Saturday, February 7
Riverdale, NY
2:00 PM
Sacred Heart University Department of Athletics
at
Manhattan University
Photo by: Josh Gee
Pioneers Head to Manhattan to Wrap Up Weekend
2/6/2026 10:26:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Sacred Heart and Manhattan meet in their only matchup of the season
FAIRFIELD, Conn. — The Sacred Heart University men's basketball team wraps up the weekend on the road, traveling to Manhattan for a Saturday, Feb. 7, matchup at 2 p.m. Both teams enter the contest looking to bounce back after setbacks in their last outing.
LIVE STATS | ESPN+ | GAME NOTES
OPENING TIP
LIVE STATS | ESPN+ | GAME NOTES
OPENING TIP
- Sacred Heart and Manhattan meet for the first time this season and the fourth time overall in the series. The Jaspers hold a 2-1 edge over the Pioneers.
- SHU fell to Fairfield on Friday evening, 92-87, and the Jaspers lost their home game on Friday against Saint Peter's, 80-75.
- All five starters scored in double figures in SHU's game on Friday, led by Yann Farell with a career-high 25 points. The Pios trailed a majority of the game but pulled it within one in the final minute in front of a sold-out home crowd.
- Hill and Gittens both rank among the top 10 scorers in the MAAC, with Hill sitting third at 17.1 points per game and Gittens ninth at 14.7. Nyle Ralph-Beyer ranks 15th in the conference at 13.7 points per game. As a team, Sacred Heart is tied for second in the MAAC in scoring offense (76.1 ppg) and leads the league in three-point shooting (10.8) and 36.5%.
- Four Pioneers are averaging double figures this season: Anquan Hill (17.1 ppg), Dashon Gittens (14.7 ppg), Ralph-Beyer (13.7 ppg), and Farell (11.8 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.
- The program is celebrating its 60th season of men's basketball.
- Head coach Anthony Latina is in his 13th season at the helm.
- Manhattan enters the matchup 5–9 in MAAC play and currently in 10th place in the standings.
- Five players are averaging double figures: Jaden Winston (15.4), Devin Dinkins (13.0), Fraser Roxburgh (11.3), Terrance Jones (10.8), and Anthony Isaac (10.0). Isaac is also the team leader in rebounds with 7.6 pg.
- The Jaspers have lost their last two outings, 72-65 to Mount and 80-75 to Saint Peter's.
- Manhattan was selected fourth in the MAAC Preseason Coaches' Poll.
- Yann Farell poured in a career-high 25 points, but a late comeback by Sacred Heart came up just short in a 92–87 loss to Fairfield.
- 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 Conner cut the deficit to single digits. Gittens followed with a three-pointer of his own before coming up with a steal on the defensive end. Gittens found 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.
- Sacred Heart's offense is tied for second in the MAAC at 76.1 points per game. The Pioneers lead the conference with 270 made three-pointers, averaging 10.8 per game, 19th nationally and is the leader in 3PT FG% at .365. SHU's 76.9% free throw percentage is 28th in the country.
- Hill is third in the MAAC in scoring at 17.1 ppg, and Gittens is ninth in the MAAC in scoring at 14.7 ppg. Nyle Ralph-Beyer is 15th in scoring at 13.7 points per game.
- Gittens owns the seventh-best field-goal percentage in the conference at 54.0%. Ralph-Beyer (.442), Gittens (.437), and Farell (.426), are third, fourth, and fifth, respectively, in the MAAC in three-point percentage. Ralph-Beyer's 3PT FG percentage is 12th in the country.
- Conner is first in the conference with 6.5 assists per game, which is 15th nationally, and he holds the best assist-to-turnover ratio in the MAAC at 2.7. His 163 assists rank sixth in the country.
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