FAIRFIELD, Conn. – The Sacred Heart University women's basketball team heads to the Garden State on Wednesday for non-conference clash against the NJIT Highlanders at 6 p.m. at the Joel & Diane Bloom Wellness and Events Center 

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OPENING TIP

• The Pioneers head to the Garden State on Wednesday to play NJIT at 6 p.m. at the Highlanders' Joel & Diane Bloom Wellness and Events Center. 
• Sacred Heart and NJIT have met just once in the two teams' histories, with the Pioneers winning the first-ever meeting 57-48 at the Pitt Center last December. 
• The Pios are 1-1 to start the 2024-25 season, falling to Boston College in their most recent contest and beating Hofstra in their opener.
• Wednesday's contest will be the third in the Pioneers' season-opening four-game road trip that features two stops in New York, one in New Jersey and one in Massachusetts. 
• SHU last played on Thursday, falling to Boston College by a 102-58 final score. 
• Nalyce Dudley led the way for the Pioneers with 13 points and five boards, playing a team-high 30 minutes. 
• Ny'Ceara Pryor also crossed double figures with 10 points, extending her streak of scoring 10+ points to 24 straight games. 
• Esther Kursite and Grace John both tallied firsts with the Pioneers against Boston College, as Kursite scored her first collegiate points and John tallied her first points as a Pioneer.

LAST TIME OUT
Sacred Heart suffered a 102-58 loss at Boston College on Thursday afternoon. Nalyce Dudley led the scoring efforts for SHU with 13 points. She also tallied five boards over a team-leading 30 minutes in her best game of the season. Ny'Ceara Pryor was next on the team with 10 points, her 24th straight game with double-digit scoring. The star junior also chipped five assists and four rebounds. Esther Kursite and Grace John both tallied first with the Pioneers against BC, as Kursite scored her first collegiate points and John tallied her first points as a Pio. 

DUDLEY DID RIGHT
After a successful rookie season that saw her make the All-NEC Rookie Team, Dudley lived up to that hype with her performance at BC. Her 13 points were better than her average of 7.6 last year, while she was right on track with her five rebounds. The Norwich, Conn., has been an important player off the Pioneers' bench this season, being one of the first subs in the game in both contests.

SCOUTING NJIT

• The Highlanders have played games already this season, owning a 1-2 record. 
• NJIT opened the year against the NEC's Saint Francis, rolling to an 80-60 win on the road. 
• The Highlanders then suffered close defeats to Hofstra (74-69) and Rutgers (94-84). 
• The 3-point shot has fueled NJIT's offense, as they rank 22nd in the country in 3-pointers per game (10.7) and 26th in 3-point attempts (29.0). 
• Junior guard Alejandra Zuniga has been at the center of everything for the Highlanders' offense, as she ranks second in the country with 70 points and 24 made field goals. 
• She ranks 23rd in the country with 23.3 points per game, scoring a season-high 26 at Rutgers. 
• Zuniga has also been the team's best facilitator, leading the Highlanders with 3.7 assists per game. 
• Defensively, senior forward Trinity Williams paces the team with 9.0 rebounds and 2.0 blocks per game.

SERIES HISTORY

• Wednesday's game will be just the second in the two teams' histories, as the Pioneers won last year's contest 57-48 at the Pitt Center in Fairfield.