Feb. 5, 2009

FAIRFIELD, CT - Setting The Scene: The Sacred Heart men's basketball team looks to make it five straight wins when it host Quinnipiac University in a game being broadcast on MSG on Thursday at 7:00. The Pioneers stand in the third place in the NEC standings with a 7-4 record.

Series: This is the 55th career meeting between these schools that goes back to the Division II era for both teams. Sacred Heart holds a 37-17 edge all-time. The Pioneers hold a 10-8 in the Division I era. Sacred Heart defeated the Bobcats on January 22, 70-66 in Hamden and have now won five straight games over Quinnipiac. The first meeting between the teams was in 1965, a 100-83 Quinnipiac win.

Upcoming Games: The Pioneers will host LIU on Saturday in a doubleheader with the women's team that starts at 2:00. After that the Pioneers will play three straight on the road.

Scouting the Opponent: The Bobcats are 9-12 overall and 5-6 in the Northeast Conference. QU snapped a four-game losing streak on Saturday with a 69-63 win at home against LIU.

Quinnipiac has three players scoring in double figures, led by junior guard James Feldine at 17.2 per game. He is also the team's top three-point threat, nailing 31 treys at a 35 percent clip. Sophomore forward Justin Rutty is second in scoring at 16.1 and is the league's leading rebounder at 9.7 per game. The last time against SHU, Rutty had a monster game with 22 points and 18 rebounds.

Freshman guard James Johnson has stepped into the point guard role in style, scoring 10.4 points per game and averaging 4.6 assists per contest.

SHU Against Connecticut Opponents: Sacred Heart has a 176-131 record all-time against schools from the Nutmeg State. The Pioneers have a 69-61 record against schools that are currently Division I in the state, with 35 of those wins coming against Quinnipiac. The Pioneers have a high of 39 wins against the University of Bridgeport during the SHU Division II years.

Home Cooking: The Pioneers have been very good at home over the last three+ seasons, going 35-14 over that span. 2006-07 was the best Division I season at home for the program, finishing the year 11-2 enroute to its first trip to the NEC title game.

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