NEW BRITAIN, Conn.— Joey Reilly scored a team-high 17 points, leading four players in double figures as the Sacred Heart University men's basketball fell to Central Connecticut State University 77-70 on the road in Northeast Conference action on Thursday evening. CCSU snapped a 15-game losing streak to the Pioneers.

Records:
SHU: 12-13, 6-4 NEC
CCSU: 14-9, 8-2 NEC

Leaders:
Joey Reilly: 17 points, 3 assists
Nico Galette: 16 points, 7 rebounds
Alex Sobel: 16 points, 6 rebounds
Kyle McGee: 11 points, 5 assists

Of Note:
After trailing by as many as 11 points in the second half, Sacred Heart was able to pull within two points in the final two and a half minutes to keep the Pioneers' hopes alive. After a Kyle McGee putback cut it to two, 69-67 but Central Connecticut answered with five straight points to jump ahead by seven with 1:36 left in the game. A Nico Galette three-pointer cut the Pioneers' deficit to four, 74-70, with 1:22 on the clock. SHU was unable to score as time ran out, and CCSU went ahead to take the 77-70 final, snapping its 15-game losing streak to the Pioneers. 

A McGee three-pointer and a Galette dunk tied the game 37-37 at 18:31 in the second half. CCSU answered with seven straight points to take a 44-37 lead. SHU was able to pull within five, but a CCSU run put the home team ahead by 11, with 12:08 in the second half.

Back-to-back triples by Raheem Solomon and Reilly pulled SHU within six, 64-58, at 5:26 in the second half, as the Pioneers went on a 10-2 run, capped with the McGee putback to bring SHU within two.

Sacred Heart had a strong start as Alex Sobel shot 6-for-8 for 10 points through the opening 20 minutes of play. After a Central Connecticut triple to start the game, Reilly hit a three-pointer, sparking an 8-0 run for the Pios to take a quick 8-3 advantage.

A Galette layup at 16:48 sent Sacred Heart on an 8-2 run to extend the Pioneer's lead to 16-8. The Blue Devils went on a 9-2 run of their own to pull within one at 8:41 in the first half. Galette answered immediately with a triple to put the Pioneers ahead by four.

Another Galette three-pointer gave SHU a five-point lead at 4:01 in the first half. CCSU scored five straight to tie the game, 28-28 with 3:11 left in the half. A Brendan McGuire jumper put SHU ahead by two, but the Blue Devils answered with four straight to take their first lead since the opening triple. Sobel made a layup with two seconds left in the half, as SHU trailed 34-32 heading into the break.

Reilly shot 6-for-9 from the field and was 2-for-4 from three-point range. Galette tallied a game-high six steals and had a team-high seven rebounds. 

Up Next:
Sacred Heart will continue its road trip at LIU on Saturday, February 10, at 8:00 pm.