BALTIMORE, Md.— A battle until the very end, the Sacred Heart University men's basketball team used a strong, second-half surge but ultimately fell 85-80 on the road at UMBC on Friday morning.
Raheem Solomon led the Pioneers with 22 points, and
Joey Reilly scored 19 points, including 15 in the second half for SHU.
Records:
SHU: 2-2
UMBC: 2-2
Leaders:
Raheem Solomon: 22 points, 3 steals
Joey Reilly: 19 points
Of Note:
Down 44-35 at the half, Sacred Heart used a strong second-half surge to come from behind and battle with UMCB until the very end. After scoring four points in the opening half, Reilly went off in the second half and played a huge role for the Pioneers.
To open the second half,
Alex Sobel made a free-throw, and Reilly knocked down a three en route to a Pioneers 10-2 run to pull within one, 46-45, three minutes into the second half.
Raymond Espinal-Guzman scored back-to-back layups to put the Pioneers ahead, 51-50, for their first lead of the second. The teams traded scores, and neither team led by more than three points until an
Aidan Carpenter layup put the Pios up by four, 57-53 at 11:01.
SHU held the lead until the Retrievers scored twice and went up 61-59. For the next two minutes, each team made every shot they attempted, capped by a three-point play for Solomon, who was fouled on a layup and made the and-one, as SHU went ahead 66-65 with 6:40 remaining.
UMBC took the lead off a three-pointer at 5:03, but Espinal-Guzman made a free-throw, and Reilly knocked down a trey to go ahead, 70-68. SHU had momentum, and Solomon hit a three to put the Pioneers up by three, 75-72, with just under three minutes left. It wouldn't end there. UMBC took a 79-77 lead with 1:08 left in the game, but Reilly got the ball from behind the arc again and gave SHU an 80-79 advantage heading into the final minute of play. The Retrievers were fouled with 50 seconds left and made six free throws in the final minute as the Pioneers were unable to connect to regain a lead, falling to UMBC, 85-80.
The Pioneers outrebounded UMBC, 43-36 and outscored the Retrievers 45-41 in the second half. The game saw 13 ties and 14 lead changes.
After a 5-5 tie through the opening four minutes of play, Solomon hit a pair of free-throws to put the Pioneers up, 7-5. UMBC answered to tie it and go on a 7-0 run to take a 12-7 advantage. At 13:11, Thomas knocked down a three-pointer to bring SHU within two, 12-10, but UMBC would answer again, scoring the next seven straight to go up 19-10.
The Retrievers extended their lead to 21-12 with 8:44 left in the first half. The Pioneers pulled themselves within three off a trey from Solomon, 21-18, but UMBC would go on a 10-0 run to take its largest lead of the game, 31-18. SHU answered with a 7-0 run of their own to pull within six, 31-25, at 4:45. UMBC maintained a lead to hold a 44-35 edge at the half.
Up Next: The Pioneers will stay in Baltimore for their second game at UMBC tomorrow, November 18, against Loyola (Md.) at 11:00 AM. No stream will be available.
