LaRose's Posts Second Double-Double For 7-3 SH

The Sacred Heart University men's basketball team won its fourth consecutive game, defeating Northeast Conference host St. Francis Brooklyn, 83-76, at the Pope Center in Brooklyn on Saturday afternoon. The Pioneers improve to 14-9 on the year and 7-3 in league play, while the Terriers fall to 10-12 on the season and 4-6 in NEC play.

The Pioneers had five players score in double figures on Saturday, led by the 18 points of Koreem Ozier. Kinnon LaRose had his second double-double of the season, finishing with 16 points and a game-high 10 rebounds. The four-game win streak is the second of the season for the Pioneers, who remain unbeaten (12-0) when scoring 73 or more points in a game.

SHU begins a three-game homestand on Thursday, hosting Saint Francis University. The 7:00 pm game will air on SNY and NEC Front Row.

Turning Point

Trailing by seven, with 9:48 to play, SHU rattled off an 18-4 run, with eight points from E.J. Anosike and five from LaRoseThe Pioneers held the Terriers to 2-7 shooting in the 5:28 stretch, and forced two turnoversSHU went 7-7 from the free throw line in the final 1:47 to secure the victory

Pioneer Points

Ozier shot 6-12 on the game, 4-6 in the second-half, and a perfect 3-3 from the lineAaron Clarke recorded 17 points, hitting 9-12 at the stripe, and handed out five assistsLaRose went 4-9 from behind the arc, and had three of his 10 boards on the offensive glass. Anosike was good on 50 percent of his field goal attempts, and a perfect 8-8 at the stripe to tally 16Jare'l Spellman tallied 10 points, on 3-5 shooting and blocked three shots

By the Numbers

For the second straight game, SHU had single-digit turnovers, committing just nine on SaturdaySHU was 27-34 from the free throw line, including 22-25 from the stripe in the second-halfDeniz Celen scored 17 to lead the Terriers, shooting 6-12 from the field. Five Terriers scored in double-figures on Saturday, as the team shot 30-71 from the fieldUnique McLean tallied 10 points, eight rebounds and three blocked shotsThe game featured four lead changes and one tie; with SHU leading for 18:58 and St. Francis for 19:25

First-Half

Both teams got off to slow starts on the offensive end, with the Terriers building a 17-10 lead on a Joshua Nurse basket in the paint 10:09 into the period. That basket capped a 6-0 Terrier run in 1:19 of game actionSt. Francis pushed its lead to seven points, 27-20, once again, on a Stevan Krtinic triple with 5:54 to play before intermission. The Pioneers scored 14 unanswered points over the next 3:10, to build a 34-27 leadLaRose started the run with a three-pointer and after a conventional three-point play from Clarke, Tyler Thomas drained a three at 4:02 to put the Pioneers in front, 29-27LaRose hit his second three of the run at the 3:17 mark and Spellman scored in the paint at 2:44 to cap the runSHU forced a pair of Terrier turnovers and held St. Francis to 0-6 from the field over the stretchAfter Chauncey Hawkins ended the Terriers scoreless drought with a hoop in the paint at the 1:44, Clarke (1:31) and LaRose (1:06) scored to give SHU the largest least of the game, 39-29St. Francis scored five straight points to cut the deficit in half on a Rob Higgins basket with 39 seconds to play, before Spellman ended the period with a conventional three-point play to send the Pioneers to the locker room up 43-34

Second-Half

The Terriers whittled away at the Pioneers lead over the opening minutes of the second-halfSt. Francis opened the half 5-9 from the field and 2-3 from the free throw line, outscoring the Pioneers 15-6 in the first 5:50 to take a 49-48 advantage.

The Terrier lead would build to six, when Higgins scored in transition at the 10:54 mark and to a game-high eight when McLean scored a fast break basket at 9:51 (63-55)The Pioneer run began at the 9:23 mark, when Anosike connected on a pair of free throwsThose points opened an 18-4 run over the next 5:50 that saw the eight-point deficit, turn into a six-point lead, when LaRose connected on his fourth triple of the night to give the Pioneers a 73-67 advantageThe Terriers closed to within three points on twice, on a Milija Cosic basket at the 2:41 mark and again on a Cosic free throw with :50 remaining. Clarke made four free throws, around an Ozier steal, to push the lead to seven, 81-74 with 29 ticks remainingThree seconds after a pair of McLean free throws with 16 seconds left, Anosike drained a pair from the line to give SHU the final margin, 83-76

Ogdensburg's Kinnon LaRose produced his second double-double of the season as Sacred Heart raised its NEC record to 7-3. (Sacred Heart Photo)