2008 Woodie Awards
First place hoops heartbreak-Men
Jay Gagliardi
Issue date: 2/1/07 Section: Sports
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Sacred Heart saw its 12-point halftime lead dwindle into an eventual 103-96 overtime loss to conference rival Central Connecticut State University on Saturday in New Britain.
Sacred Heart got off to an impressive start on Saturday, opening up the game with a 12-2 lead and stellar three point shooting.
The Pioneers seemed to have the game in hand going into halftime with a 42-30 lead, but Central came out looking like a new team in the second half and was able to turn a once 19 point deficit into a 103-96 win and sole possession of first place in the NEC.
"It was a hard game to take especially because we played very well offensively," said coach Dave Bike.
"Going into the game we wanted to play as a balanced offense, using both our inside and outside weapons," said Bike.
Sacred Heart did just that and more on the defensive end as well. It caused 15 first half turnovers and only turned the ball over itself seven times in the first half.
Sacred Heart shot 51.6 percent from the field in the first half thanks to impeccable shooting by Brice Brooks, who tied his career high with 14 points.
The tables turned in the second half as Central would not be outdone in front of a great home crowd. Central looked like a totally different team behind the game's scoring leader Tristan Blackwood who scored 29 of his 32 points in the second half.
Sacred Heart however, did not simply hand the game over to the Blue Devils, but in fact owned the game's largest lead of 19 with 16 minutes left to play.
This is when Sacred Heart saw its double digit lead start slipping and turn into a 27-11 run by the Blue Devils.
This run in a matter of ten minutes triggered by Blackwood's three point shooting cut The Pioneer's lead to a bucket.
The two teams traded baskets from this point on and Central found its first lead of the game with just under a minute to go in regulation.
Matching that basket was Henley, putting the Pioneers back up one with 3.8 seconds to go.
Central's Javier Mojica would follow by hitting one of two free throws and forcing the game to go into overtime.
That momentum and great shooting from Blackwood was all Central needed to come back from 19 to hand SHU its second conference loss and a shift to second place in league play.
"I think we are in good position right now, but there is still a lot of basketball to be played. I told the kids not to look too far ahead and keep in mind that every games important," said Bike.
Sacred Heart's next game will be at home against Fairleigh Dickinson on Tuesday at 7:00 p.m.
Sacred Heart got off to an impressive start on Saturday, opening up the game with a 12-2 lead and stellar three point shooting.
The Pioneers seemed to have the game in hand going into halftime with a 42-30 lead, but Central came out looking like a new team in the second half and was able to turn a once 19 point deficit into a 103-96 win and sole possession of first place in the NEC.
"It was a hard game to take especially because we played very well offensively," said coach Dave Bike.
"Going into the game we wanted to play as a balanced offense, using both our inside and outside weapons," said Bike.
Sacred Heart did just that and more on the defensive end as well. It caused 15 first half turnovers and only turned the ball over itself seven times in the first half.
Sacred Heart shot 51.6 percent from the field in the first half thanks to impeccable shooting by Brice Brooks, who tied his career high with 14 points.
The tables turned in the second half as Central would not be outdone in front of a great home crowd. Central looked like a totally different team behind the game's scoring leader Tristan Blackwood who scored 29 of his 32 points in the second half.
Sacred Heart however, did not simply hand the game over to the Blue Devils, but in fact owned the game's largest lead of 19 with 16 minutes left to play.
This is when Sacred Heart saw its double digit lead start slipping and turn into a 27-11 run by the Blue Devils.
This run in a matter of ten minutes triggered by Blackwood's three point shooting cut The Pioneer's lead to a bucket.
The two teams traded baskets from this point on and Central found its first lead of the game with just under a minute to go in regulation.
Matching that basket was Henley, putting the Pioneers back up one with 3.8 seconds to go.
Central's Javier Mojica would follow by hitting one of two free throws and forcing the game to go into overtime.
That momentum and great shooting from Blackwood was all Central needed to come back from 19 to hand SHU its second conference loss and a shift to second place in league play.
"I think we are in good position right now, but there is still a lot of basketball to be played. I told the kids not to look too far ahead and keep in mind that every games important," said Bike.
Sacred Heart's next game will be at home against Fairleigh Dickinson on Tuesday at 7:00 p.m.
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