LORETTO, Pa.— The Sacred Heart University men's basketball team fell 78-76 in overtime to Saint Francis University on the road in Northeast Conference action on Thursday evening. The Pioneers had three players score in double figures.

Records:
Sacred Heart: 13-14, 6-6 NEC
Saint Francis: 9-15, 6-5 NEC

Top Performers:
Nico Galette: 18 points, 8 rebounds
Joey Reilly: 17 points, 4 steals
Raheem Solomon: 12 points

Of Note:
Sacred Heart was off to a slow start as Saint Francis scored the opening 11 points of the game and were able to maintain a lead throughout the half. With the Pioneers down 18-8, Joey Reilly sparked a 9-2 run, including two treys and a triple from Tanner Thomas, bringing Sacred Heart within three, 20-17, at 8:39.

The Red Flash went up by as many as six points before Raheem Solomon knocked down a jumper at 3:06 that sparked a 14-1 run to close the half. Solomon and Reilly led the team with 10 points each in the opening frame as Sacred Heart came from behind to take a 38-29 advantage at halftime.

Sacred Heart kept the momentum to start the second half, taking a 15-point lead, 47-32, in the opening two and a half minutes. The Pioneers led by as many as 17 points as Reilly knocked down another three-pointer for a 57-40 lead at 11:50.

Saint Francis was able to chip away at their deficit and force overtime, with the game tied 70-70 at the end of regulation.

The Red Flash outscored the Pioneers 8-6 in overtime to take the 78-76 final.

Up Next:
Sacred Heart is back in action next Thursday, February 16th, at 7:00 PM at home to host Fairleigh Dickinson.