FAIRFIELD, Conn.—Joey Reilly scored 21 points to lead the Sacred Heart University men's basketball team to its third straight victory with a 66-61 home win against Wagner in Northeast Conference action on Sunday afternoon. Reilly led three players in double figures en route to his third consecutive 20+ point game.

Records:
SHU: 10-10, 4-1 NEC
Wagner: 9-8, 3-2 NEC

Leaders:
Joey Reilly: 21 points, 4 assists
Alex Sobel: 14 points, 5 rebounds 
Aidan Carpenter: 12 points

Of Note:
Reilly was 50% from the field and behind the arc, and Alex Sobel shot 5-for-7 (.741) from the field. Sacred Heart shot 64% from the field in the second half and outscored Wagner 45-33.

Midway through the opening half, Raheem Solomon knocked down back-to-back three-pointers to give the Pioneers an early 16-10 lead. The Seahawks turned the momentum in their favor as they answered with an 11-0 run, to take a 21-16 advantage at 6:07.

Sobel cut the deficit to three, 21-18, with just under four minutes left in the half. In the final minute, Wagner held a four-point lead, but a three-point foul put the Seahawks ahead, 28-21 at the half.

The Pioneers took control coming out of the break. At 16:55 Reilly knocked down a three-pointer to pull SHU within two, 30-28. Two free throws put the Seahawks up by four, but Reilly could not be stopped, making back-to-back triples as the Pioneers took back the lead, 34-32.

Wagner made a three to go ahead by one, but Aidan Carpenter scored the following seven points to give SHU a 41-35 lead at 11:25. A jumper for Wagner cut the visitors deficit to four 45-41 at 8:15 in the second half, but Carpenter hit a three-pointer to put SHU ahead, 48-41. The Seahawks went on a 7-1 run to pull within one with 5:19 left in the game. SHU maintained a three-point lead until a trey for Wagner evened the score at 53-53 at 3:37.

Brendan McGuire made a layup, and Reilly made a key three-point play after he was fouled on a made layup and made the and-one to put SHU ahead, 58-53. Wagner brought themselves within four, but with 49 seconds to go, Alex Sobel extended the Pios lead by five, 62-56.

Reilly hit back-to-back free throws to add to the Pioneers' lead, 64-58, with 12 seconds left in the game. Wagner knocked down a three with five seconds to go, but it was not enough as SHU held their lead to take the 66-61 final to sit atop the NEC standings at first place.

Up Next:
Sacred Heart is back on the road at Saint Francis on Thursday, January 25, at 7:00 pm.