FAIRFIELD, Conn. — Riding a three-game winning streak, the Sacred Heart University men's basketball team continues its homestand on Saturday, January 24, welcoming Niagara to the Pitt Center for a noon tipoff.

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OPENING TIP

• Sacred Heart and Niagara meet for the second time this season and the third time overall in series history, with the teams tied up 1-1 in the series. The Purple Eagles claimed the earlier meeting this month, defeating SHU 64-61 at Niagara.
• Sacred Heart enters the matchup riding a three-game win streak, beginning with an 86–80 victory at Siena, followed by a 105–85 win at Rider, and a 69-66 home win over Canisius on Thursday evening.
• Three Pioneers scored in double figures against Canisius, led by Nyle Ralph-Beyer with 19. Anquan Hill, the reigning MAAC Player of the Week, tallied his third double-double of the season. He has scored in double figures in all five games since returning from injury, including a stretch of three straight outings of 20+ points.
• Dashon Gittens ranks seventh in the MAAC in scoring at 14.7 points per game, while Ralph-Beyer sits 12th at 13.4. SHU ranks fourth in the conference in scoring offense (75.7 ppg) and leads the MAAC in three-pointers made per game (10.9).
• Four Pioneers are averaging double figures this season: Hill (16.6 ppg), Gittens (14.7 ppg), Ralph-Beyer (13.4 ppg), and Yann Farell (11.5 ppg).
• 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, 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 NIAGARA

• Niagara is 1-5 since it last met with Sacred Heart earlier this month. The Purple Eagles defeated Canisius, 59-54 on Jan. 14 but have lost their last two games, to Mount and Fairfield.
• Justin Page is averaging double figures at 12.7 ppg.
• Josiah Sabino leads the team in rebounds with 4.4.
• Niagara beat Sacred Heart earlier this season, 64-61 in NY on January 2nd. Two Purple Eagles scored in double figures.
• Niagara currently sits in 12th place in the MAAC standings.

LAST TIME OUT

• Ralph-Beyer scored a team-high 19 points to lead the Sacred Heart to its third consecutive victory, as the Pioneers held off Canisius, 69–66, Thursday evening at the Pitt Center in MAAC action. The sophomore paced three Sacred Heart players in double figures, while Hill recorded his third double-double of the season.
• Canisius built an early advantage, leading by as many as 11 points in the opening half before Sacred Heart began to find its rhythm. A three-pointer from Conner and a layup by Ralph-Beyer trimmed the deficit to six, 20–14, at the 8:53 mark, though the Golden Griffins answered with a triple to regain a nine-point cushion.
• Ralph-Beyer ignited a 6–0 run with a three-pointer, pulling the Pioneers within three, 23–20. Sacred Heart continued to chip away and eventually tied the game at 30–30 heading into halftime.
• The second half featured a back-and-forth battle, with neither team leading by more than four points until the closing minutes. With 3:24 remaining, Gittens buried a three-pointer and Ralph-Beyer followed with a key putback to extend Sacred Heart's lead to seven, 66–59.
• Canisius responded late, cutting the deficit to two with 20 seconds remaining, but Ralph-Beyer knocked down a free throw, and the Pioneers played good defense on the final possession to force a bad Canisius shot and secure the 69–66 victory.

INSIDE THE RANKINGS

• Sacred Heart's offense ranks fourth in the MAAC at 75.7 points per game. The Pioneers lead the conference with 229 made three-pointers, averaging 10.9 per game, 15th nationally. SHU is 20th in the country in three-point attempts per game (30.0), and its 77.0% free throw percentage is 31st in the country.
• Gittens is seventh in the MAAC in scoring at 14.7 ppg. He owns the 10th-best field-goal percentage in the conference at 52.9%.
• Ralph-Beyer is 12th in scoring at 13.4 points per game, and he (.452) and Farell (.431) are fourth and fifth, respectively, in the MAAC in three-point percentage. Ralph-Beyer's 3PT FG percentage is 10th in the country.
• Conner is first in the conference with 6.2 assists per game, which is 23rd nationally, and he holds the best assist-to-turnover ratio in the MAAC at 2.5. His 131 assists rank sixth in the country.