FAIRFIELD, Conn. – The Sacred Heart University women's basketball team welcomes Merrimack to the William H. Pitt Center on Thursday, Feb. 20, to conclude the two teams' season series. The Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) tilt is slated to start at 7 p.m. 

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OPENING TIP

• Sacred Heart welcomes Merrimack to the Pitt Center on Thursday, Feb. 20, for a 7 p.m. tilt. 
• The Pioneers will meet the Warriors for the second time this season and the 16th team in the two teams' histories. 
• SHU is coming off a 66-51road loss at Siena on Saturday. 
• The Pioneers dominated the first quarter to take a 20-14 lead into the second. 
• The Saints battled back to take a 27-24 advantage into halftime and built a 47-34 lead for the fourth quarter. 
• Sacred Heart made some runs in the fourth, but it was not enough to earn the road victory. 
• Ny'Ceara Pryor paced SHU with 24 points in 30 minutes, her ninth 20-point game of the season. 
• The outstanding junior added three rebounds, two assists and six steals for an impressive stat line.
• Nalyce Dudley was next on the Pioneers with 11 points, while Amelia Wood contributed eight points and seven rebounds.

LAST TIME OUT
Sacred Heart suffered a 66-51 road loss to Siena on Saturday in Loudonville, N.Y. The Pios looked strong in the first quarter, storming out to an 8-4 lead before taking a 20-14 advantage going into the first break. The Saints, who are third in the MAAC standings, caught their bearings in the second and won the frame 13-4 to make it a 27-24 lead for the home team at halftime. Unfortunately for the Pioneers, Siena secured a 20-10 victory in the third quarter to put the game out of reach. Ny'Ceara Pryor led the way for SHU with 24 points, her ninth 20-point game of the season. The outstanding junior added three rebounds, two assists and six steals for an impressive stat line. Nalyce Dudley was next on the team with 11 points, while Amelia Wood contributed eight points and seven rebounds.

LEADING THE MAACTION
Switching conferences this season has not slowed Pryor down at all, as the junior is on pace to set new career marks. The Baltimore native is on pace to set new career highs with 19.1 points and 3.9 steals per game. She leads the MAAC in both categories, as she ranks 33rd in the country in scoring.

SCOUTING MERRIMACK 

• The Warriors head into Thursday's matchup with an 11-13 overall record and are seventh in the MAAC standings at 7-8. 
• Merrimack has won two in a row after losing four of its previous five before the win streak. 
• The Warriors have been strong at home this season with an 8-3 record but have struggled away from Mass., with a 3-10 mark in road games. 
• MC has excelled this season on the glass, ranking second in the MAAC with 36.1 boards per game. 
• Sophomore forward Madison Roman leads the rebounding efforts with 8.9 boards per game, which ranks second in the conference. 
• Roman is also third on the team in scoring, with 9.6 points per game. 
• Sophomore guard Thalia Shepard paces the offense with 12.8 points per game, while fellow sophomore guard Paloma Garcia is second at 9.9.

 
SERIES HISTORY 

• The Pioneers and Warriors will meet for the 16th time in the all-time series on Thursday. 
• Merrimack took an 8-7 lead in the series with a win this year on Jan. 9. 
• SHU had won the previous four matchups.