FAIRFIELD, Conn. – The Sacred Heart University women's basketball will bring an end to its current three-game roadtrip on Wednesday, Dec. 20, when it heads to Vermont to play the Catamounts at 11 a.m. at Patrick Gymnasium. 

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OPENING TIP

• Wednesday's contest will mark the fourth all-time meeting between the Pioneers and Catamounts. Vermont holds a 2-1 lead in the all-time series. 
• SHU last played at BIG EAST foe Providence on Saturday, falling by a 66-35 final score. 
• The Pios kept the contest close over the first quarter and a half, but the Friars started to pull away before earning the home non-conference victory. 
• For the seventh straight game, Sacred Heart finished with fewer turnovers than their opponent, committing 13 to Providence's 16. 
• Sajada Bonner led the Pioneers' offense with 13 points against the Friars, putting her 18 shy of reaching 1,000 in her career. 
• Sierra Johnson finished next on the team with 10 points, her second double-digit scoring output of the season. 
• Ny'Ceara Pryor was all over the court against the Friars, recording eight points while leading the team with eight rebounds, four assists and four steals. 
• With four steals against Providence, Pryor climbed into a tie for ninth in the country with 34 steals on the season.

DEFENSIVE WEAPON
Pryor continues to be one of the best defensive players in the country as she heads into Wednesday's game tied for ninth in Division I with 34 total steals and 33rd with 2.83 steals per game. The reigning NCAA DI steals leader also paces the Northeast Conference in both categories. Pryor has been lethal on defense lately, as 23 of her 34 steals came in her last six games with two five-steal outings and two with four swipes.

ROAD WARRIORS
Wednesday's contest will mark SHU's final road contest of 2023, as the Pios end the year and open 2024 at the Pitt Center. Sacred Heart has spent the majority of its year away from Fairfield, playing nine of its 12 contests on the road or at a neutral site. The Pioneers are 2-4 in true road games, picking up impressive wins at Morgan State and Monmouth. SHU has seen a seven-point dip in scoring between home and away contests, as the team averages 60.3 points per game at the Pitt Center and 53.0 on the road.

MILESTONE WATCH
SHU's second-leading scorer, Bonner (10.6 ppg), is getting closer and closer to reaching 1,000 points in her illustrious career. The Cliffwood, N.J. native has played the last two seasons at Sacred Heart after spending her first three collegiate campaigns at nearby Quinnipiac. Bonner is up to 982 points in her career heading into Sunday, 468 of those coming as a Pioneer.  

SCOUTING THE CATAMOUNTS
After winning four of their last five games, Vermont takes a 7-5 overall record into its bout against the Pioneers. The Catamounts bounced back from a road loss at Manhattan with a home 77-61 victory over Duquesne this past Saturday, the team's highest-scoring game of the season. Vermont employed a balanced attack against the Dukes, with five players clearing double-figures. Senior forward Anna Olson led the way with a 20-point, 10-rebound double-double. Emma Utterback, the Cats' leading scorer this season at 14.6 points per game, tallied 13 points, nine assists and six rebounds in an all-around effort. Utterback also leads the team with 53 assists (4.4 apg.) on the year, which is tied for 46th in the country. 

ALL-TIME SERIES VS. VERMONT
The Pioneers and Catamounts have met just three times over the two teams' histories, with Vermont winning two of the three meetings. SHU's win came at the Pitt Center on Dec. 3, 2014, when the Pioneers handed the Cats a 76-66 defeat.