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The Sacred Heart University men's basketball team returns to action after a two-week hiatus when it welcomes Fairleigh Dickinson to the Pitt Center on Saturday. Tip off is set for 2 p.m. on NEC Front Row as the Pioneers compete in their first game of the New Year. 

OPENING TIP

• Both teams enter Saturday's matchup after forfeiting their last two NEC games and have not played a single game in 2022. Fairleigh Dickinson was supposed to meet with Merrimack and Bryant on the same days that Sacred Heart was set to play at Central Connecticut and Wagner. The Pioneers and the Knights both received losses for the pair of forfeits that only affect NEC standings and not the overall record. 
• FDU has only played one NEC game when they topped Saint Francis, 70-62, for the team's lone win of the season. The other conference victory was a Mount St. Mary's forfeit. 
• The two teams split the series last season in Fairfield. FDU took the first, 82-69, before SHU bounced back in game two, 70-64. The Pioneers lead the all-time series, 23-15.
• Aaron Clarke sits five points away from 1,000 career points which would make him the 44th to hurdle the milestone in SHU's history - 16th in Division I history.

TURNING THE AC ON
Aaron Clarke has led the Pioneers in scoring in the last three games, including a pair of 20-point performances against Hartford (23) and Bryant (21). In the first pair of NEC-opening games, Clarke averages 19.0 points and 3.5 assists per game, as well as 3.0 made three's per game. On the line, Clarke has yet to miss a single free throw in the last three games, posting a perfect 23-for-23 clip. The senior guard ranks first in the NEC with 49 made free throws on the year.  

CANTAVIO DUTREIL ENTERED THE CHAT
Senior Cantavio Dutreil has emerged in NEC play. The 6-7 forward kicked off league competition just two points shy of a double-double with eight points and a season-best 14 rebounds while also adding a game-high three blocks against LIU. Dutreil followed the performance with a career game at Bryant when he shot seven-for-eight from the field for a career-high 16 points. He also added seven rebounds and one block against the Bulldogs in the longest game of his career with 34 minutes of playing time.

FROM LONG DISTANCE
The Pioneers are one of the best three-point shooting teams in the conference. SHU's offense is very three-point heavy as they have hoisted 391 on the year which is second in the NEC behind Bryant (406). The high volume of attempts has led to a high volume going through the net as they lead the conference with 132 total made three's. The stat can be thanked in part to Tyler Thomas who has attempted nearly 30% of the team's three's at 109. The Pioneers posted a season-high 12 made three's against both Fisher (12-34) and Providence (12-33).  

PHOTO FINISH
Eleven games this season have been decided by ten points or less, while the last two were decided by just three points. Eight of the 11 games were decided by single-digits. SHU has kept almost every game close this season as it posts a scoring margin of -0.9, which is second in the NEC. The Pioneers average 72.5 points per game while allowing their opponents 73.3.