HAMDEN, Conn.- DeMario Anderson (Oxon Hill, Md.) picked up his fourth double-double of the season, scoring 25 points and pulling down 11 rebounds as Quinnipiac lost to in-state rival Sacred Heart, 88-74, Saturday at the TD Banknorth Sports Center. The Bobcats fall to 14-13 overall and 10-6 in Northeast Conference play. Sacred Heart improves to 16-11, 13-3 in the NEC.

Quinnipiac honored its seniors before the game, recognizing players DeMario Anderson, Karl Anderson (Chester, N.Y.) and Andrew Cashin (Brooklyn, N.Y.) for their contributions to the men’s basketball program.

Junior Bryan Geffen (Queens, N.Y.) scored 12 for Quinnipiac on 5-10 shooting from the field and sophomore James Feldeine (New York, N.Y.) added 10 points for the Bobcats. Sacred Heart’s high scorers were sophomores Ryan Litke and Chauncey Hardy, each with 17 points. Senior Drew Shubik narrowly missed a triple-double with 10 points, 10 assists, and nine rebounds.

The Bobcats fell behind early and a Ryon Howard jumper gave Sacred Heart a 17-9 lead with 9:49 left in first half. Quinnipiac pulled within two points, 22-20, after an acrobatic layup by junior Louis Brookins (Silver Spring, Md.) with 7:24 remaining. After falling behind by as many as five points, the Bobcats tied the game at 28 after a three-point play by Feldeine with just over four minutes to play in the half.

Feldeine struck again with 3:05 remaining, hitting a leaning floater in the lane to give Quinnipiac their first lead since the opening minutes, 32-30. The Bobcats maintained the lead for the rest of the half and went into the locker room with a 38-36 advantage. Anderson led the Bobcats with eight first-half points, while Chauncey Hardy and Luke Granato shared the high point total for the Pioneers with nine apiece.

Sacred Heart opened the second half with four unanswered points, gaining a 40-38 lead. The Pioneers forced turnovers, and Hardy picked up back-to-back fast break dunks off of steals. The Bobcats fought back thanks to the play of Anderson, his jumper from the left wing with 14:55 left gave Quinnipiac a 48-44 lead.

With 9:30 left to play, Granato was fouled and managed to make a tough two-handed scoop shot. He converted the free throw, giving the Pioneers a 59-54 lead. On the following possession, a desperation three-pointer by Brice Brooks with just one second left on the shot clock gave Sacred Heart a 62-54 lead. The Pioneers extended the margin to 68-57 after a three-pointer by Ryan Litke with 6:35 remaining. Corey Hassan’s three-pointer with 4:48 left gave Sacred Heart their largest lead of the game, 73-60.

Anderson’s jumper with 2:28 left cut the deficit to single digits, 75-66, and with two minutes to play the Bobcats trailed 78-68. The Pioneers pushed the lead and made free throws down the stretch to secure the 88-74 victory.

Quinnipiac outshot Sacred Heart from the field, 56.3% to 47.8%, but 21 Bobcat turnovers gave the Pioneers extra opportunities. Sacred Heart took 19 more shots than Quinnipiac, and connected on nine out of 19 three-pointers.

Quinnipiac continues play Thursday, Feb. 28, when they take on another in-state rival, Central Connecticut State University. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:00 p.m.