LORETTO, Pa. – Behind a season-best 12 3-pointers, the Sacred Heart University women's basketball team cruised to a convincing 86-47 victory over Saint Francis on Monday to improve to 2-0 in Northeast Conference (NEC) play.
Ny'Ceara Pryor had one of her best games of the season, tallying 19 points, nine assists, eight rebounds and four steals in 26 minutes. She came perilously close to recording her second triple-double of the season.
Amelia Wood tallied her first career double-double on 15 points and 10 boards, while her sister
Kelsey Wood reached a career milestone by corralling her 400th career rebound.
As a team, the Pioneers sank a season-best 12 triples, the most by the team since hitting 12 at Bryant on Feb. 13, 2021. SHU's 86 points are the most by the team since hanging 112 on UC Santa Cruz in a 112-109 win on Nov. 18, 2018.
Records:
Sacred Heart: 8-8, 2-0 NEC
Saint Francis: 2-13, 1-1 NEC
Top Performers:
Ny'Ceara Pryor: 19 points, 9 assists, 8 rebounds, 4 steals
Amelia Wood: 15 points, 10 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals, 1 block
Sierra Johnson: 14 points, 2 rebounds, 3 blocks
Nalyce Dudley: 6 points, 12 rebounds, 2 blocks, 1 steal
How It Happened:
The first quarter started as a defensive battle, with the score tied at 4-4 through the opening 4:35. SHU's hot shooting started from that point, with A. Wood and
Olivia Tucker hitting back-to-back triples to give the Pios a 10-4 advantage. Sacred Heart led by as much as 11 in the frame, 17-6, taking an 18-8 lead into the second quarter.
The game was blown wide open in the second quarter, with the Pioneers building a 24-point lead with 1:22 left in the frame following a 12-0 run. Pryor scored five in the surge, with
Nalyce Dudley adding four and
Sierra Johnson sinking a 3-pointer. Four consecutive by the Red Flash to end the quarter sent SHU into the halftime break up 20, 34-14.
Sacred Heart continued to impress in the second half, never letting its lead dip below 18 points for the remainder of the game. The Pioneers' advantage hit a game-high 42, 86-42, with 32 seconds left, but a triple by SFU with 11 seconds left set the final score at 86-47. With the win, the Pios have won seven straight against NEC competition after last season's conference championship.
In addition to Pryor and A. Wood, a handful of Pioneers tallied impressive individual stat lines. Johnson finished the night with 14 points and two rebounds, setting new career highs with three blocks and two 3-pointers. Dudley tied her season high with 12 rebounds and six points.
Sajada Bonner rounded out SHU's double-digit scorers with 11.
Up Next:
The Pioneers remain on the road in their next NEC contest, heading to LIU for a 2 p.m. tilt at the Sharks' Steinberg Wellness Center in Brooklyn, N.Y.
