NORTH ANDOVER, Mass.-- Sophomore Tanner Thomas recorded his first career double-double, leading three players in double figures as Sacred Heart men's basketball took down Merrimack, 59-55, on the road in Northeast Conference action on Thursday evening. 

Records:
Sacred Heart: 8-9, 2-1 NEC
Merrimack: 3-14, 1-2 NEC

Top Performers:
Tanner Thomas: 16 points, 14 rebounds
Bryce Johnson: 10 points, 5 rebounds
Joey Reilly: 10 points
Brendan McGuire: 9 points, 9 rebounds, 5 assists

Of Note:
Through the opening six minutes of play, neither team led by more than two points before senior Joey Reilly made a jumper to tie the game 6-6, that sparked a 13-2 run. Raheem Solomon capped the run with a three-pointer to give Sacred Heart a 17-8 lead with 11:11 in the opening half.

Merrimack answered with a run of their own to put them within one, 19-18, at 7:28. The Warriors went on to take the lead, but Thomas made a layup to tie the game 25-25 with 3:19 left in the half. Merrimack ended the half with a 32-29 advantage.  

Nico Galette made a jumper at 17:11 in the second half to tie the game 35-35, but Merrimack went on to take a 41-35 lead. The Pioneers answered with an 18-0 run to take a 53-41 edge, the largest lead of the game by either team. The Warriors battled back to get within three, 58-55, with a minute left in the game, but the Pioneers held on to secure a 59-55 road conference victory.

Up Next:
Sacred Heart will play a non-conference home game on Saturday, January 7th, at 2:00 PM as they host Hartford in the Pitt Center.