NORTH ANDOVER, Mass.— The Sacred Heart University men's basketball team fell 82-58 to Merrimack on the road in Northeast Conference action on Saturday afternoon. Nico Galette and Kyle McGee scored in double figures for the Pioneers.  

Records:
SHU: 7-10, 1-1 NEC
Merrimack: 8-8, 2-0 NEC

Leaders:
Nico Galette: 22 points, 8 rebounds
Kyle McGee: 12 points

Of Note:
Merrimack opened the game with an 11-2 run, putting the Pioneers in a deficit early. Galette scored back-to-back points that pulled the Pios within five, 11-6, at 14:26 in the opening half.

After trailing 17-8 right under the 12-minute mark, a three-pointer by Joey Reilly sparked a 7-2 run for SHU to pull within four, 19-15. Merrimack answered and took a 27-19 lead at 7:27, but thanks to a three-point and-one play from Raheem Solomon and a jumper for McGee, the Pioneers cut the deficit to five with 6:03 left in the first half. The Warriors went on a 12-2 run to close out the half leading, 41-26.

The Pioneers were unable to stop the defending champs as the Warriors held a double-digit lead through the second half. Merrimack outscored SHU 41-32 in the second to take the 82-58 final. Raymond Espinal-Guzman made his first career start for the Pioneers. Galette tallied his sixth game this season with 20+ points. Sacred Heart outrebounded Merrimack 32-31.

Up Next:
Sacred Heart returns home on Saturday, January 13, against LIU at 2:00 pm in the William H. Pitt Center.