FAIRFIELD, Conn.— Tanner Thomas scored a season-high 24 points along with 11 rebounds to secure his first double-double of the season, leading the Sacred Heart University men's basketball team to a 99-82 victory over Canisius in Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) action on Sunday afternoon. Anquan Hill notched his first double-double at SHU with 13 points and 11 rebounds, as six Pioneers scored in double figures in the win. 

Griffin Barrouk had his third straight double-figure performance, scoring a career-high 19 points, going 7-for-12 from the field and 5-for-10 from three-point range. Mekhi Conner added 10 points and dished out a career-high nine assists, while Amiri Stewart (13) and Bryce Johnson (10) also scored in double figures for the Pioneers. 

Records:
Sacred Heart: 6-8, (2-1 MAAC)
Canisius: 0-14, (0-3 MAAC) 

Leaders:
Tanner Thomas: 24 points, 11 rebounds 
Griffin Barrouk: 19 points, 6 rebounds
Anquan Hill: 13 points, 11 rebounds 
Amiri Stewart: 13 points, 5 assists
Mekhi Conner: 10 points, 9 assists 
Bryce Johnson: 10 points, 4 rebounds 

Of Note:
Sacred Heart had a strong start, led by Thomas with 18 points in just the first half. SHU led by as many as 11 points in the opening frame, but Canisius was able to pull within one, 34-33, at 6:32 in the first. The Pioneers answered with six straight points to jump ahead, 41-33. 

The Golden Griffs pulled within three twice in the final stretch of the half, but a layup from Thomas in the final seconds gave SHU its 48-43 edge heading into the halftime break.

The Pioneers shot 60% (18-for-30) from the field in the first half and 41.7% from behind the arc. 

Thomas and Barrouk set the tone for the second half. After Thomas made a layup to open the half, a Barrouk triple at 18:47 marked the start of three minutes with 14 straight points from the junior guard, including four three-pointers. His last triple at 15:47 put the Pioneers ahead 64-51 and sparked a 9-0 run for Sacred Heart, extending its lead to 70-51. 

SHU maintained a double-figure lead. A layup from Thomas and a three-pointer from Nyle Ralph-Beyer gave the Pios their largest lead of the day at 23 with 9:46 left in the game. Canisius was able to pull within 14, twice, in the final few minutes of play but SHU answered and ended with the 99-82 final. 

The Pioneers shot 53.6 % (37-for-69) from the field and made 10 three-pointers. SHU outrebounded Canisius 46-25. 

Up Next: 
Sacred Heart will wrap up its three-game homestand on Friday, January 10 at 11 am as they host Merrimack in MAAC action in the William H. Pitt Center.