Saturday, Jan. 18, 2020 | 4:00 PM | DeGol Arena | Loretto, Pa.
SACRED HEART PIONEERS (6-9, 3-1 NEC) at Saint Francis U Red Flash (6-10, 4-1 NEC)
WATCH (NEC FRONT ROW) | LIVE STATS | Twitter - @SacredHeartWBB | GAME NOTES: SACRED HEART | SAINT FRANCIS U

LORETTO, Pa. – The Sacred Heart women's basketball team embarks on their annual NEC Western Pennsylvania road swing this weekend as the Pioneers (6-9, 3-1 NEC) prepare for a big conference battle against Saint Francis U (6-10, 4-1 NEC) on Saturday evening. Despite owning a 24-16 advantage in the all-time series, the Red Flash have dominated the series of-late, winning five of the last seven meetings including a 68-60 playoff win over SHU in the NEC semifinals last season in Fairfield.

The last time SHU defeated SFU in Loretto came back in the 2015-16 season as the Pioneers defeated the Red Flash, 81-77. Since that four-point win, SHU has lost four straight games to SFU at the DeGol Arena, three of which were double-digit defeats.

Thus far in the 2019-20 NEC regular season, these two sides are both sitting top four in the conference standings. The Red Flash are in the midst of a four-game homestand and come in riding a two-game win streak with both victories coming at home against St. Francis Brooklyn (82-72) and Wagner (51-50). The Pioneers won their first three NEC games but most-recently suffered a 65-60 setback at Fairleigh Dickinson on Monday.

OPENING TIP

• The Pioneers head into 2019-20 having lost five players to graduation, three of which were All-NEC honorees last season including Kat Haines (First Team All-NEC), Candice Leatherwood (Second Team) and Erin Storck (Third Team). With seven fresh faces to the program (five first-years, two incoming transfers), SHU will lean on several key veterans as senior Allyson Murphy, junior Olivia Dabney and redshirt junior Nikki Johnson will be relied upon heavily in the early stages of the season as other contributors work their way into the lineup or back from injury.
• The Pioneers matched a league record last season as four players (Haines- First Team, Leatherwood – Second Team, Storck – Third Team and Adrianne Hagood – Third Team) were named All-NEC. That was just the second time in league history (joining FDU in 2014-15) that four players from one team were named All-Conference. Hagood is the lone returning All-NEC performer for the Pioneers from last season.
• A women's basketball program with a storied history, the Pioneers advanced to the WNIT for the fourth time in school history in 2018-19, marking the eighth time in SHU's Div. I history that the Pioneers have advanced to a national postseason tournament (4x WNIT, 3x NCAA, 1x WBI). Also impressive is that all four of the Pioneers' WNIT berths have come over the last seven seasons while SHU has made a national postseason tournament in six of the last nine seasons overall.
• Adrianne Hagood is having herself a breakout junior season as she heads into Saturday sitting third in the NEC in scoring (15.9 PPG), 11th in field goal percentage (41.4), 10th in three-point percentage (37.4) and fourth in three-pointers per game (2.4). Hagood has gone for double figures in 11-of-14 games played thus far in the season and has led the team in scoring in more than half of her appearances (8-of-14). Coming into her junior year with four career 20+ point games, Hagood already has four 20+ point efforts on the season including a 22-point effort (4-10 3FG) at Penn State. Hagood's 22-point outburst against the Nittany Lions is the most points scored by a Pioneer against a non Big East Power 5 school since Callan Taylor dropped 24 on March 21, 2009 against Ohio State in the 2009 NCAA Tournament.
• Since injuries struck the SHU lineup four games ago, the Pioneers responded with three consecutive second half comeback wins prior to their first NEC loss on Monday at FDU. In the last four games, SHU has outscored opponents by a combined score of 99-56 (+43) in the fourth quarter. As a team, the Pioneers are averaging 67 points and own commanding leads in free throw makes (59 for SHU, 31 for opponents) and attempts (81 SHU, 56 opponents) in that span. Four Pioneers - Adrianne Hagood (15.8), Jayla Davis (13.3), Olivia Dabney (13.0) and Sonia Smith (10) - are scoring in double figures since the start of NEC play.
• SHU's dominance in the NEC is noteworthy as the Pioneer have finished the regular season sitting in the top four of the league standings in 14 of the last 15 seasons. In addition, SHU has advanced to the NEC Tournament in all 20 seasons since joining the NEC in 1999-00 and own the league's longest-standing active postseason streak (next-closest is Bryant at seven straight postseason berths). The Pioneers own a cumulative record of 252-98 (.720) in NEC regular season play and have never finished with a win percentage below .500 in league play across 20 NEC seasons.

