BROOKLYN, NY – Despite a late run in the waning minutes, the Sacred Heart University women's basketball team couldn't pull out a Northeast Conference victory on Wednesday. The Pioneers dropped a 56-55 contest at LIU.

Records:
LIU: 1-1, 1-1 NEC
Sacred Heart: 1-1, 1-1 NEC

Top Performers:
Adrianne Hagood (SHU): 12 points
Nikki Johnson (SHU): 10 points

Up Next:
The Pioneers step out of conference action Sunday to face Rutgers at 8 p.m.

Of Note:
With four minutes left in the game, Sacred Heart found itself trailing, 56-47. Adrianne Hagood drilled a three-pointer to stop a five-minute scoring drought. Kelsey Wood's layup reduced the lead to four then a Nikki Johnson three-pointer cut it to one with 1:05 remaining. Johnson came up with a defensive rebound on the ensuing LIU possession, but the Pioneers could not convert on their final trip down the floor.

Both teams made runs in the opening half with Sacred Heart getting out to a 10-2 lead on a Sonia Smith three-pointer. The Pioneers couldn't score for the first 6:18 of the second quarter and that allowed the Shark to build a 29-19 lead. SHU worked its way back and only trailed 32-28 at the intermission. 

Sacred Heart made a late push in the third quarter, outscoring LIU 14-7, to take a 42-41 lead into the final stanza and built a 45-41 advantage on a Tiffany Hammond three-pointer. The Pioneers dug too big of a hole to climb out of as they were outscored 15-2 over the next six minutes.

SHU had another balanced scoring attack with Hagood leading the way with 12 points, followed by Johnson with 10. The Pioneers had six players score at least a half dozen points. 

Rebounds were the biggest difference between the two teams with LIU holding a 41-33 advantage. The Sharks hauled in 16 offensive boards, which they converted into 11 second-chance points.