NEW ROCHELLE, NY – The Sacred Heart University women's basketball team couldn't ride the momentum from a strong second quarter to victory. The Pioneers were outscored 51-37 in the second half as they dropped a 72-64 decision at Iona on Tuesday.

Records:
Iona: 3-4
Sacred Heart: 1-3

Top Performers:
Jayla Davis (SHU): 20 points, 8 rebounds
Nikki Johnson (SHU): 12 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists
Kelsey Wood (SHU): 8 points, 10 rebounds

Up Next:
The Pioneers are off until January 7 when they host Merrimack for the first of two NEC contests.

Of Note:
Points were at a premium in the first quarter as the Gaels ended the opening 10 minutes with a 10-8 lead. 

Sacred Heart played great defense to end the half as they limited Iona to four points in the final four minutes. While the Pioneers did not make a basket during that stretch, they were able to get to the free throw line nine times to take a 27-21 lead into the intermission.

Three minutes into the second half, Kelsey Wood made a layup to put the Pioneers up 32-23. Sacred Heart would not make a basket for the next four minutes and that allowed Iona to go on a 15-0 run and grab a 38-32 lead.

Sacred Heart cut the lead to 54-53 with 4:08 to play on a Jayla Davis three-pointer. Iona responded as two Juana Camilion free throws capped a 6-0 run and put the game out of reach. In the final two minutes, the Gaels went 16-for-16 from the charity stripe to seal the victory.

Just missing her career-high was Davis as she scored a game-high 20 points. Nikki Johnson was next with 12 points and five rebounds while Wood just missed a double-double with 10 rebounds and eight points.