NEC Front Row | Live Stats | SHU Game Notes

The Sacred Heart University men's basketball team is back in action on Saturday at 4 p.m. at St. Francis Brooklyn. The Northeast Conference matchup is set for 4 p.m. on NEC Front Row. 

OPENING TIP

• Sacred Heart looks to snap its longest losing streak since the 2018-19 season which is the last time the Pioneers dropped four-straight. 
• St. Francis Brooklyn enters Saturday's matchup after a 17-point victory over Fairleigh Dickinson, 81-64. 
• The Terriers topped the Pioneers earlier in the season, 71-66, in Fairfield. SHU posted one of their worst three-point shooting performances of the year as they went 1-of-9 until midway through the second half. Tyler Thomas and Cantavio Dutreil led the Pioneers with 13 points apiece. 
• Sophomore Nico Galette posted his first 20-point performance last game at LIU. Galette netted a career-high four three's. Senior Aaron Clarke also had a career performance with his first career double-double. Clarke paired his 14 points with a career-best 10 assists. 
• The two teams look to take ownership of the all-time series as its tied 15-all.

OKAY NICO
Sophomore Nico Galette has posted double-digit scoring performances in five of the first eight NEC games including his a career-high 20 points at LIU. He is also the top rebounder in the NEC with 8.1 rebounds per game. Against NEC foes, Galette has gathered 59 for an average of 7.9. a night. In two of the first three NEC games, Galette posted a pair of double-doubles. First against Bryant with a stat line of 18 points (tied career-high), 16 rebounds, four assists, and one steal, and again against FDU with 17 points, 11 rebounds. In SHU's win against LIU, he was two rebounds short of a double-double with 16 points and eight rebounds, after securing 14 points and six rebounds in the second half alone due to early foul trouble in the first half. 

TURNING THE AC ON
There's no question that Aaron Clarke provides a spark to the SHU squad. At LIU, the Parsippany, N.J. product posted his first career double-double with 14 points and a career-best 10 assists. Clarke is the team leader in scoring against NEC opponents averaging 16.5 per game as well as 2.3 assists per game. In 10 of the last 11 games, the senior point guard has dished out three or more assists and leads the NEC in assist to turnover ratio (2.24).

CRASHING THE BOARDS
Rebounding has a direct impact on SHU's success. The Pioneers are 0-9 when being outrebounded by their opponent and 7-5 on the latter. The team has some of the top rebounders in the league in Nico Galette and Cantavio Dutreil. Galette leads the conference in rebounds per game (8.1) and total rebounds (171). Dutreil ranks eighth in both categories with a total of 129  for an average of 6.8 per game.