Sacred Heart
University of Hartford
Pioneers To Host In-State Foe Hartford
12/21/2021 11:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
SHU returns home for first time in over a month
After a month of being on the road, the Sacred Heart University men's basketball team returns for its first home game since November 20. The Pioneers are set to host Hartofrd on Wednesday, December 22 at 11 a.m. on NEC Front Row.
OPENING TIP
- The Pioneers returns to the William H. Pitt Center for the first time in over a month. Their last home game was against crosstown rival Fairfield on November 20.
- SHU looks for its first win against an America East opponent. After falling to UMass Lowell on Sunday, 70-62, the Pioneers drop to 0-4 against the conference.
- The all-time series is tied at five-all as Sacred Heart took the last two meetings. The last game between the two teams was in 2019 in Hartford when Aaron Clarke was one of two Pios to lead with 16 points in the 79-62 win.
- Hartford's lone win of the season came against NEC foe St. Francis Brooklyn, 68-55, on December 5. The Hawks are 1-4 against the NEC falling to Wagner (77-59), Merrimack (75-60), Saint Francis (81-60), and Central Connecticut (75-65).
DEFENSE IS KEY
Three of SHU's four victories occurred when holding opponents under 70 points. The Pioneers are 1-8 when allowing more than 70 . Sacred Heart forced 16 turnovers at Columbia, the most against a D1 opponent this season, which resulted in 20 points.
CRASHING THE BOARDS
Sacred Heart posts top rebounding marks led by Nico Galette who is the conference leader in total rebounds (105) and rebounds per game (8.8). Rebounding has shown a direct impact on the team's outcome as they are 0-5 when outrebounded by their opponent.
MAGIC NUMBER
It's no secret that SHU has plenty of offensive weapons who have the capability of going off on any given night. However, teams who have held SHU under 70 opponents have came out on top as the Pioneers have yet to win a game when scoring 69 points and below. The Pioneers have also proved that they need to shoot over 40% from the field in order to be successful. In three of its four wins, Sacred Heart shot above 50%.
