FAIRFIELD, Conn. — The Sacred Heart University women's basketball team welcomes crosstown rival Fairfield on Wednesday, Nov. 29, for a 7 p.m. clash at the Pitt Center. 

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OPENING TIP

• The Pioneers are back at home to play cross-town rival Fairfield on Wednesday at the Pitt Center.
• SHU has played the Stags 17 times in the two programs' all-time histories, with Fairfield holding a slim 10-7 lead in the series.
• The Pios have owned the matchup lately, winning three of the last four games, including a 69-58 triumph last season on the road.
• Sacred Heart returns home after spending its Thanksgiving break at the 2023 Discover Puerto Rico Classic, where it went 1-2. SHU defeated Puerto Rico-Mayaguez, 73-42, in its opener before battling both VCU and UCF tough in its last two games.
• After leading the Pioneers in the trio of contests, Ny'Ceara Pryor earned her second straight NEC Player of the Week nod, leading the team in points (15.3), assists (5.0) and steals per game (2.7).
• First years Emma Kirby and Nalyce Dudley both shined in SHU's win over UPRM, as both finished with a double-double. Kirby tallied 21 points and 11 rebounds, while Dudley posted a 10-point, 12-rebound game.  

BACK-TO-BACK POW
For the second straight week, Pryor was named the NEC Player of the Week after her stellar performance at the Discover Puerto Rico Classic. The Baltimore, Md., native averaged 15.3 points, 5.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 2.7 steals over 30 minutes per game at the event, with her points, assists and steals leading the team. Her performance helped SHU pick up a comfortable 73-42 victory over Puerto Rico-Mayaguez and helped keep the Pioneers competitive against challenging VCU and UCF teams. Pryor has won four NEC Player of the Week awards in her short history in the conference.

DOUBLE-DOUBLE TROUBLE
First years Emma Kirby and Nalyce Dudley both tallied double-doubles against Puerto Rico-Mayaguez. Kirby led all players with 21 points on 7-for-11 (63.6%) shooting from the field, adding 11 boards for her first career double-double. The 6-2 center from Chadds Ford, Pa., became the first Pioneer to tally a 20-point, 10-rebound double-double since Pryor did so twice last season. Dudley paced all players with 12 rebounds and scored a season-best 10 points. The 5-10 forward from Norwich, Conn., also led the team with five assists and hit her first career 3-pointer in the victory. SHU has not had two players record a double-double in a game since the 2020-21 season, when both Kelsey Wood and Nikki Johnson did so against CCSU (1/21/21).

TAKING CARE OF THE ROCK
Through the first seven games of the season, the Pioneers have taken special care of the basketball, as they lead the NEC and rank 48th in the country in turnovers per game. SHU is averaging 13.7 turnovers per game, which is 1.8 less than last season. Leading this push is Pryor, with a 2.0 assists-to-turnover ratio, which is up from 1.6 last year. 

SCOUTING FAIRFIELD
The Stags own a 4-1 overall record so far this season, winning their last two games against Rutgers and Central Connecticut State. Fairfield's lone loss was against SEC foe Vanderbilt, 73-70, on Sunday, Nov. 12, in Nashville, Tenn. The Stags trailed the Commodores by 14 points, 59-45, heading into the fourth quarter before putting together a 25-12 run to cut the deficit to one, 71-70. Vanderbilt scored the final two points of the game on free throws in the final two seconds to seal the win. Leading the way for the Stags has been impressive first year Meghan Andersen, as she is averaging team-bests with 17.2 points, 6.4 rebounds and 1.6 blocks per game. The 6-1 forward is shooting at a 57.4% clip from the field and 44.0% from 3-point range. Andersen has been named the MAAC Rookie of the Week for two straight weeks. Janelle Brown was tabbed as the conference's Player of the Week in the same announcement as Andersen. Brown is tied for second on the team with 13.2 points per game and leads the Stags with 3.8 assists per game. The senior guard is shooting 67.6% from the field and has hit 6-of-8 (75.0%) shots from behind the arc. ALL-TIME SERIES VS.

THE STAGS
The Pioneers and Stags will meet for the 18th time on Wednesday, with Fairfield holding a slim 10-7 lead in the all-time series. Sacred Heart has controlled the matchup of late, winning three of the last four contests, with the most recent game being a 69-58 SHU victory on Dec. 11, 2022. Pryor led the way for SHU in the most recent victory with 27 points, eight rebounds, four assists and five steals in 38 minutes.