SONIA'S STELLAR WEEK

Sonia Smith became the first Pioneer to take home an NEC weekly award this season as she was honored with Rookie of the Week laurels on Jan. 6. Smith spearheaded an incredible effort from the Pioneers in a 2-0 week to start conference play as she was one of the top individual performers from a SHU squad that featured just seven healthy players. Smith averaged 14 points on 47.4 percent shooting while adding 6.0 assists, 3.5 rebounds and 1.5 steals in 30.7 minutes per game. She played the role of hero, scoring eight fourth quarter points, including a streak of six straight for the Pioneers, as she helped lead SHU past Merrimack in a game in which the Pioneers trailed by eight in the fourth quarter. Smith followed that up with a career-high 16 points (13 in the first half) while matching her career-high with assists in a career-best 35 minutes in a 79-65 win over Wagner.

FREE POINTS AT THE LINE

As a team, the Pioneers are second in the NEC in free throws made (205) and first in attempted (300) in 2019-20 and a huge contributor of-late has been Jayla Davis. In the past eight games alone, Davis is 48-for-57 (84.2 percent) at the free throw line, having scored an impressive 48 of her 96 total points at the line over those eight contests. For the season, Davis is shooting a team-leading 82.2 percent from the charity stripe (60-for-73; 5.6 attempts per game) while she has generated close to half of her total points scored this season (60 of 131) on free throws. The sudden surge has lifted Davis as she is averaging 12 points per game over the last eight, with 10+ points in five straight games, compared to her 7.0 PPG average in her first five games played of the season.

COMEBACK KIDS

In one of the more-impressive comebacks for the Pioneers in recent memory, SHU overcame an eight-point deficit with 8:20 remaining in the fourth quarter to defeat Merrimack 63-60 in the NEC opener on January 2. This comeback win marks the largest fourth quarter deficit overcome for the Pioneers since Jan. 18, 2016 when SHU defeated CCSU 61-57 in double overtime despite trailing by 10 in the fourth quarter. The three-point win also signaled the first time SHU overcame a halftime deficit to win a game this season, having lost all six games to start the season wherein the Pioneers trailed at the break.

DOUBLE DIGIT DEFICIT OVERCOME

Looking to continue their unbeaten streak to start NEC play, SHU needed to overcome a 12-point third quarter deficit in a 66-58 home win over CCSU on Jan. 8. In that eight-point win, the Pioneers outscored the Blue Devils 38-18 over the final 17+ minutes to defeat their in-state NEC rival. This marked the first time SHU overcame a 10+ point third quarter deficit since trailing 51-40 in a 72-61 home win over FDU on Jan. 9, 2016. The last time SHU has overcome a 12-point second half deficit came in a 70-66 road win at RMU back on Jan. 21, 2013 as the Pioneers trailed 57-45 with 9:29 remaining.

SAVING OUR BEST FOR LAST

As evidenced by their recent comeback wins, the Pioneers have been considerably better in the fourth quarters of games this season as SHU has outscored their opponents by a combined margin of 289-230 (+59). Not only is the 289 points scored the highest cumulative total of any single quarter this season for the Pioneers (next-closest is the third quarter total of 223) but SHU has also allowed just 230 points in the fourth quarter of games which is the fewest points allowed by the Pioneers of any quarter this season. SHU has outscored their opponents in the fourth quarter in five straight games (124-76, +48 in that span). Since NEC play started, SHU has outscored opponents 99-56 (+43) in the fourth quarter.

DABNEY HAD A DAY

Playing with just eight healthy players in the last four games, the Pioneers needed several to step into leading roles and Olivia Dabney has elevated her play considerably to lead SHU to a string of comeback wins. She started with career-highs in points (17) and rebounds (12) on her way to recorded the first double-double of her career in a 63-60 home win over Merrimack and she followed with a monstrous individual effort that featured 17 points, 11 rebounds, five assists and four blocks while playing every minute as SHU overcame a 10-point third quarter deficit to outscore Wagner 41-17 over the final 12+ minutes in a 79-65 road win. Dabney set and matched her career-high in points in consecutive games and put her the first two double-digit rebounding efforts of her career. Her five assists and four blocks also were just one off her career-high in both marks for the junior guard. Dabney played the entire 40-minute contest for the first time this season and the third time of her career.

CRASH THE BOARDS

One of the keys to the victory over Merrimack in the NEC opener was in the rebounding department as SHU set a season-high with 46 rebounds, 18 of which were offense, as the Pioneers owned a +11 rebounding margin. The single-game total represents the most total rebounds and offensive rebounds for SHU in an NEC game since Jan. 27, 2018 when the Pioneers recorded 50 rebounds and 18 offensive rebounds in a road win at LIU Brooklyn.

