FAIRFIELD, Conn. – The Sacred Heart University women's basketball team continues Northeast Conference (NEC) play on Saturday, Jan. 13, with a road tilt at LIU. Opening tip at the Sharks' Steinberg Wellness Center is slated for 2 p.m. 

LIVE STATS | LIVE STREAM | GAME NOTES

OPENING TIP

• Saturday's contest will be the 50th in the all-time series between the Pioneers and Sharks. The series dates back to the 1997-98 season. 
• SHU holds a 29-20 lead in the all-time series against LIU, winning all three games last season by 10+ points. The Pioneers took the most recent contest, 63-44, in the NEC Tournament Quarterfinals. 
• Sacred Heart last played on Monday, putting together an all-around performance in an 86-47 victory at Saint Francis.  
• The Pios hit a season-high 12 3-pointers against the Red Flash, the team's highest total since the 2020-21 campaign. SHU's 86 points are the most by the team since hanging 112 on UC Santa Cruz in a 112-109 win on Nov. 18, 2018.
• Ny'Ceara Pryor flirted with her second triple-double of the season with 19 points, nine assists, eight rebounds and four steals in 26 minutes against SFU. Pryor's triple-double against Bryant this season was just the second in the team's history. 
• Amelia Wood set a new career milestone, recording her first double-double on 15 points and 10 boards.
• Amelia was not the only Wood sister to record a milestone, as Kelsey Wood tallied her 400th career rebound against the Red Flash.

AWARDS UPDATES 
Sacred Heart swept the NEC weekly awards for the second time this season this week. On Wednesday, Pryor was named the NEC Player of the Week, while Nalyce Dudley was tabbed Rookie of the Week. Pryor averaged 19.5 points, 6.5 assists. 5.5 rebounds and 3.0 steals per game, while Dudley totaled 7.5 points and a team-leading 9.5 rebounds. Both players helped the Pioneers open the NEC slate with a pair of impressive victories. 

NOTEWORTHY STAT LINES
One of the many positives coming out of Monday's game was some of the final stat lines that the Pioneers posted. Leading the way was sophomore A. Wood, with her first career double-double. The Wynantskill, N.Y., native finished the night with 15 points and 10 boards against the Red Flash in 31 minutes of action. Pryor flirted with her second triple-double of the season with 19 points, nine assists and eight rebounds in 26 minutes. 

SCOUTING THE SHARKS
LIU owns a 2-11 overall record through the first 13 games of the 2023-24 season, starting the NEC slate 1-1. The Sharks opened league play with a hard-fought 54-52 win over Stonehill on Saturday before Stumbling at Wagner, 75-66, on Monday. Senior guard Ashley Austin led the Sharks in scoring and assists in both games. The Texas Southern transfer tallied 18 points and seven assists against the Skyhawks, and 15 points and four helpers against the Seahawks. She also added five steals in both contests, ranking second in the conference behind Pryor with 2.8 steals per game. On the season, Austin leads LIU with 14.4 points, 3.8 assists and 2.8 steals per game. Forwards Samantha Bailey (5.2) and Amaya Dowdy (4.8) command the paint for the Sharks, as the duo ranks first and second on the team in rebounds per game. Dowdy also leads the conference with 1.0 blocks per game. 

ALL-TIME SERIES VS. LIU
Saturday's contest will be the 50th in the all-time series between the Pioneers and Sharks. Sacred Heart owns a 29-20 lead in the series, winning the last three games. The Pios took all three bouts last season by double digits, last defeating the Sharks 63-44 in the NEC Tournament Quarterfinals.