FAIRFIELD, CONN. — The Sacred Heart University men's basketball team had four players score in double-figures on its way to a 78-65 home victory over Central Connecticut State University in Northeast Conference play on Saturday afternoon at the Pitt Center.
Nico Galette led all players with a game-high 22 points, while
Bryce Johnson collected his eighth double-double of the year with 13 points and 12 rebounds. In the second half, Graduate Student
Raheem Solomon hit a jumper to score his 1,000th collegiate point.
Records:
Sacred Heart: 13-13, 6-5 NEC
Central Connecticut State: 6-19, 4-7 NEC
Top Performers:
Nico Galette: 22 points, 3 rebounds
Tanner Thomas: 15 points, 4 rebounds
Bryce Johnson: 13 points, 12 rebounds, 3 assists
Joey Reilly: 10 points, 2 assists, 1 rebound
Of Note:
After falling behind by seven, 7-0, through the opening 2:09, an early timeout got the Pioneers back on track. SHU reeled off a 16-10 run over the next 5:58 to cut the deficit to one, 17-16, by the 11:31 mark. The two teams traded baskets over the next few minutes until Galette hit a turnaround jumper at 7:18 to give the home team its first lead of the day, 22-21. Sacred Heart started to pull away over the final 7:18 of the half, ending the stanza on a 19-7 run to take a 39-28 lead into halftime. Thomas scored 10 of his 15 points in the half-ending stretch.
The Blue Devils opened the second half with back-to-back buckets, which the Pioneers promptly answered with a 7-0 run to build a 46-32 lead by the 14:34 mark. Reilly capped the Pios' surge with a hard-earned and-one layup. SHU maintained a double-digit advantage over the next 4:48 until an Andre Snoddy and-one brought Central Connecticut back within nine points, 51-42, with 9:46 remaining. The Blue Devils cut the deficit back to seven after making the next basket, but the Pioneers answered with a quick 4-0 run. In this surge, Solomon sank a turnaround jumper from the foul line at 8:14 for his 1,000th collegiate point.
Sacred Heart maintained at least an eight-point lead over the next 4:32, with its advantage reaching a game-high 15 points, 68-53, after a Galette layup with 4:03 remaining. The Pioneers did not let up over the final 4:03, sinking some timely shots and hitting their free throws to secure their sixth NEC victory of the season, 78-65.
Up Next:
Sacred Heart returns to the court on Thursday, February 9th, at 5 PM as the Pioneers make the trip to Loretto, Pa., to battle Saint Francis University.
