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Sacred Heart University

Sacred Heart University Pioneers
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Josh Gee

Men’s Basketball Welcomes Canisius for Home MAAC Matchup

Pioneers open two-game homestand at the Pitt Center

1/21/2026 5:38:00 PM

FAIRFIELD, Conn. — Fresh off its second straight road win in Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) play, the Sacred Heart University men's basketball team returns home on Thursday, January 22, welcoming Canisius to the Pitt Center for a 7:00 p.m. tip.

LIVE STATS | ESPN+ | GAME NOTES

OPENING TIP
  • Sacred Heart and Canisius meet for the second time this season and the fourth time overall, with the Pioneers holding a 2–1 edge in the all-time series. The Golden Griffins earned an 82–78 victory in the first meeting earlier this month in Buffalo.
  • Sacred Heart enters the matchup riding back-to-back MAAC road wins, opening with an 86–80 victory at Siena before a dominant 105–85 win at Rider.
  • All five Pioneers starters scored in double figures in each of the last two games, led by Anquan Hill, who averaged 24.0 points per game over that stretch to earn his first career MAAC Player of the Week honor. Hill has scored in double figures in all four games since returning from injury, including three straight outings with 20 or more points.
  • Dashon Gittens ranks seventh in the MAAC in scoring at 14.6 points per game, while Nyle Ralph-Beyer sits 13th at 13.1 ppg. Sacred Heart ranks third in the conference in scoring offense (76.0 ppg) and leads the MAAC in three-pointers made per game (10.8).
  • Four Pioneers are averaging double figures this season: Hill (16.9 ppg), Gittens (14.6), Ralph-Beyer (13.1), and Yann Farell (11.6).
  • Sacred Heart 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).
  • The Pioneers return nine players from last season's roster and added transfers Gittens and Farell, along with four first-year players. Now in its second season in the MAAC, Sacred Heart is coming off a strong league debut that included a seventh-place finish and a conference tournament win over Fairfield to reach the quarterfinals.
  • Sacred Heart features three student-athletes from Africa—Fallou Gueye, Yann Farell, and Abdou Yadd—and is celebrating its 60th season of men's basketball. Head coach Anthony Latina is in his 13th season at the helm.
SCOUTING CANISIUS
  • Canisius has dropped three straight games and enters the contest with a 3–5 MAAC record, sitting ninth in the conference standings.
  • Kahlil Singleton (13.6 ppg) and Bryan Ndjonga (12.8) lead the Golden Griffins in scoring, while Mike Evbagharu paces the team on the glass at 6.2 rebounds per game.
  • Canisius earned an 82–78 home win over Sacred Heart on January 4, with four players scoring in double figures. The Golden Griffins were picked 13th in the MAAC Preseason Coaches' Poll.
LAST TIME OUT
  • All five starters scored in double figures for the second consecutive game, led by Hill and Gittens with 20-plus points apiece, as Sacred Heart posted a convincing 105–85 MAAC road victory at Rider on Monday night.
  • The Pioneers opened the game on an 8–2 run and never trailed after regaining the lead midway through the first half. An eight-point surge stretched the margin to 32–21, and a late dunk by Hill sent Sacred Heart into halftime ahead 51–38 after connecting on 10 three-pointers in the opening frame.
  • Sacred Heart pushed the lead to 20 early in the second half and responded to every Rider run down the stretch. A Conner three-pointer at the 2:53 mark capped the Pioneers' largest lead of the night at 99–74. Malik Sheppard scored his first career points in the final minute to seal the win.
  • SHU shot 61 percent from the field and 55.6 percent from three-point range while narrowly outrebounding Rider, 36–34.
INSIDE THE RANKINGS
  • Sacred Heart ranks third in the MAAC in scoring offense (76.0 ppg) and leads the league with 216 made three-pointers, averaging 10.8 per game—19th nationally. The Pioneers are 20th in the country in three-point attempts per game (29.9) and rank 13th nationally in free-throw percentage (77.98%).
  • Gittens ranks seventh in the MAAC in scoring (14.6 ppg) and owns the 10th-best field-goal percentage in the league at 52.8 percent. Ralph-Beyer ranks 13th in scoring and, along with Farell, sits fourth and fifth in the conference in three-point percentage, respectively. Ralph-Beyer's .448 mark ranks 12th nationally.
  • Conner leads the MAAC with 6.0 assists per game—30th nationally—and owns the league's best assist-to-turnover ratio (2.5). His 119 assists rank 13th in the country.
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