Box Score FAIRFIELD, Conn. – In desperate need of a win, the Sacred Heart women's basketball team saves its best for the final quarter as the Pioneers outscored Bryant 19-5 to overcome a 10-point fourth quarter deficit in a 52-48 home win over the Bulldogs on Sunday afternoon. The late-game comeback put to bed a six-game losing streak for SHU (9-17, 6-9 NEC) while Bryant (8-18, 6-9 NEC) drops their second straight in the first matchup of the season between the two sides.
In a game largely dominated by Bryant for 30 minutes, SHU put up 10 unanswered points in the opening 3:16 minutes of the fourth quarter to tie the score at 43-43. With the score later tied 48-48 with 2:04 left, SHU held the Bulldogs scoreless over those last couple of minutes while hitting free throws that put the game away late.
Nikki Johnson was tremendous in the victory, scoring a game-high 21 points on 5-of-11 shooting from three-point range as this marked Johnson's second 20-plus point effort of the season. SHU played sound defense all game, committing only 13 fouls as Bryant went to the free throw line just five times in defeat. The Pioneers also made the most of 20 Bulldog turnovers, translating into a 25-19 edge in points-off-turnovers for the home side.
1st Quarter (19-13 BRY)
- SHU built an early 6-2 lead, with Davis converting a three-point play followed by a Johnson triple from the corner as the Pioneers scored on two of their first three possessions
- Following that Johnson triple, however, SHU went nearly four minutes without another field goal, allowing Bryant to ride a 9-1 run and made it 11-7 Bulldogs midway through the frame
- The teams continued to trade runs throughout the remainder of the period as SHU scored six unanswered before the Bulldogs went on an 8-0 run to close the quarter with a six-point lead
2nd Quarter (27-22 BRY)
- Neither side could get much going on offense in the second as the two teams combined for just 17 points in the quarter
- SHU held Bryant scoreless for six-plus minutes as the Pioneers forced Bryant into misfired on their first nine shot attempts of the quarter while Bryant committed three turnovers in the scoreless streak
- SHU was able to take advantage midway through the second as a 7-0 SHU run sent the Pioneers in front, 20-19
- The Bryant offense, which had lain dormant for nearly seven minutes, came to life in the closing minutes of the frame as the Bulldogs rode an 8-2 run into the halftime break
3rd Quarter (43-33 BRY)
- In a game of runs, the second half was no different as Bryant built a 10-point lead with 6:30 left in the quarter
- Back-to-back three-pointers from Sonia Smith and Johnson immediately cut the deficit down to four points
- The gap lowered to three as Johnson canned yet another triple from the wing that made it 36-33 Bulldogs but seven unanswered points to end the period for Bryant set the stage for an epic double-digit comeback win for the Pioneers in the fourth
4th Quarter (52-48 SHU)
- Adrianne Hagood, who was held to just two points in the first three quarters combined, scored five straight points to force a Bryant timeout to start the fourth
- Olivia Dabney then converted in the paint and Johnson hit her fifth three of the game as the score was suddenly tied with 6:44 remaining
- Bryant answered back with their first field goal of the quarter, only to see Jayla Davis step into a three-pointer that gave SHU their first lead of the second half
- Free throws and defense won the game late for SHU who stormed back for a much-needed NEC win
NOTES
- Johnson netted a career-high five three-pointers on her way to a 21-point effort, the second-highest single-game total in her career
- Johnson has led the Pioneers in scoring in two straight games while she added four rebounds, two assists, two steals and two blocks in 35 minutes
- Dabney tallied six points, six rebounds and set a career-high with six assists in her 39 minutes of action
- Dabney has played at least 38 minutes in three of the last four games
- SHU moves to 6-4 at home in the 2019-20 season and 4-3 against NEC competition
- The Pioneers were able to come through with the victory despite being outrebounded 40-27 (-13) as the Bulldogs owned a 14-4 edge in second change points
NEXT GAME
The Pioneers will honor their two-member senior class – Allyson Murphy and Madison Cheatham – prior to the start of Saturday's NEC matchup against St. Francis Brooklyn.
