UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — The Sacred Heart University men's basketball team fell 90–59 to Penn State on Saturday evening at the Bryce Jordan Center in non-conference action.

Dashon Gittens paced the Pioneers with 15 points, going a perfect 7-for-7 from the free-throw line. Nyle Ralph-Beyer added 14 points on 4-of-7 shooting from beyond the arc, while Anquan Hill and Abdou Yadd scored eight apiece. Jaden Slaughter contributed a strong all-around effort with career highs of seven rebounds, four steals, and three assists.

Records:
Sacred Heart: 2–5
Penn State: 7–1

Leaders:
Dashon Gittens: 15 points, 7-7 FT
Nyle Ralph-Beyer: 14 points, 4-7 3PT

How it happened:
The Pioneers opened the game with hot three-point shooting, knocking down three triples in the first five and a half minutes to take a 9–8 lead. Penn State responded with an 8–0 run to go ahead 16–9.

A layup by Yadd trimmed the deficit to 16–11, but the Nittany Lions answered with five straight points. A Gittens layup pulled SHU within six at the 10:16 mark before Penn State stretched the margin back to double digits. Hill's jumper brought the Pioneers within eight at 7:26, but PSU closed the half on a decisive run to take a 47–20 lead into the break.

Sacred Heart played a more efficient second half, scoring 39 points while connecting on five of its nine three-pointers. The Pioneer bench added 26 points, including a career-high four from Lucius Gibson-Savadel, who provided a spark late in the game.

The Pioneers finished strong offensively, scoring seven points over the final two minutes to close out the contest.

Of Note

• This was the sixth straight game in double figures for Gittens.
• Slaughter posted career highs in rebounds (7), steals (4), and assists (3)
• Gibson-Savadel had a career-high four points and matched his career-high three rebounds.

Up Next
Sacred Heart will open Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) action with a road game on Wednesday, Dec. 3, at Mount St. Mary's at 7 pm.