FAIRFIELD, CONN.— Bryce Johnson scored 17 points to lead the Sacred Heart men's basketball team to a 65-56 victory over Wagner in Northeast Conference action on Thursday evening in the Pitt Center. Johnson led three Pioneers in double figures.

Records:
Sacred Heart: 12-13, 5-5 NEC
Wagner: 11-9, 4-5 NEC

Top Performers:
Bryce Johnson: 17 points, 7 rebounds
Joey Reilly: 16 points, 3 assists
Nico Galette: 11 points, 6 rebounds

Of Note:
Sacred Heart used a strong second half to take down Wagner and close out the season series with a win at home. The Pioneers scored the first nine points of the second half en route to a 14-4 run. Joey Reilly and Nico Galette combined for 10 of those points as Sacred Heart had a 38-23 advantage over the Seahawks at 14:01, the largest lead of the game. 

Wagner was able to cut their deficit to two, 42-40, at 10:21 in the second half, but that's the closest they could get as the Pioneers were able to maintain a solid lead. With two minutes to go in the game, Wagner made a jumper to bring the Seahawks within four, 58-54, but Galette knocked down a three-pointer with 36 seconds left to extend the Pioneers' advantage, 61-54. Sacred Heart finished the game with four consecutive free throws for the 65-56 final.

Despite Wagner taking a quick 4-2 lead to open the game, Sacred Heart answered with a 6-0 run to take an 8-2 lead at 14:40 in the first half. The Seahawks took a one-point lead, 9-8, at 9:23, but the Pioneers went on another run, holding a 14-11 advantage. Wagner tied the game three times in the span of a minute and a half, but the Pioneers were able to jump ahead with a four-point lead, 24-20, with 1:43 left in the half. Neither team led by more than four points in the opening period, but Sacred Heart had the 24-22 lead at halftime.

Up Next:
Sacred Heart is back in action on Saturday, February 4th, at 2 PM as they host Central Connecticut State for the first time this season.