NORTH ANDOVER, Mass.—The fourth-seeded Sacred Heart men's basketball team fell 71-60 on the road at #1 Merrimack in the Northeast Conference semifinal on Saturday evening. Bryce Johnson and Tanner Thomas both had double-doubles, leading four players in double figures for the Pioneers.

Records:
Sacred Heart: 16-17, 8-8 NEC
Merrimack: 17-16, 12-4

Top Performers:
Tanner Thomas: 15 points, 13 rebounds
Nico Galette: 13 points
Bryce Johnson: 12 points, 14 rebounds
Joey Reilly: 12 points

Of Note:
After trailing by 11 a minute and a half in the second half, Raheem Solomon knocked down a three-pointer to bring the Pioneers within four, 43-39, at 13:21. Ziggy Reid answered for Merrimack with a triple to spark a 14-2 run for the Warriors that ultimately put the game away. Merrimack led by as many as 19 in the final two minutes, but SHU scored the final eight points of the game to cut the deficit to 11 for the 71-60 final.

Sacred Heart got off to a slow start to open the game, not scoring a basket until 16:40. Johnson and Thomas had solid first-half performances for the Pioneers. The duo scored back-to-back points to give Sacred Heart a 7-4 lead at 14:51 in the first. Merrimack was able to tie it up 7-7 off a three-pointer at 13:51 before a Joey Reilly jumper would give the Pioneers another lead, 9-7. The Warriors answered and went up by 10, 23-13 at 7:13 in the first half. Mike Sixsmith knocked down a three-pointer at 3:27 that sparked an 8-0 that brought the Pioneers within one, 29-28, with 1:26 until halftime. Merrimack scored twice to go up by five at the half, 33-28.

Sacred Heart ends its season at 16-17 overall and 8-8 in NEC play. The Pioneers were in their third semifinal appearance in the last four years.