In the 60th season of SHU men’s basketball, history was made. On Saturday, Feb. 8, the Pioneers beat Fairfield University by a score of 77-71.
“This is the first time we’ve ever beaten Fairfield, so it’s a historic moment for the program and another win needed for the conference,” said Head Coach Anthony Latina.
The Pioneers’ historic win against a cross-town rival was a huge success to notch their fifth victory in a row and improve their record to 11 total wins this season.
“As a team, we knew we had to stay locked in both mentally and physically—coaches and players included. Some calls went our way, some didn’t, but overall I just knew it was crunch time, and we had to find a way to win,” said Mekhi Conner.
A lot of key players graduated last year, but Conner is one of many first-year players for the Pioneers.
“Mekhi Conner and Nyle Ralph-Beyer have steadily improved all year for us and have really emerged as two of the better first-year players in the [Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC)],” said Latina. “They are extremely talented players and play with a great deal of confidence and poise. We are very fortunate to have them in our program.”
After the victory over Fairfield, the men were 7-5 in MAAC conference play. A significant difference from the start of the Pioneers’ season when adjusting to the new conference proved more challenging.
“We had some growing pains early in conference play because the reality is we were playing better teams on average,” said Latina. “We needed to figure out what it took to win consistently in the MAAC.”
Source: Jayden Hunter, Staff Writer and Photographer
Source: Jayden Hunter, Staff Writer and Photographer
However, the Pioneers’ winning streak was stifled with two home losses to Quinnipiac University on Friday, Feb. 13 and Siena College on Sunday, Feb. 16.
Despite their losses, the Pioneers were able to hold their ground against the Quinnipiac Bobcats who are currently ranked first in the MAAC.
“It means that we have gotten to a place where we can compete with anyone in the MAAC which is not always the easiest transition,” said Latina.
This proves to be true as the Pioneers are currently seated at the middle of the pack. They are in seventh place out of 13 teams, with six conference games still left to play.
“Our hope is to finish in the top four in the MAAC which would be a solid accomplishment, considering we were picked 13th in the preseason coaches’ poll,” said Latina.
Looking ahead to the final stretch of the season, Conner has hopes for success.
“The goal is to keep winning,” said Conner. “We have to maintain our winning mindset, work ethic, and support for each other to keep building momentum.”
The Pioneers will take to the road next in North Andover, Mass. to play Merrimack College on Friday, Feb. 21.
