

The Warriors cut the lead to 64-60 with 1:33 remaining, but the Pioneers knocked down enough free throws to seal the win. 

Sixsmith knocked down a three-pointer to pull the Pioneers within a point, 12-11, at the 12:48 mark of the first half. Over the next four minutes, Merrimack went on an 11-2 run to take a 23-13 lead on a Malik Emead jumper.

Bryce Johnson's free throw with five seconds left cut the margin to 30-26 but Emead made a shot at the buzzer to give the hosts a 32-26 lead at the intermission.

On the heels of a career-high 36 points the night before, Thomas produced 22 to go along with eight boards and four assists. Sixsmith was next with a season-high 17 points. Cantavio Dutreil snared a season-high 13 rebounds as the Pioneers had a 40-29 advantage on the glass.