FAIRFIELD, Conn. – The Sacred Heart University women's basketball will bring an end to the 2023 portion of its schedule on Sunday, Dec. 31, with a home 1 p.m. tilt against Mercy at the Pitt Center. 

LIVE STATS | LIVE STREAM | GAME NOTES

OPENING TIP

• Sunday's game will mark the 14th all-time meeting between the Pioneers and Mavericks.
• Mercy leads the series 11-2, but SHU won the only game play after the 1990 season, taking last year's matchup 81-44.
• The Pios had a short break after falling to Vermont on Dec. 20, 70-64. 
• Sacred Heart kept the contest close against the defending America East champs, trailing by two late in the third quarter, but the Catamounts held strong to take the home non-conference victory. 
• Ny'Ceara Pryor led the Pioneers with 23 points in the setback, her fifth 20-point scoring output of the season. Pryor also paced the team with three steals and two assists. 
• Amelia Wood also had a stellar showing with 12 points and held team highs in rebounds (6) and blocks (2). 
• Sajada Bonner added 11 points against the Catamounts, putting her seven shy of reaching 1,000 in her career. 
• Nalyce Dudley tallied 11 points and four rebounds against Vermont, which helped her earn NEC Rookie of the Week honors.  

ROOKIE OF THE WEEK AGAIN
For the second time this season, Dudley was named the NEC Rookie of the Week after dropping 11 points and four rebounds in SHU's close setback at Vermont on Wednesday. Dudley collected her sixth double-digit scoring output against the Catamounts, improving her average to 6.6 points per game. As a team, the Pios have won six NEC weekly awards, with Dudley winning two and Pryor taking four Player of the Week nods.

THERE'S NO PLACE LIKE HOME
The Pioneers will be home for the first time in 25 days on Sunday, last defeating NJIT at the Pitt Center on Wednesday, Dec. 6, 57-48. SHU has played just three of its 13 games at home this season, going 2-1 with wins over Hofstra and NJIT. The lone loss was a heartbreaking 66-61 setback to Fairfield in overtime. Sacred Heart has been better on both sides of the ball at home, scoring 60.3 points and allowing 58.0 points per game, compared to 54.6 and 66.6 on the road.

SCOUTING THE MAVERICKS
Mercy owns a 7-5 overall record during the 2023 portion of its schedule and is 1-2 through three games in the East Coast Conference. The Mavericks have lost their last three contests, most recently falling to Columbus State by a 67-54 final score on Saturday, Dec. 16. Graduate guard Katie Wall leads the way for Mercy through its first dozen games, pacing the team with 18.8 points, 3.4 assists, and 2.3 steals per game. Wall is eighth in Division II with 37.16 minutes per game and 22nd in scoring. The Wappingers Falls, N.Y. native scored a career-best 40 points in the team's opener at St. Anselm on Nov. 11 but has struggled lately with just 15 combined points over the Mavericks' last two contests. The duo of Angelina Barrera (7.7 rpg) and Jaclyn Stanavich (6.8 rpg) have commanded the post for Mercy, as they rank first and second on the team in rebounds per game. Stanavich is also second on the team in scoring at 13.9. 

ALL-TIME SERIES VS. MERCY
The all-time series between the Pioneers and Mavericks has spanned 46 years and featured 13 games. The Mavericks own an 11-2 lead in the all-time series but have lost the only matchup in the last 33 years. SHU handed Mercy an 81-44 loss in last season's game on New Year's Eve at the Pitt Center.