FAIRFIELD, Conn. – The Sacred Heart University women's basketball team will begin its Northeast Conference (NEC) title defense on Saturday, Jan. 6, when it welcomes Merrimack at 2 p.m. at the Pitt Center. 

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OPENING TIP

• The Pioneers and Warriors will meet for the 12th time in the two teams' histories on Saturday, with Merrimack owning a 7-4 lead in the all-time series. 
• Saturday's game will mark the start of SHU's Northeast Conference (NEC) title defense after winning the crown in 2022-23. 
• Sacred Heart ended the 2023 calendar year with a dominating 73-41 home victory over Mercy on New Year's Eve. 
• The Pioneers' defense held the Mavericks to a season-low 27.1 field goal percentage, with one made 3-pointer and 23 turnovers. 
• Ny'Ceara Pryor posted an outstanding stat line of 13 points, six rebounds, six assists, four steals and two blocks in just 24 minutes on the court. 
• Nalyce Dudley and Olivia Tucker also crossed double figures with 12 and 10 points, respectively. Tucker also hit a pair of 3-pointers in her first game in over a month.
• With a layup at the 2:16 mark of the third quarter, graduate student Sajada Bonner surpassed 1,000 career points. 
• Faith Pappas had her best of the season, with season highs in points (8) and rebounds (4). 

DEFENSIVE SHOWCASE
SHU put on a defensive showcase on Sunday against Mercy, setting multiple season bests. The Pioneers held the Mavericks to a season-low 41 points on a 27.1 field goal percentage, the lowest by a Sacred Heart opponent this year. SHU also held Mercy to one made 3-pointer and forced 23 turnovers, both of which were either the best of second-best mark for the Pios this season. 

WELCOME BACK, WELCOME BACK, WELCOME BACK
The Pioneers returned three key players at Sunday's game against the Mavericks. Tucker, Kelsey Wood and Emma Kirby all returned to the lineup after varying absences from the team and made an impact in the Pios' victory. Tucker poured in a season-high 10 points with two made 3-pointers. Wood played 11 minutes and recorded four points and four rebounds, while Kirby tallied eight points and a game-high seven rebounds in 12 minutes. 

1,000-POINT CLUB 
Bonner joined the prestigious club of reaching 1,000 career points while being a Pioneer on Sunday, as her eight points against Mercy were enough to put her over the edge. The five-year player has been at Sacred Heart for the last two seasons, scoring 487 points in 46 games as a Pioneer. She was the team's second-leading scorer last season and continues to hold that spot this year. The Cliffwood, N.J., native was named All-NEC Second Team in 2022-23 and was tabbed Preseason All-NEC before this season. 

SCOUTING THE WARRIORS
Merrimack is 3-10 heading into Saturday's conference opener. The Warriors are riding a four-game losing streak, last suffering a 55-43 loss to Holy Cross on Wednesday, Dec. 20. The Warriors own wins over Bryant, Siena and Yale. Leading the Warriors' scoring efforts so far this season has been senior forward Amaya Staton, who is averaging 12.1 points per game. The Lorain, Ohio, native also paces the team with 6.8 rebounds and 1.8 blocks per game. Jayme DeCesare is second on the team with 9.4 points while being the team's assists leader with 2.3 per game.

ALL-TIME SERIES VS. MERRIMACK
The Pioneers and Warriors have met 11 times before Saturday's contest, with Merrimack owning a 7-4 lead in the all-time series. SHU fell in both regular-season contests in 2022-23 but avenged those defeats with a 68-61 win in the NEC Semifinals on its way to a conference championship. The Pios are also 3-4 all-time against the Warriors at the Pitt, winning two out of the last three bouts.