FAIRFIELD, Conn. — The Sacred Heart University men's basketball team returns to home court on Friday, Dec. 19, hosting Dartmouth at 11:00 a.m. in its penultimate non-conference game of the season.

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OPENING TIP

• Sacred Heart and Dartmouth meet for the fifth time in series history, with the series tied 2–2 dating back to 2017.
• The Pioneers enter the matchup after an 87–82 road loss at UMass Lowell, while the Big Green are coming off an 89–64 victory over Holy Cross.
• Five Pioneers scored in double figures against Lowell, led by a career-high 28 points from Nyle Ralph-Beyer. Mekhi Conner (13), Abdou Yadd (12), Taj Bryant (12), and Dashon Gittens (10) also reached double figures.
• Yadd made his first career start in place of Anquan Hill.
• Gittens (15.3 ppg) and Hill (14.9 ppg) both rank in the MAAC's top 10 in scoring, with Gittens sixth and Hill eighth.
• Sacred Heart ranks fourth in the MAAC in scoring offense (77.6 ppg) and leads the conference in three-pointers made per game (11.6).
• Three Pioneers are averaging double figures this season: Gittens (15.3 ppg), Hill (14.9 ppg), and Ralph-Beyer (14.3 ppg).
• SHU was picked third in the MAAC Preseason Coaches' Poll and led the league with three preseason All-MAAC selections: Hill – First Team, Mekhi Conner – Second Team, Ralph-Beyer – Third Team
• Sacred Heart returns nine players from last year's roster.
• The team welcomes two transfers (Gittens, and Farell) and four first-year players.
• Sacred Heart enters its second season in the MAAC after a strong debut campaign that included a seventh-place finish and a conference tournament win over Fairfield to advance to the quarterfinals.
• The Pioneers feature three student-athletes from Africa: Fallou Gueye, Farell, and Yadd.
• Sacred Heart is celebrating its 60th season of men's basketball.
• Head coach Anthony Latina enters his 13th season leading the program.

SCOUTING DARTMOUTH    

• Dartmouth is coming off an 89-64 road win at Holy Cross.
• Three players are averaging double figures: Kareem Thomas (19.8), Jayden Williams (13.4), and Brandon Mitchell-Day (12.1)
• Mitchell-Day is the team leader in rebounds at 8.2 per game.
• Dartmouth is 1-1 against MAAC opponents this season.
• The Big Green were selected fifth in the Ivy League Preseason Coaches' Poll.

LAST TIME OUT

• Sacred Heart fell 87-82 to UMass Lowell on the road on Tuesday evening.
• The Pioneers led 44-38 at the half, but the River Hawks strong second half pushed UMass Lowell ahead for the 87-82 victory.  
• Ralph-Beyer scored a career-high 28 points and knocked down a career-best six three-pointers.
• Gittens scored in double figures for the 10th time this season.
• Conner recorded five or more assists for the seventh consecutive game.
• Bryant scored in double figures for the second time this season.
• Sacred Heart shot 49.2 percent (30-for-61) from the field and 42.4 percent (14-for-33) from three-point range.

INSIDE THE RANKINGS

• Sacred Heart's offense ranks fourth in the MAAC at 77.6 points per game.
• The Pioneers lead the conference with 128 made three-pointers, averaging 11.6 per game, 13th nationally.
• SHU also sits 18th in the country in three-point attempts per game (31.1).
• Gittens is sixth in the MAAC in scoring at 15.3 ppg and also ranks fifth in the league in steals at 2.0 per game. He also owns the fourth-best field-goal percentage in the conference at 56.2%.
• Hill is eighth in scoring at 14.9 points per game and is eighth in the league in rebounding (6.2 rpg).
• Ralph-Beyer (.556) and Farell (.446) are second and fourth in the MAAC in three-point percentage, and Ralph-Beyer is ranked ninth nationally.
• Conner ranks second in the conference with 5.5 assists per game, which is 39th nationally, and he holds the fourth-best assist-to-turnover ratio at 2.0.