SUCCESS AGAINST THE LADY LIONS

Despite an 88-65 defeat to Penn State on Dec. 22, the Pioneers had several key positives to take from the loss. Adrianne Hagood went off for 22 points including nine in the fourth quarter alone, as her 22-point scoring effort represents the most points scored by a Pioneer in a game against a non-Big East Power 5 school since Callan Taylor notched 24 on March 21, 2009 against Ohio State in the 2009 NCAA Tournament. SHU managed to match a season-high with 10 three-pointers and also committed a season-low 12 turnovers, winning the turnover battle 18-12 against PSU. Also of-note, the Pioneers missed their first 11 shots and trailed 17-0 midway through the first quarter but recovered and managed to be outscored by just six against PSU (71-65) across the final 35:27 of play.

FREE POINTS AT THE LINE

Through 15 games, the Pioneers generate a large percentage of their offense at the free throw line as SHU ranks second the NEC in free throws made (205) while generating the most attempts (300). Individually, seven Pioneers are shooting at least 70 percent from the charity stripe while Davis (60) leads the NEC in free throw makes. As a team, SHU is shooting 68.3 percent from the line and average 13.7 makes per game.

THAT 70+ SHOW
After going 5-4 in games where the Pioneers scored 70+ points in 2017-18, SHU has since turned it around completely in 2018-19 and into 2019-20, having gone 14-0 in similar games over the last two seasons as team defense keyed the turnaround. Cumulatively, in those 14 contests the Pioneers outscored opponents by 269 (+19.2 per game) and defeated opponents by 22 or more points in seven of those games.

DRI-PPING BUCKETS

After missing the first game of the season with an injury, Adrianne Hagood has provided a huge scoring lift in 2019-20. After scoring 13 (4-10 FG, 3-9 3FG) in a 27-point home win over Hofstra, Hagood netted 23 on 8-for-11 shooting and 3-of-5 from long range at Siena while she tallied a career-high 29 on 8-for-12 shooting, 5-for-7 from three and 8-of-8 at the free throw line against Bridgeport. She followed that up with 21 points in a win over Detroit Mercy to go along with a team-leading 16 points against Nebraska. Hagood went off for 22 points, including nine in the fourth quarter, at Penn State as she hit four three-pointers on her way to another 20+ point effort. The junior guard came into this season with four career 20+ point games but she already has four in the 2019-20 season.

DABNEY DOING HER BEST WORK

Back healthy again after missing the final 10 games of 2018-19 due to injury, junior Olivia Dabney was at her best in the Pioneers' 79-65 win over Wagner. Playing all 40 minutes for the third time in her career, Dabney matched her career-high in points (17) while adding 11 rebounds, five assists and four blocks as she tallied her second straight double-double after going two-plus seasons without a double-digit rebounding effort. A featured player for SHU, Dabney has played at least 30 minutes in 11 of her 14 games played this season while her 32.7 minutes per game average leads the team. Dabney's defense has been another strong suit in the 2019-20 season as she is fourth in the NEC in blocks (23) and blocks per game (1.6).

TAKE YOUR SHOT

Looking to capitalize on a boost in playing time, first-year Sonia Smith is picking her spots and looking to shoulder a sizeable load on offense with the Pioneers forced into a limited rotation. Over the last seven games, Smith ranks third on the team in field goal attempts (59) while she has at least six points in all seven.

SOUTH POINT SHOOTOUT RECAP

Flying out to Las Vegas for their first regular season tournament since 2015-16, the Pioneers showed well with a 66-60 win over Detroit Mercy before giving Nebraska a solid fight in a 72-49 loss. In the Detroit Mercy victory, the Pioneers recorded their first win away from home in 2019-20 behind a season-high 10-for-22 (45.5 percent) showing from three-point distance while capitalizing on their free throws with an 18-for-22 (81.8 percent) effort at the charity stripe. That was the best single-season percentage for SHU at the free throw line since going 18-for-20 against Saint Joseph's on Dec. 20, 2018 (32 games prior). Against Nebraska, the Pioneers couldn't overcome a 31-9 deficit midway through the second quarter but the effort was evident as SHU was outscored by just one point (41-40) in the final 25:14 of play.

PRESEASON EXPECTATIONS

At the league's annual Social Media Day held at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, SHU tied for third in the NEC Preseason Coaches' Poll. This marked the second straight season the Pioneers earned third in the preseason poll and it comes on the heels of a productive 2018-19 campaign in which the Pioneers went 19-13 overall and 14-4 in the NEC. Seeded second in the 2019 NEC Tournament, the Pioneers were bounced by Saint Francis U in the semifinal round but still got a taste of national postseason play as SHU earned the league's automatic bid into the WNIT. That WNIT berth marked the sixth national postseason tournament appearance for the Pioneers in the last nine seasons while SHU's 14 league wins last season was their most in a single-season since the 2014-15 campaign.