Saturday, Jan. 25, 2020 | 1:00 PM | Coach Bike Court | Fairfield, Conn.
SACRED HEART PIONEERS (6-11, 3-3 NEC) vs. Fairleigh Dickinson Knights (7-10, 4-2 NEC)
WATCH (NEC FRONT ROW) | LIVE STATS | TICKETS | Twitter - @SacredHeartWBB | GAME NOTES: SACRED HEART | FAIRLEIGH DICKINSON

FAIRFIELD, Conn. – The Sacred Heart women's basketball team gets a much-needed reprieve from the road as the Pioneers return to Coach Bike Court for a Saturday afternoon doubleheader against Fairleigh Dickinson. The women's NEC contest tips at 1:00 PM while the men's battle against the Knights will begin no early than 3:30 PM.   

These two sides met just under two weeks ago with SHU suffering a 65-60 setback in Teaneck as the Pioneers struggled scoring just 22 points in the first half while shooting 16-for-47 (34 percent) for the game. Nearly half of SHU's total points came at the free throw line as the Pioneers went 23-for-31 from the charity stripe.

That five-point loss to the Knights was the beginning of the Pioneers' current three-game NEC losing streak after SHU started NEC play with an unblemished 3-0 record. A return trip home to face FDU is a welcome sight for the Pioneers as SHU is 4-1 at home this season and 2-0 in conference games played in Fairfield. The Pioneers also have an unblemished all-time home record as SHU comes in with an 18-0 all-time record against FDU dating back to the Pioneers' first Div. I season in 1999-00.

Several promotions litter Saturday's doubleheader with the men as it will be Easton Day, Catholic School Week Celebration and Youth Day all wrapped in one at the Pitt Center. All residents of Easton receive $1 admission (ID necessary). SHU supports Catholic education and all Catholic School students receive $1 tickets. Finally, all youth basketball participants receive $1 tickets for the doubleheader.

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 (16.4 PPG) while sitting Top 15 in the NEC in every major shooting statistic including field goal percentage (39.9), three-point percentage (35.1) and free throw percentage (74.6) while sittiing tied for third in three-pointers per game (2.4). Hagood has gone for double figures in 13-of-16 games played thus far in the season and has led the team in scoring in more than half of her appearances (10-of-16). Coming into her junior year with four career 20+ point games, Hagood already has six 20+ point efforts on the season including a 22-point effort (4-10 3FG) at Penn State.
• Since injuries struck the SHU lineup six games ago, the Pioneers responded with three consecutive second half comeback wins prior to their first NEC loss last Monday at FDU. In the last six games, SHU has outscored opponents by a combined score of 117-90 (+26) in the fourth quarter. As a team, the Pioneers are averaging 61.5 points and own commanding leads in free throw makes (81 for SHU, 54 for opponents) and attempts (106 SHU, 84 opponents) in that span. Three Pioneers - Adrianne Hagood (17.2), Jayla Davis (12.5) and Olivia Dabney (12.0) - are averaging 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.

HOME VS ROAD SPLITS

SHU has been markedly better at home (4-1 record) than in games the Pioneers have played on the road and in neutral sites (2-10) this season. Comparing home/road splits, the Pioneers are experiencing huge upticks in scoring (65.8 points per game at home/56.7 on the road) and points allowed (58 home/71.5 road) as well as sizeable margins in turnover margin (+3.6 home/-3.0 road), rebounding margin (+3.0 home/-8.4 road), field goal percentage (.387 home/.341 road). In five home games, the Pioneers have scored 60+ points in four of the five while SHU has gone for north of 60 points just five times in 12 games played away from Fairfield.

NO TURNOVERS HERE

Despite averaging 17.7 turnovers per game, the Pioneers are taking much better care of the ball of-late as SHU recently matched a program record with five turnovers in a home win over CCSU (1/8) before recording six at Saint Francis U (1/18) and 12 at Fairleigh Dickinson (1/13). The Pioneers have now recorded a program record five turnovers in a game three times, with the most-recent occurrence coming all the way back in the 2009-10 campaign prior to the five-turnover effort against the Blue Devils. Prior to Monday's defeat at RMU, over the previous three games, SHU averaged just 7.7 turnovers per game.

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 (227) and attempted (325) in 2019-20 and a huge contributor has been Jayla Davis. In the past 10 games alone, Davis is 53-for-64 (82.8 percent) at the free throw line, having scored an impressive 53 of her 118 total points at the line over those 10 contests. For the season, Davis is shooting a team-leading 81.3 percent from the charity stripe (65-for-80; 5.3 attempts per game) while she has generated close to half of her total points scored this season (65 of 153) on free throws. The sudden surge has lifted Davis as she is averaging 11.8 points per game over the last 10, with 10+ points in seven of those 10 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 307-264 (+43). Not only is the 307 points scored the highest cumulative total of any single quarter this season for the Pioneers (next-closest is the third quarter total of 262) but SHU has also allowed just 264 points in the fourth quarter of games which is the second-fewest points allowed by the Pioneers of any quarter this season (259 allowed in the first quarter). Since NEC play started, SHU has outscored opponents 117-90 (+27) in the fourth quarter.

