FAIRFIELD, Conn. – The Sacred Heart University women's basketball team travels to New Jersey on Thursday, Feb. 6, for a 6 p.m. Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) showdown against Rider in Lawrenceville, N.J.

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OPENING TIP

• Sacred Heart hits the road this Thursday for a 6 p.m. showdown against Rider at the Broncs' Alumni Gymnasium in Lawrenceville, N.J.
• The Pioneers will battle Rider for the third time in the two teams' histories, with SHU winning the previous two matchups. 
• Sacred Heart heads into Thursday coming off a heart-breaking overtime defeat to Manhattan on Saturday. 
• SHU dominated the first half, while a strong Jaspers' third quarter led to an exciting fourth. 
• With the ball down by two and nine seconds remaining, the Pios got the ball to Amelia Wood, who hit a miraculous bank shot from the floor with seven-tenths of a second left to force OT. 
• Unfortunately, Manhattan got the better of SHU in overtime to seal a home win, 64-58. 
• Ny'Ceara Pryor again led the Pioneers, posting team-highs in points (17), rebounds (9), steals (5) and assists (4).
• Wood ended the game with 14 points to finish second on the team.

LAST TIME OUT
The Pioneers fell in overtime at Manhattan on Saturday afternoon in Riverdale, N.Y., by a final score of 64-58. SHU led by 11 in the first quarter and halftime, but the Jaspers took a one-point advantage through three quarters. The two teams traded the lead in the fourth quarter, with Manhattan ahead by two in the final seconds. With seven-tenths of a second remaining, Amelia Wood hit a bank shot while sitting on the ground to force overtime. Unfortunately for the Pioneers, the Jaspers got the better of them in overtime to escape with the home win. Ny'Ceara Pryor continued her excellence all over the court on Saturday, leading the team in points (17), rebounds (9), steals (5) and assists (4). Wood finished second on the Pios with 14 points. Emma Kirby (8pts, 8rebs), Nalyce Dudley (8pts, 8rebs) and Carmen Williams (7pts, 8rebs) all put up similar stat lines. Williams tied her career-high with eight boards.

THIS IS SPORTSCENTER
Hitting a shot while sitting on the court to force overtime is not something you see every day at a basketball game. In honor of Wood's circus shot, she was named the No. 6 on the SportsCenter Top 10 Plays that night. Wood is not the first Pioneer to be featured on SC Top 10 this season, as football's Ethan Hilliman made the No. 1 play with a one-handed touchdown catch in SHU's win over Georgetown.

SCOUTING RIDER

• The Broncs head into Thursday with a 3-8 mark in the MAAC and 5-15 overall. 
• Rider has won its last two games, defeating Saint Peter's (57-52) and Merrimack (65-63) on the road. 
• The Broncs are 2-7 at home this season, with its lone conference win at Alumni Gymnasium coming against Niagara, 79-59. 
• Leading the way for the Broncs is senior guard Gabby Turco, who averages 14.0 points per game. 
• Defensively, senior guard Mariona Cos-Morales paces Rider with 4.1 rebounds and 1.5 steals per game.

SERIES HISTORY

• The series history between the Pioneers and Broncs features just two games. 
• SHU won both of the previous contests in 2004 and 2005.