FAIRFIELD, Conn. – The Sacred Heart University women's basketball team led by 11 after the first quarter and by one at halftime but ended up falling by a 69-58 final score at league-leading Fairfield on Saturday evening at the Leo D. Mahoney Arena. With the win, the Stags improved to 18-0 in Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) play. 

As she has for most of the season, Ny'Ceara Pryor paced the Pioneers in scoring, putting up 20 again against the Stags. She finished the night with 20 points, four rebounds, four assists and six steals. Pryor became the third player in program history to tally 400 assists in their careers with her four assists tonight. 

Emma Kirby tallied her third consecutive strong game on Saturday, tallying 12 points and seven rebounds. Nalyce Dudley hit a career-best three 3-pointers and finished with nine points. 

Records: 
Sacred Heart: 7-20, 3-15 MAAC
Fairfield: 24-3, 18-0 MAAC
 
Leaders: 
Ny'Ceara Pryor: 20 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists, 6 steals, 1 block
Emma Kirby: 12 points, 7 rebounds

Of Note: 
The Pioneers came out of the gates strong, going up 9-4 after 3:49, scoring seven straight, including a Nalyce Dudley 3-pointer and an Kirby tip-in. Sacred Heart put together another 7-0 run to go up 10, 18-8, by the 2:24 mark. Carmen Williams highlighted the run with a three-point play. The Pios' advantage grew to 11, 21-10, by the end of the opening quarter. 

SHU found itself up by 12, 24-12, 1:29 into the second, following another Dudley triple. The Pioneers and Stags traded baskets from there, as the Pios remained up 10, 38-28, with 2:17 left in the opening half. Unfortunately for Sacred Heart, Fairfield proved why it is one of the best teams in the region by ending the quarter on a 9-0 run to set the SHU lead at 38-37 going to the third quarter. 

Despite the Stags' strong finish to the first half, the Pioneers held firm at the beginning of the third, keeping the lead for the first 5:29 of the period. SHU led by as much as seven in the third, 46-39, following another Kirby layup, but Fairfield tied the game at 46-all by the 4:31 mark. The Stags scored 15 unanswered points to take a 54-46 lead at 3:19, going into the fourth up 57-50. 

SHU got as close as three points in the fourth, 57-54, and four points on multiple occasions, but a defensive quarter allowed the home team to secure the 69-58 victory. 

Up Next:
The Pioneers return to the Pitt Center on Thursday, Mar. 6, for a 7 p.m. tilt against Manhattan.