Pioneers Comeback Falls Short in Battle of the 203

Thursday, February 5

Fairfield, Conn.

7:00 PM

Sacred Heart University Department of Athletics

10-15,6-8MAAC

Fairfield University

15-10,7-7MAAC

Fairfield

Sacred Heart

Photo by: Josh Gee

Pioneers Comeback Falls Short in Battle of the 203

2/5/2026 10:31:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score

Yann Farell scores career-high 25 points

FAIRFIELD, Conn. — Yann Farell poured in a career-high 25 points, but a late comeback by the Sacred Heart University men's basketball team came up just short in a 92–87 loss to Fairfield in Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) action Thursday night in a sold-out Pitt Center. All five Pioneer starters finished in double figures.

Records:
Sacred Heart: 10–15 (6-8 MAAC)
Fairfield: 15-10 (7-7 MAAC)

Leaders:
Yann Farell: 25 points, 5 rebounds
Anquan Hill: 18 points, 7 rebounds
Nyle Ralph-Beyer: 15 points, 6 rebounds
Mekhi Conner: 17 points, 6 assists
Dashon Gittens: 10 points, 5 rebounds

How It Happened:
Trailing by as many as 15 points in the second half, Sacred Heart stormed back to pull within one in the final minute, igniting an electric home crowd.

Fairfield held an 86–76 advantage with 2:55 remaining, but a three-pointer from Mekhi Conner cut the deficit to single digits. Dashon Gittens followed with a three of his own before coming up with a steal on the defensive end. Gittens found Nyle Ralph-Beyer, who finished strong at the rim for a dunk to make it a four-point game, 88–84. Ralph-Beyer then knocked down a free throw, and Gittens added a tip-in layup to trim the margin to one with 58 seconds to play.

Sacred Heart produced several key defensive stops down the stretch, highlighted by back-to-back blocks from Ralph-Beyer and Farell. However, Fairfield answered with a three-pointer and sealed the game at the free-throw line to secure the 92–87 victory.

The Stags opened the game with a quick 10-point lead at the 15:44 mark. Sacred Heart responded to cut the deficit to five, but Fairfield regained a double-digit cushion and eventually built a 15-point advantage. The Pioneers chipped away before halftime and went into the break trailing by nine 47-38.

Sacred Heart finished the night shooting 46 percent (29-of-63) from the field and connected on 12 three-pointers.

Of Note:

Farell set a new career high with 25 points, leading SHU in scoring for the second straight game.
Gittens scored in double figures for the 20th time this season.
Hill reached double figures for the 16th time this year.
Conner recorded five or more assists for the 18th time this season.
Ralph-Beyer scored in double figures for the 17th time during his sophomore campaign.

Up Next:
Sacred Heart travels to Manhattan on Saturday, Feb. 7, for a 2:00 p.m. tipoff.