PITTSBURGH, Pa. – The Sacred Heart University men's basketball team put together several strong stretches but couldn't overcome a second-half surge by Duquesne, falling 92-80 on Friday night at UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse to open the Villanova Challenge. Nyle Ralph-Beyer led three Pioneers in double figures with 17 points.

Records:
Sacred Heart: 1-1
Duquesne: 2-0

Leaders:
Nyle Ralph-Beyer: 17 points, 8 rebounds
Dashon Gittens: 16 points, 5 rebounds
Anquan Hill: 13 points, 5 rebounds

How it Happened:
After a back-and-forth opening half, Duquesne took a 45–42 lead into the break. Sacred Heart erased an early 10-point deficit with a late first-half surge, fueled by three triples from Ralph-Beyer. His layup at 4:29 gave the Pioneers a brief 32–31 advantage before the teams traded baskets over the final four minutes, neither leading by more than three heading into the break.

Duquesne opened the second half with a three-pointer to push the margin to six, but Yann Farell answered with one of his own to trim it back to three. Duquesne was quickly able to jump ahead and take a 60-50 lead at 14:59. SHU cut it to five on a Dashon Gittens layup with 10:49 remaining, but Duquesne regained control and maintained a double-digit advantage until a three-pointer from Abdou Yadd pulled Sacred Heart within nine at 6:26. Duquesne answered once again and regained a double-digit lead for the rest of the way.

Of Note:

• Sacred Heart shot 37.5% (21-56) from the field.
• Ralph-Beyer, Gittens, and Anquan Hill have scored in double figures in both games this season.
• The Pioneers got 22 points from their bench.
• The game featured four ties and seven lead changes.

Up Next:
Sacred Heart continues the Villanova Challenge on Tuesday, Nov. 11, at Villanova. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m.