FAIRFIELD, Conn. — The Sacred Heart University men's basketball team wraps up its weekend at home in the Pitt Center on Sunday, Jan. 11, when it hosts in-state rival Quinnipiac at 2 pm.  

LIVE STATS | ESPN+ | GAME NOTES

OPENING TIP

• Sacred Heart and Quinnipiac meet for the 70th time in series history, dating back to 1965 when both programs competed at the Division II level. The Pioneers hold a 42–27 advantage in the all-time series, while the Bobcats own an 18–16 edge in Division I meetings.
• Sacred Heart enters the matchup following a 76–72 home loss to Marist on Friday, while Quinnipiac is coming off an 80–69 victory over Mount St. Mary's last Sunday.Yann Farell and Anquan Hill combined for 41 points to lead the Pioneers against Marist. Farell matched his season high with 22 points for the second consecutive game, while Hill scored 19 points in his return after missing six games.
• Dashon Gittens ranks ninth in the MAAC in scoring at 14.6 points per game. Sacred Heart ranks fifth in the conference in scoring offense (74.6 ppg) and leads the MAAC in three-pointers made per game (10.4).
• Four Pioneers are averaging double figures this season: Hill (15.3 ppg), Gittens (14.6 ppg), Nyle Ralph-Beyer (12.3 ppg), and Farell (11.8 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), and Ralph-Beyer (Third Team).
• Sacred Heart returns nine players from last year's roster and welcomes two transfers (Gittens and Farell) along with four first-year players.
• The Pioneers are in their 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.
• Sacred Heart features three student-athletes from Africa: Fallou Gueye, Farell, and Abdou Yadd.
• The program is celebrating its 60th season of men's basketball.
• Head coach Anthony Latina is in his 13th season at the helm.

SCOUTING QUINNIPIAC   

• Quinnipiac is tied for second in the MAAC with a 4–1 conference record, with its lone loss a 80–79 decision at Manhattan
• The Bobcats have five players averaging double figures but have been without leading scorer Jaden Zimmerman for the past six games. Amarri Monroe ranks sixth in the MAAC in scoring (15.1 ppg) and fourth in rebounding (7.4 rpg), while Samson Reilly owns the conference's second-best three-point percentage at 50.8%.
• QU leads the MAAC in scoring offense (77.9 ppg) and was voted the preseason favorite, with Monroe named Preseason Player of the Year.

LAST TIME OUT

• Farell and Hill combined for 41 points, and the Sacred Heart University men's basketball team carried a first-half lead, but Marist outscored the Pioneers after the break to secure a 76–72 road victory.
• Sacred Heart led by as 13 points through the first half, but Marist quickly tied it in the second frame.
• Marist led by as many as 11 over the span of a few minutes in the second. A Ralph-Beyer layup followed by a Farell four-point play pulled the Pioneers within five with 2:31 left. Each time Sacred Heart threatened, Marist had an answer.
• After a pair of Red Foxes free throws, Conner drilled a three-pointer with 12 seconds left to keep SHU's hopes alive, but Marist closed the game by converting three of its final four free throws to seal the win.

INSIDE THE RANKINGS

• Sacred Heart's offense ranks fifth in the MAAC at 74.6 points per game. The Pioneers lead the conference with 176 made three-pointers, averaging 10.4 per game, ranked 32nd nationally. SHU also sits 20th in the country in three-point attempts per game (29.9).
• Gittens is ninth in the MAAC in scoring at 14.6 ppg, and he owns the ninth-best field-goal percentage in the conference at 52.0%
• Ralph-Beyer is 19th in scoring at 12.3 points per game.
• Farell (.447) and Ralph-Beyer (.439) are fourth and sixth, respectively, in the MAAC in three-point percentage. Ralph-Beyer's 43.0% 3PT FG percentage is ranked 29th in the country.
• Conner is second in the conference with 5.5 assists per game, which is 43rd nationally, and he holds the best assist-to-turnover ratio in the MAAC at 2.2. His 93 assists ranks 23rd in the country.