PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- The Sacred Heart University men's basketball team dropped the first game of the College Hill Classic, 82-75, to Holy Cross on Friday evening. Aidan Carpenter led three Pioneers in double figures with a career-high 21 points, and Bryce Johnson had his second double-double of the season. 

Records: 
Sacred Heart: 0-4
Holy Cross: 1-2

Leaders: 
Aidan Carpenter: 21 points, 3 assists 
Bryce Johnson: 13 points, 10 rebounds 
Nyle Ralph-Beyer: 12 points 

Of Note:
The Pioneers opened the game with an 8-0 run through the first four minutes, including five points from Carpenter. SHU held the lead, but Holy Cross pulled within four, 12-8, at 12:35. Carpenter answered with a three to extend the lead to seven, 15-8. 

The Crusaders pulled within four once again at 11:46, but a triple from Raymond Espinal-Guzman put the Pioneers ahead by seven, 18-11. Holy Cross scored five straight to cut their deficit to two before a three-pointer from Ralph-Beyer gave SHU a 21-16 edge. Both teams traded threes on the following two possessions for a three-point game. Holy Cross tied it up, 26-26, at 5:16, but Ralph-Beyer hit his third three-pointer of the day, to answer and take back the lead. 

Through the final two and a half minutes, the Crusaders tied the game twice, but SHU answered each time before a pair of free throws put Holy Cross ahead by one. Griffin Barrouk knocked down a three with just seconds remaining to send the Pioneers into halftime with a 37-35 advantage. 

Anquan Hill and Amiri Stewart had the opening three points of the second half to extend SHU's lead to five, 40-35, but Holy Cross answered, scoring seven straight points to take a 42-40 lead. Johnson made two free throws to tie the game, 42-42, but the Crusaders took back the lead and led by no more than five through the next five minutes of play. 

Ralph-Beyer hit a crucial triple to pull the Pios within one, 54-53. On the following play, Hill came up huge, grabbing a steal, making a layup, and securing the and-one to jump ahead and take a 56-54 lead at 9:16. 

Holy Cross went on a 10-0 run to hold an eight-point edge with just under six minutes left to play. 

Sacred Heart continued to chip away at the deficit, but the Crusaders held the Pioneers off by five or more through the final minutes to take the 82-75 final. 

Carpenter went 8-for-12 from the field and 3-for-5 from three-point range, while Ralph-Beyer shot his best game of the season so far, going 4-for-6 from behind the arc for his season-high 12 points. 

Up Next: 
Sacred Heart will take on New Hampshire tomorrow, Nov. 16, at 4:30 pm on the second day of the College Hill Classic at Brown.