Feb. 23, 2008

Final Stats

HAMDEN, CT - Senior guard Drew Shubik narrowly missed a triple double with ten points, ten rebounds and nine assists to lead five players in double figures as the Sacred Heart University men's basketball team came from behind to defeat Quinnipiac University 88-74 in a Northeast Conference game Saturday afternoon. The win pushed SHU's conference record to 13-3 and locked up a home game in the first round of the conference tournament.

Sacred Heart took an early 13-6 lead, thanks to a pair of early threes from senior Luke Granato. The Pioneers led 17-9 midway through the first half after a Ryon Howard jumper. The tide turned after that and the Bobcats came roaring back.

A Louis Brookins jumper with 7:24 left cut the SHU lead to 22-20 and a three-point play by James Feldine three-point play with 4:17 remaining tied the score at 28-28. The Bobcats took the lead on a Feldine basket with 3:05 to play. Quinnipiac, 14-13 overall and 10-6 in the conference, led 38-36 at the intermission on the strength of 58 percent shooting (14-24).

The Pioneers, 16-11 overall, scored 52 points in the second half. Ryan Litke, who had four points at the half, scored 13 in the second to finish with 17. Sophomore Chauncey Hardy also had 17, while senior forward Brice Brooks finished with 13. Senior Gene Pettway, making his first start of the year, finished with 12 points and six rebounds.

Sacred Heart trailed 52-48 after a pair of Evan Baker free throws with 12:02 left in the game. The Pioneers then used an 14-2 run to take a 62-54 lead with 8:29 left. Litke had eight of the points during the spurt. Quinnipiac would get no closer than six the rest of the way.

The win guaranteed the Pioneers their second consecutive winning season, a feat that hadn't been accomplished since the 1988-89 and 1989-90 seasons.