Photo by: Josh Gee
Battle of the 203 Returns to the Pitt Center
2/4/2026 6:05:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Sacred Heart and Fairfield meet for the first time this season
FAIRFIELD, Conn. — After sweeping Fairfield in three meetings last season, Sacred Heart and Fairfield renew their rivalry for the first time this year in Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) play on Thursday, Feb. 5, at 7:00 p.m. in the Pitt Center. Both teams enter the matchup with identical 6–7 conference records and are currently tied in the MAAC standings.
LIVE STATS | ESPN+ | GAME NOTES
OPENING TIP
LIVE STATS | ESPN+ | GAME NOTES
OPENING TIP
- Sacred Heart and Fairfield meet for the first time this season and the 14th time overall. The two teams last met in the MAAC Championship, where the Pioneers defeated the Stags for the third time that season to advance to the MAAC Quarterfinals.
- Sacred Heart enters the matchup looking to bounce back after its five-game winning streak was snapped on Sunday, Feb. 1, with a 75–58 loss at Merrimack.
- Three Pioneers scored in double figures in the setback, led by Yann Farell with 18 points. Anquan Hill added 12 points, while Dashon Gittens recorded a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds.
- Gittens ranks ninth in the MAAC in scoring at 14.9 points per game, while Hill sits third at 17.0. Nyle Ralph-Beyer ranks 15th in the conference at 13.6 points per game. As a team, Sacred Heart ranks second in the MAAC in scoring offense (75.7 ppg) and leads the league in three-pointers made per game (10.8).
- Four Pioneers are averaging double figures this season: Hill (17.0 ppg), Gittens (14.9 ppg), Ralph-Beyer (13.6 ppg), and Farell (11.2 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, Yann 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.
- Fairfield enters the matchup 6–7 in MAAC play and tied with Sacred Heart in the conference standings.
- Braden Sparks leads both the MAAC and the Stags in scoring at 17.2 points per game. Fairfield has three players averaging double figures, including Sparks, Brandon Benjamin (13.9 ppg), and Declan Wucherpfenng (12.1 ppg). Benjamin also leads the team in rebounding, averaging 10.3 boards per game.
- The Stags were selected ninth in the MAAC Preseason Coaches' Poll.
- Sacred Heart saw its five-game winning streak come to an end Sunday afternoon with a 75–58 loss at Merrimack.
- After an early back-and-forth stretch, Merrimack used a 12–2 run to break a 9–9 tie and take a 21–11 lead at the 10:23 mark. Sacred Heart trimmed the deficit to single digits, but the Warriors maintained control and extended the lead to 14 with 6:15 remaining in the half.
- The Pioneers responded with a 9–2 run, highlighted by seven free throws, to cut the margin to seven, 36–29. Merrimack pushed the lead back to 12 before Dashon Gittens scored three straight points to send SHU into halftime trailing 41–32.
- Sacred Heart opened the second half with a surge, pulling within three after a Gittens layup and a Mekhi Conner three-pointer. Merrimack answered with a 10–2 run to regain a double-digit lead.
- Ralph-Beyer sparked a late push as SHU closed within six, but Merrimack sealed the game by converting eight straight free throws down the stretch to secure the 75–58 final.
- Sacred Heart ranks second in the MAAC in scoring offense (75.7 ppg) and leads the conference with 254 made three-pointers, averaging 10.8 per game, 19th nationally. The Pioneers also lead the MAAC in three-point field-goal percentage (.365) and rank 22nd nationally in free-throw percentage (77.5%).
- Individually, Hill ranks third in the MAAC in scoring (17.0 ppg), followed by Gittens (ninth, 14.9 ppg) and Ralph-Beyer (15th, 13.6 ppg). Gittens owns the seventh-best field-goal percentage in the league (54.1%).
- Ralph-Beyer (.444), Gittens (.439), and Farell (.416) rank third, fourth, and sixth in the MAAC in three-point percentage, respectively, with Ralph-Beyer ranking 11th nationally.
- Conner leads the conference in assists (6.5 apg), ranking 14th nationally, and owns the MAAC's best assist-to-turnover ratio (2.8). His 157 total assists rank seventh in the country.
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