DABNEY HAD A DAY

Playing with just eight healthy players in the last five 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 17 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 (227) and attempted (325) Individually, seven Pioneers are shooting at least 70 percent from the charity stripe while Davis (65) leads the NEC in free throw makes. As a team, SHU is shooting 69.8 percent from the line and average 13.4 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 six 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 13 of her 16 games played this season while her 33.1 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 (24) and blocks per game (1.5).

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.

TRANSFORMING HER GAME

In terms of year-to-year improvement, Olivia Dabney made considerable strides to her offensive production from her freshman to sophomore season. As a freshman, Dabney slashed 24.5/20.9/47.7 in terms of FG%/3FG%/FT% in her rookie season only to improve to 42.2/43.4/75.8 in 19 games before going down with a season-ending injury in February. Dabney's three-point game was an area she highlighted to improve and the work paid off as her 43.4 percentage from three (23-53 3FG) would've ranked second in the NEC had just met the qualifying standards, just one season removed from going 14-for-67 (20.9 percent) from distance.

THE FRIENDLY CONFINES OF THE PITT CENTER

SHU took advantage of the games held in the Pitt Center last season, owning a 10-5 record in home games in 2018-19 including an impressive 8-1 regular season mark against NEC competition. In the eight SHU home wins in NEC play, the Pioneers owned an average scoring margin of +14.0.

PROTECTING THE BALL

The Pioneers valued protecting the ball throughout the 2018-19 campaign and it showed in the stats as SHU led the NEC in fewest turnovers committed per game (13.9). For the season, the Pioneers went 11-5 in games in which SHU committed less than 15 turnovers and committed fewer turnovers than their opponent in 21-of-32 games (65.6 percent) in 2018-19. SHU set a season-best with just six turnovers at LIU Brooklyn (Feb. 18), which marked the fewest turnovers for the Pioneers in a single-game since coughing up five against CCSU back on March 6, 2010 (275 games prior).

DEFENSE FIRST

Team defense told the story throughout last season as the Pioneers allowed 80 points or more just twice in 32 games last season. The Pioneers went 11-2 in 2018-19 when holding opponents to less than 60 points and allowed less than 50 points seven times (7-0 record in those games).

THAT 70+ SHOW
After going 5-4 in games where the Pioneers scored 70+ points in 2017-18, SHU turned it around completely in 2018-19 and went 11-0 in similar games last season as team defense keyed the turnaround. Cumulatively, in those 11 contests the Pioneers outscored opponents by 214 (+19.5 per game) and defeated opponents in six of those games by 22 points or more.

BUT FIRST…WE TAKE THE LEAD

Owning a halftime advantage was a huge key to success in 2018-19 as the Pioneers went 18-3 in games SHU led at halftime. In NEC play, the Pioneers outscored the opposition by a combined score of 606-475 (+131, +7.3 scoring margin per game) in the first halves of games and have led at the half in 15-of-18 league games. In those 18 NEC regular season games, the Pioneers' largest scoring margin by-quarter is the first period as SHU outscored the opposition 306-226 (+78). By comparison, the next-largest scoring margin was the second quarter, wherein SHU owned a 300-247 (+53) advantage.

BACK IN THE NIKKI OF TIME

After sitting out the 2018-19 season due to NCAA transfer rules, redshirt junior guard Nikki Johnson is set to make her debut as a Pioneer in 2019-20 after transferring in from Western Carolina University. Johnson saw time in 58 career games (33 starts) and averaged 5.0 PPG (38.3 FG%, 33.3 3FG%, 69.1 FT%) to go along with 1.7 RPG, 1.4 APG in 18.7 MPG. She posted a career-high 19 points at UNC Greensboro on Feb. 24, 2017 while she finished her sophomore season third on the team in three-pointers (29) while she had the second-most assists (60) in 2017-18.

FIVE FRESH FIRST-YEAR FACES

After not having a first-year on the roster in 2018-19, SHU added five first-years for the 2019-20 campaign as forward Marie-Laeticia Ziba, guard Sonia Smith, forward/center Carly Stroemel, guard Savannah Marshall and guard Nicolette Arnold all enter their first collegiate seasons as Pioneers. Both Ziba and Arnold stand 5-11 and 5-10, respectively, and will add versatility along the wing for SHU along with shooting. Smith is another dynamic ball-handler after closing her career at the prestigious National Christian Academy as a 1,000 point scorer. Stroemel won a pair of conference titles for Paul VI High School in New Jersey while Marshall stayed in-state as she dominated at the Connecticut high school level for Westbrook, averaging 19 points per game over her career.