SACRED HEART (12-11, 9-3 NEC) VS CENTRAL CONNECTICUT (9-14, 8-4)
GAME 24 *Fairfield, CT.* *William H. Pitt Center*
The Sacred Heart women's basketball team is tied for second in the NEC as the end of the season is near. The Pioneers currently have a 9-3 in the NEC, and are 12-11 on the season. The Senior Class of 2017 will be honored prior to the matchup against Central Connecticut State at 1:00pm. The Blue Devils are just one game behind the Pioneers, sitting in fourth place with an 8-4 record.
Game Notes
Last Time They Met...
- The Sacred Heart women's basketball team travelled up to New Britain, Connecticut to take on the Blue Devils of Central Connecticut. Katherine Haines lead the Pioneers with 15 points, and recorded her third double-digit game, as the Pioneers fell 67-50 to the CCSU Blue Devils.
- Haines, Hannah Kimmel, and Kelcey Castro all ended the night with six rebounds, as the Pioneers were outrebounded 46-31. SHU finished the night shooting .305 from the field.
- Late in the fourth quarter, Andi Lydon from CCSU made a layup to extend the Blue Devil lead 60-49, proving to be too much for the Pioneers.
Inside the Series...
- SHU leads the all-time series with Central Connecticut 30-17, and currently have a one game losing streak after falling to the Blue Devils earlier this season.
- The match-up sits at 4-5, in the past four seasons for SHU. The last time Sacred Heart picked up a win against the Blue Devils came 2/13/16 where the Pioneers picked up a 79-69 win in a regular season matchup.
- These two teams like to win it big when they play, as the last six of the eight matchups ended with a scoring margin or at least 10+ points. The two exceptions came last season where SHU won by four points, 61-57, and in 2013 where CCSU won in OT
Scouting the Blue Devils...
- Fairleigh Dickinson comes into Saturday's NEC competition owning a 9-14 overall record, and a 8-4 conference record. The Blue Devils recently broke a two game losing streak, after taking out Wagner, 83-71 on Monday.
- The Blue Devils sit in fourth play among the NEC. A win over SHU would tie the two teams up, giving CCSU the tiebreaker with head-to-head wins.
- Going into Saturdays contest Central Connecticut leads the NEC in rebounding offense averaging 41 per game and, defensive rebounds averaging 27.19 per game
SHU at Home...
The Pioneers are now 7-3 at home this season. Sacred Heart traditionally has had great success in the William H. Pitt Center boasting a .717 (222-86) winning percentage. While never posting a losing record at home since the building's opening in 1997, the Pioneers' went undefeated at home twice in 2003-04 (14-0) and 2005-06 (15-0). SHU is 15-6 (.714) when hosting an NEC Tournament game, and have won all three titles on its home floor.
Minor Hiccup...
The Pioneers have jumped off to a great start to NEC play, posting a 9-3 record thus far. Although the team ran into some trouble with the Knights of Fairleigh Dickinson in their last contest, the Pioneers still sit among the top in the league, where they are tied for the second spot, with Robert Morris, as each team is 9-3 in NEC play.
She Can Do It All...
Katherine Haines was a force in the Pioneers last match, as she posted a new career high, 22 points in SHU's 58-56 loss to FDU. Haines was named as a Prime Performer in this weeks NEC awards, and currently sits first in field goal percentage among the northeast conference, with .517.
Remember The Name...
Hannah Kimmel has had a remarkable season for the Pioneers as she closes in on the record books as she now sits in second with 219 career three pointers, after adding another bucket against the Knights. The current Sacred Heart holder is Maggie Cosgrove (07'-11') who tallied 255 career three pointers.
