Feb. 15, 2008

FAIRFIELD, CT - Setting The Scene: The Sacred Heart men's basketball team looks to get back on the winning track on Saturday when it returns home to face Saint Francis University of PA in the second game of a doubleheader with the women's team. Tip-off is scheduled for approximately 4 p.m.

Series: The all-time series between the two schools is tied at 6-6. The Pioneers swept a pair of meetings last season, 102-91 in Fairfield and 72-64 in Loretto, PA. The first-ever meeting was February 10, 2000, an 87-66 SFPA victory.

Upcoming Games: The Pioneers will have the week off before playing their final road game of the season at Quinnipiac on Saturday, February 23. SHU will complete the regular season with home games against Robert Morris (2/28) and Central Connecticut (3/2).

Scouting the Opponent: Saint Francis has won just three of its last ten games but is coming off a 63-50 win over St. Francis (NY) on Thursday night. The Red Flash currently sit in a tie for seventh place in the NEC standings. If the season ended to today they would qualify for the post-season tournament.

The Red Flash have four players averaging double figures in scoring led by sophomore forward Devin Sweetney at 11.7. Junior guard Cale Nelson is next at 11.1 and leads the team in assists at 4.4 per game. He is also the top three-point threat for St. Francis with 52 on the season.

Junior center Bassirou Dieng is averaging 10.5 points per game and leads the Red Flash in rebounding at 6.9 per game. He also leads the club with 24 blocked shots. Chris Berry is also a strong rebounder at 6.5 per game, to go along with his 10.3 points per contest.

The Coaches: Dave Bike (Sacred Heart '69) is in his 30th year as the head coach of Sacred Heart. He has a career record of 460-410 and guided the Pioneers in their transition from a Division II program to Division I. His 450 victories ranks him 21st among active coaches. He led the Pioneers to eight NCAA Division II tournaments, and his 1985-86 team won the national championship while finishing 30-4. Bike was named the national Coach of the Year by the NABC following the title game. Prior to joining the SHU coaching staff, he worked as an assistant at Seattle University for four seasons. Drafted as a baseball player by Detroit, he spent five seasons as a catcher in the Tiger farm system.

Bobby Jones (Western Kentuck `84) is in his 9th year at St. Francis and has a 85-162 career record. Jones played at Western Kentucky, where he led the Hilltoppers to Ohio Valley Conference championships in 1980-81 and 1981-82. A two-time all-conference performer, Jones finished his collegiate career with 1,211 points and 375 assists.

Playoff Bound: The Pioneers clinched their third straight NEC tournament appearance with their win over Monmouth on February 7, becoming the first team to sew up a berth this year. SHU will need two more victories to secure a home game in the first round of the playoffs.

Overtime Not Kind: The Pioneers are 1-9 in overtime games since turning Division I in 1999. The only win was a 133-130 four-OT thriller against FDU on 12/1/01. The Pioneers played one overtime game last season, losing to Central Connecticut 103-96 on January 27. They have yet to play OT in the 2007-08 season.

Where No Pioneers Have Gone Before: The Pioneers are 11-3 in the Northeast Conference for the first time in school history. The previous best NEC start for the SHU men was in 2006-07 when it was 9-5 after 14 games. The Pioneers finished that year with a 12-6 conference record.

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