Conference

Shane Gibson, Sacred Heart

With Gibson as the catalyst, Sacred Heart has now won three straight games, including a 71-62 road victory over Yale on Sunday. Gibson registered a career-high 23 points, pulled down eight rebounds, made two steals and blocked a shot as the Pioneers won for the first time at the John J. Lee Amphitheater. He shot 8-16 from the field and hit a career-best five three-pointers. Facing a Yale team that already beat Boston College and nearly upset Providence, Sacred Heart jumped out to a 38-21 lead at the break behind Gibson’s 11 points, which included a 3-5 performance from outside the arc. After the Pioneers extended their advantage to 21 points early in the second half, Yale chipped away at the lead until cutting it to 49-42 with 11 minutes to play. Gibson halted the run with a long three-pointer, then hit two free throws to keep the lead in double digits. His putback with 5:18 to play gave Sacred Heart a 60-49 edge and helped keep the Bulldogs at bay. Gibson, a native of Killingly, CT, recorded his eighth double digit game this season and his second 20-point effort of the year. He has averaged 19.3 points and 7.0 rebounds over the three-game win streak, and now leads the team and ranks 11th in the NEC with 14.2 ppg. Gibson is also ninth on the circuit with 2.1 made three-pointers per game.