Friday, March 6
Sacred Heart
vs
Merrimack College
Men’s Basketball to Face Merrimack in MAAC Quarterfinal on Friday
3/6/2026 9:32:00 AM | Men's Basketball
ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. – After defeating Iona 91-80 in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) opening round last night, the Sacred Heart University men's basketball team will take on Merrimack in a quarterfinal matchup this evening, March 6, at 6:00 pm at the Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall.
LIVE STATS | ESPN+ | GAME NOTES
OPENING TIP
LIVE STATS | ESPN+ | GAME NOTES
OPENING TIP
- Sacred Heart and Merrimack will meet in the quarterfinals of the MAAC Championships for the second straight year. This will mark the third postseason meeting between the two programs during their Division I eras, with Merrimack holding a 2-0 advantage over the Pioneers.
- This will be the 41st meeting all-time in a series that dates back to 1967. Sacred Heart holds a 23-17 lead in the all-time series but is just 4-12 against the Warriors since Merrimack transitioned to Division I in the 2019-20 season.
- Sacred Heart advanced to the quarterfinals with a 91-80 victory over No. 8 seed Iona in the opening round on Thursday. Nyle Ralph-Beyer led four Pioneers in double figures with 26 points, while Yann Farell recorded a double-double.
- The Pioneers enter the MAAC Championships as the No. 9 seed, marking their second consecutive tournament appearance in just their second season in the league.
- Sacred Heart placed two players on the All-MAAC teams, as Anquan Hill earned First Team honors and Dashon Gittens was named to the Third Team.
- Hill ranks second in the MAAC in scoring at 17.6 points per game. Ralph-Beyer ranks 10th in the conference at 14.4 points per game, while Gittens is 13th at 13.9 points per game. As a team, Sacred Heart leads the MAAC in scoring offense (76.1 ppg), three-pointers made per game (10.8), and three-point percentage (36.1%).
- Four Pioneers are averaging double figures this season: Hill (17.6 ppg), Ralph-Beyer (14.4 ppg), Gittens (13.9 ppg), and Farell (11.8 ppg).
- Sacred Heart was selected third in the MAAC Preseason Coaches' Poll and led the league with three preseason All-MAAC selections: Hill – First Team, Mekhi Conner – Second Team, 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.
- Merrimack enters the tournament as the No. 1 seed after winning the regular-season title with a 17–3 MAAC record.
- The Warriors also took home four of the five major postseason awards. Kevair Kennedy was named both Rookie of the Year and Player of the Year, KC Ugwuakazi earned Defensive Player of the Year honors, and Joe Gallo was named Coach of the Year.
- Merrimack had four All-MAAC selections.
- The Warriors defeated SHU in both meetings this season, winning 80–72 in the first matchup and 75–58 in the second.
- Kennedy (18.5), Ernest Shelton (15.9), and Tye Dorset (11.6) lead the Warriors in scoring, each averaging double figures.
- Ralph-Beyer scored 26 points to lead four players in double figures as the ninth-seeded Sacred Heart defeated No. 8 seed Iona, 91–80, in the opening round of the MAAC Championships on Thursday evening.
- Farell recorded his second double-double of the season with 19 points and 10 rebounds. Hill added 19 points, while Gittens finished with 10 points and seven rebounds in the victory.
- Iona led by as many as seven points in the first half, but Sacred Heart used a barrage of three-pointers to rally and take control.
- Trailing by seven with 7:54 remaining in the opening half, Ralph-Beyer hit the first of three consecutive Sacred Heart three-pointers during an 11–0 run that gave the Pioneers a 25–21 lead.
- Iona briefly cut the deficit to one, but back-to-back three-pointers from Farell pushed Sacred Heart ahead by eight, 34–26. The Gaels connected on a three-pointer in the final seconds of the half, but the Pioneers carried a 34–29 lead into the break.
- Ralph-Beyer opened the second half with a dunk to give Sacred Heart a 36–29 lead. Iona answered with six straight points to pull within one, but consecutive dunks from Hill and Gittens restored a five-point advantage for the Pioneers.
- The Gaels responded again, tying the game at 40–40 with 15:53 remaining. After several ties over the next few minutes, Sacred Heart pulled away with an 8–0 run fueled entirely by free throws to take a 53–45 lead.
- Iona briefly cut into the margin, but a Farell three-pointer pushed the Pioneers ahead by nine. Later, a 7–0 Sacred Heart run extended the lead to 68–58 with 9:36 remaining.
- The Gaels pulled within seven over the next two minutes, but the Pioneers continued their hot shooting and maintained a double-digit advantage for much of the remainder of the game.
- Iona trimmed the deficit to nine in the final minute, but a layup from Gittens in the closing seconds sealed the 91–80 victory.
- Sacred Heart shot 68% (17-for-25) from the field in the second half and finished the game shooting 50% (29-for-58) overall. The Pioneers also knocked down 13 three-pointers in the win.
- Ralph-Beyer was nearly perfect, shooting 8-for-10 from the field and 6-for-7 from three-point range. His six made three-pointers matched his career high, while his 26 points were two shy of his career best.
- Sacred Heart's offense leads the MAAC at 76.1 points per game. The Pioneers also lead the conference with 344 made three-pointers, averaging 10.8 per game, 17th nationally, and is the league leader in 3PT FG% at .361. SHU's 77.6% free throw percentage is 21st in the country.
- Hill is second in the MAAC in scoring at 17.6 ppg, Ralph-Beyer is 10th in scoring at 14.4, Gittens is 13th at 13.9 ppg. Gittens owns the eighth-best field-goal percentage in the conference at (.516). Ralph-Beyer (.450), Farell (.406), and Gittens (.404) are third, sixth, and seventh, respectively, in the MAAC in three-point percentage. Ralph-Beyer's 3PT FG percentage is sixth in the country.
- Conner is first in the conference with 6.3 assists per game, which is 19th nationally, and he holds the best assist-to-turnover ratio in the MAAC at 2.6. His 189 assists rank 22nd in the country.
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