KINGSTON, R.I. – The Sacred Heart University women's basketball team opened the 2023-24 season with a 91-40 loss at the hands of Atlantic 10 Conference preseason favorites Rhode Island on Tuesday evening in Kingston, R.I. 

Records:
Sacred Heart: 0-1
Rhode Island: 1-0
 
Top Performers:
Ny'Ceara Pryor: 11 points, 3 rebounds
Amelia Wood: 7 points, 11 rebounds
 
How It Happened:
It took the Pioneers 32 seconds to open the scoring in the 2023-24 season, as Olivia Tucker's midrange pull-up jumper evened the score at 2-2 early on. A pair of Ny'Ceara Pryor free throws cut URI's lead to two, 6-4, at the 08:07 mark. Unfortunately for SHU, it scored just one more time for the remainder of the frame, going into the first quarter break trailing 23-6. 

The Pios' offense started to settle back in at the midway point of the second quarter with scores from Amelia Wood, Emma Kirby and Tucker. A pair of A. Wood free throws and a 3-pointer sandwiched SHU's stellar stretch that also featured the first career basket for Kirby. A. Wood and Kirby connected on the basket, with A. Wood dropping a dime to Kirby before a turnaround layup. With the increased offensive output, Sacred Heart went into halftime, trailing 39-15. 

Unfortunately for the Pioneers, they were not able to keep the talented Rams at bay in the second half as the lead continued to grow. The Rams went on to earn a season-opening 91-40 win. Despite the setback, SHU did have some bright spots. 

In the second half, first year guard Thai Davis recorded her first collegiate points, and sophomore transfer Faith Pappas sank her first 3-pointer as a Pioneer. 

Leading the way for the Sacred Heart offense was Pryor, who kicked off her sophomore campaign with 11 points. A. Wood finished the evening with seven points and 11 boards, finishing two shy of tying her career high. In addition to Kirby and Davis, Nalyce Dudley and Montana Nicks also made their collegiate debut tonight. 

Up Next:
The Pioneers remain on the road to play Morgan State on Sunday, Nov. 12. Tip-off for Sacred Heart's second game of the season is slated for 2 p.m. in Baltimore, Md.