The Pioneers took on their crosstown rival Fairfield University in men’s basketball on Feb. 5 at the William H. Pitt Center, falling to the Stags by a score of 92-87. The game marked the first basketball sellout at the newly renovated Pitt Center.
After being down 47-38 against the Stags at the end of the first half, the Pioneers were able to cut the lead down to one point, but they were not able to pull off the win. For senior guard Dashon Gittens, embracing the highs and lows of the season is a crucial aspect of having a positive attitude.
“The mindset is really good. We have been on a losing streak before and turned it into a win streak. It’s just a bump in the road,” said Gittens. “We just get closer even when there are ups and downs and no team is perfect, and that we’re always trying to be great every day.”
Despite the loss against the Stags, the atmosphere was electric in the Pitt Center, with a sold-out crowd. The sold-out arena ranged from families to college students, as well as superfans.
“It’s an exciting thing for players to experience something like that, but what really excites me is the campus community,” said head coach Anthony Latina.
Latina was pleased to see the bleachers filled to the brim with fans, which, to him, had a massive impact on the game.
Source: Nicholas Bosticco, Staff Writer and Photographer
“No question, the crowd had a major impact, rattled Fairfield, and the crowd was overall a major factor in making it a close game,” said Latina.
The Pioneers are slowly looking at the end of their season, with three games to go in the season and looking to clinch a spot in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) Tournament.
“The way to keep morale high is to stick to the process, the season is going to have ups and downs, the stuff you can’t control you have to move on, get ready to beat the next opponents,” said senior forward Anquan Hill.
The Pioneers take on the Stags once again in the Leo D. Mahoney Arena in Fairfield on Friday, Feb. 20. Fairfield University is known to have an electric crowd for their basketball games, and with their cross-town rival playing against them, they will bring the energy on their turf.
“Always a little bit of everything, always need to be fresh and clear your head, and you have to be as good as you can be, the margin is always so small, and the difference between winning and losing is almost nothing,” said Latina.
Following the game at Fairfield, the Pioneers will travel to Poughkeepsie, N.Y. to take on Marist University on Feb. 22 before returning home to conclude the regular season on Feb. 27 against Mount St. Mary’s University.
Sacred Heart Athletics contributed to this article.
