Dec. 11, 2008

FAIRFIELD, CT - Setting The Scene: The Sacred Heart men's basketball team will play the fourth game in a five-game homestand on Sunday when it welcomes the University of Hartford Hawks to the Pitt Center. The Pioneers are in search of their fourth straight win, after defeating FDU 96-86 on Saturday.

Series: This is the 15th all-time meeting between the two schools, dating back to 1970. Sacred Heart holds a 9-5 edge in the series, but Hartford won last season's meeting, 70-55. The teams hadn't met prior to that since the 2000-01 season when the Hawks won a 69-58 decision.

Sacred Heart vs. America East: Sacred Heart is 32-26 all-time against schools currently in America East. The Pioneers have faced Albany (8-5), Binghamton (1-1), Hartford (9-5), Maine (0-3), Stony Brook (12-4), UMBC (2-7) and Vermont (0-2). SHU has never faced New Hampshire.

Scouting the Opponent: Hartford comes into the game with a 3-7 record, having dropped two straight after a 72-62 loss at Brown on Tuesday night. Sophomore forward Morgan Sabia led the way for the Hawks with 18 points, while junior guard Joe Zeglinski was the only other Hawk in double figures with 14.

Zeglinski leads Hartford in scoring (15.3) and rebounding (5.5). He has also canned a team-high 33 treys and leads the team in steals with 13. Sabia is second in scoring at 11.8, while senior guard Jared Von Rosenberg is third at 11.5, and leads in assists at 3.7 per game.

SHU Against Connecticut Opponents: Sacred Heart has a 174-130 record all-time against schools from the Nutmeg State. The Pioneers have a 67-60 record against schools that are currently Division I in the state, with 34 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.

Complete Release in PDF Format