FAIRFIELD, Conn. – Behind six double-digit scorers, including a team-high 21 points from Kyle McGee and Joey Reilly, the Sacred Heart University men's basketball team held off Northeast Conference (NEC) foe the FDU Knights by a final score of 99-91 Thursday evening inside the William H. Pitt Center. The 99 points scored were a season-high for the Pioneers and the most points in an NEC men's basketball game this season. 
 
With tonight's victory, the Pioneers remain undefeated at home in NEC play and hold sole possession of third place in the conference standings. 
 
Along with McGee, Alex Sobel Nico Galette, Joey Reilly, Aidan Carpenter, Raheem Solomon scored in double-digits for the Pioneers.  Along with his double-digit performance, Sobel also recorded his 1,000^thcareer rebound at the 4:23 mark of the first half. 
 
Records:
SHU: 14-14, 8-5 NEC
FDU: 13-15, 7-6 NEC
 
Leaders:
Kyle McGee – 21 points, 3 rebounds, 2 steals
Joey Reilly – 21 points, 3 assists, 2 steals
Raheem Solomon – 15 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals
Alex Sobel – 12 points, 5 blocks, 3 assists
Nico Galette – 10 points, 8 rebounds, 6 assists
 
Of Note:
Sacred Heart controlled the opening 4:13 as the Pioneers held a double-digit lead, 14-4, heading into the first media timeout. Reilly and McGee highlighted the run with three threes combined, while Aidan Carpenter added a trey of his own. 
 
SHU pushed its lead to 14, 20-6, following a pull-up jumper from McGee before a slam dunk from Galette put the Pioneers ahead 17, 27-10, with 11:15 remaining in the first half. 
 
A 6-2 run from the Pioneers pushed the advantage to 33-12, forcing FDU to call a 30-second timeout to break the run. From there, back-to-back threes from Joe Munden ignited a 10-2 FDU run that trimmed the deficit to within single digits, 35-28, with 5:03 left in the first, but the Pioneers maintained their lead of 48-35 heading into the halftime break. 
 
Out of the intermission, FDU continued to rally back from a 13-point deficit by opening the second with an 18-11 run to make it a six-point game, 59-53, with 13:56 on the clock. SHU, however, remained in control and used a 15-6 run, capped by a layup from Solomon, to push its lead back up to double-digits, 74-59. 
 
With the clock ticking down, SHU's offense held on to its double-digit lead until a spurt from FDU, including a driving layup from Terrence Brown, brought the visitors to within eight, 90-82, with 1:15 on the clock.
 
The Knights continued to fight for every point and battled to within six, 95-88, on a made free throw from Jo'el Emanuel, but SHU proved to be the dominant team, claiming the home win by a final score of 99-91.
 
Up Next:
Sacred Heart stays in town for a Saturday, 2 p.m. tip against Central Connecticut in the William H. Pitt Center for Senior Day.