Masked Conner dishes 12 assists for Sacred Heart in MAAC Tourney win

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. — Mekhi Conner may not be Sacred Heart’s top scorer, best player, or even most impactful player, but no player is more of a bellwether of the Pioneers’ success from game to game than the sophomore point guard.

During SHU’s five-game winning streak in January, he averaged double-digit assists. Since then, he was averaging less than half of that number. His February was interrupted by a broken jaw, but he showed up in Atlantic City. Conner dished out 12 assists, including a barrage in the middle of the second half to catapult Sacred Heart to a 91-80 win over Iona in the first round of the MAAC Tournament.

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For Anthony Latina, it was one of the gutsiest performances he’s seen.

Conner was told he’d be out for two months when he suffered the injury in February, but he had to find any way to get on the court. He didn’t want to miss anything.

“First thing he says to me is ‘Coach, I’m not missing two months,” Latina said. “So we get him in this Bane-looking mask, which is impossible to play with, and he came back right away.”

After missing just two games, Conner returned for the Pioneers’ rivalry matchup with Fairfield on February 20, but he struggled to the tune of a 63 offensive rating as SHU fell 78-68.

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He continued to struggle in the games against Marist and Mount St. Mary’s, even as the Pioneers took down the Mount last Friday at home. But on Thursday, he seemed just fine, despite the mask’s best efforts.

“I’m still trying to get used to (the mask),” Conner told Mid-Major Madness after the game. “Sometimes I shoot, and I’m like ‘Dawg something just touched me,’ So it’s a little frustrating, but I pushed through.”

Thursday was the start of the reason why Conner decided that he couldn’t afford to miss any time.

“It’s very important,” he said. “I know how much my teammates love having me out there. I also thank my teammates for being there for me and helping me along and telling me…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/masked-conner-dishes-12-assists-041356332.html

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Publish date : 2026-03-06 04:13:00

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