FAIRFIELD, Conn.-- Brendan McGuire tallied a double-double with 16 points and 11 assists as the Sacred Heart University men's basketball team took down Stonehill 77-72 in Northeast Conference action at home on Thursday evening. Joey Reilly scored 22 points, leading three Pioneers in double figures.

Records:
SHU: 11-12, 5-3 NEC
Stonehill: 2-21, 0-8 NEC

Leaders:
Joey Reilly: 22 points
Brendan McGuire: 16 points, 11 assists
Aidan Carpenter: 11 points

Of Note:
McGuire tallied his first double-double for the Pioneers, and his 11 assists are the most assists in a game for Sacred Heart since February 2, 2022, when Aaron Clark dished out 10 against LIU.

SHU found themselves in a 9-point deficit four minutes into the second half, 49-40. A McGuire three-pointer at 14:46 sparked an 19-4 run for the Pioneers, coming from behind to go ahead, 59-53 with 7:26 left in the half. A triple for Mike Sixsmith put SHU up by nine, 67-58 at 3:25 in the second half.

Stonehill hit a three-pointer to cut the deficit to four, 69-65, with 1:17 left in the second, but the Pioneers made all four free throws in the final minute of play, and Reilly made a jumper with nine seconds on the clock to put Sacred Heart ahead by seven, 77-70. Stonehill scored in the final two seconds, but Sacred Heart was able to finish with the 77-72 final.

A Reilly triple put the Pioneers ahead by 11 midway through the opening half, 18-7. Sacred Heart maintained a double-figure advantage until the Skyhawks scored five straight to cut their deficit to five, 26-21 at 4:48 in the first.

With 2:34 left in the first half, Kyle McGee knocked down a trey to put SHU ahead, 33-28. Stonehill answered with five straight points to tie the game at 33-33 with 1:29 left before the break.

A layup by Raymond Espinal-Guzman and a three-pointer from Aidan Carpenter put SHU ahead, 38-33, with 43 seconds left in the half, but the Skyhawks made a layup with six seconds left to cut the deficit to 38-35 at the halftime break.

Sacred Heart made 12 three-pointers as Reilly went 4-for-6 from behind the arc, and Sixsmith went 3-for-4 for his nine points.

McGuire had two triples and was a perfect 6-for-6 from the free-throw line. The 11 assists is McGuire's career high and the 16 points is the most he has scored with SHU. The Pioneers outrebounded the Skyhawks, 28-27 and Sacred Heart had 35 bench points to secure the victory. 

Up Next:
Sacred Heart will take on Le Moyne at home on Saturday, February 3, at 2:00 pm in the William H. Pitt Center.