FAIRFIELD, - The Sacred Heart University women's basketball team welcomes Hofstra on Sunday, Nov. 19, at 2 p.m. for its home opener in the 2023-24 season. Before the game, SHU will debut multiple banners to commemorate its historic 2022-23 campaign. 

NEC Front Row | Live Stats | SHU Game Notes

OPENING TIP

• The Pioneers and Pride will meet for the fifth time on Sunday.
• SHU won the last two meetings in the series but are 2-3 all-time against Hofstra.
• Sacred Heart took the most recent matchup, 71-44, on Nov. 10, 2019, at the Pitt.
• Prior to Sunday's contest, the Pioneers will unveil multiple banners to commemorate its history-making 2023-24 season.
• In their most recent game, the Pios tallied another impressive non-conference win on Wednesday, traveling to Monmouth and handing the defending CAA champs a 59-50 setback.
• For the second straight game, SHU trailed at halftime before finding its stroke over the final 20 minutes.  
• Sophomore guard Amelia Wood led all players with a career-high 20 points against the Hawks. Her eight first-quarter points helped keep SHU close in a low-scoring opening stanza.
• Ny'Ceara Pryor paced the Pioneers with nine rebounds, five assists and two steals to go along with 17 points.
• First year Nalyce Dudley scored her first career points at Monmouth. She poured in eight points over 17 minutes to go along with six rebounds and two blocks in a stellar third game. 

Notes:
WOOD CONTINUES TO GROW
Sophomore Amelia Wood continues to grow as a player in her second collegiate season as she tallied a career-best 20 points in SHU's 59-50 win over Monmouth on Wednesday. The Wynantskill, N.Y., native went 3-for-5 from behind the arc and 5-for-6 at the charity stripe in her career performance. Wood scored eight points in the first quarter to help keep the Pioneers close after the home team built an early lead. The 6-foot guard is averaging a team-leading 6.7 rebounds and 11.3 points per game, which ranks third. 

NO REST FOR NY'CEARA
Against Monmouth, Pryor played every second in the Pioneers' victory. In her 40 minutes, the sophomore guard led the team with nine rebounds, five assists and two steals while being second with 17 points. Pryor set a new career-high with her 40-minute performance, as she had gotten some rest in all of her other collegiate appearances.

STAYING STRONG IN SECOND HALVES
A theme of SHU's two victories this season is second-half comebacks. Despite heading into the halftime break trailing against both Morgan State and Monmouth, the Pioneers came out of those contests with wins. A reason for Sacred Heart's second-half success may be its shooting, as in both games, the Pios shot better in the second half than the first.

SCOUTING HOFSTRA
The Pride head into Sunday with a 2-1 overall record, falling by 28 to VCU to open the season before defeating NEC foe Wagner and Delaware State in their last two contests. Hofstra held a slim two-point lead at halftime, 35-33, over the Hornets before pulling away in the second half to earn a double-digit victory. The Pride have employed a balanced approach on offense, with four players scoring 8+ points per game. Leading the group is graduate guard Sorelle Ineza, with 10.7 points per game.  Sophomore Emma Von Essen is right behind Ineza with 10.3 points per game. Senior center Zyheima Swint will pose a threat under the basket for the Pioneers as she leads Hofstra with 12 rebounds per game. The 6-foot, 3-inch post player corraled an eye-popping 21 boards in the Pride's second game against Wagner, a 51-48 win for Hofstra in overtime. 

ALL-TIME SERIES AGAINST THE PRIDE
Sunday's matinee will mark the sixth all-time meeting between the Pios and Pride. Sacred Heart won the last two games in the series, most recently earning a 71-44 triumph on Nov. 10, 2019. Despite the current streak, SHU still trails in the all-time series 3-2.