ALBANY, N.Y. – A second-half rally by the Sacred Heart University women's basketball team proved to be not enough against undefeated UAlbany (3-0) Saturday afternoon in a 61-49 defeat at the Broadview Center in Albany, N.Y.

Ny'Ceara Pryor led the Pioneers' efforts on both sides of the ball, recording a double-double on 12 points and a career-best 10 steals. Pryor's 10 steals tied the single-game program record as Ericka Norman tallied 10 swipes twice in her career. 

Amelia Wood also crossed double-figures with 12 points, a season-high for the junior. Sierra Johnson and Emma Kirby were next on the team, with eight each. 

Records:
Sacred Heart: 1-3
UAlbany: 3-0
 
Top Performers:
Ny'Ceara Pryor: 12 points, 10 steals, 3 assists, 3 rebounds
Amelia Wood: 12 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists 
 
How It Happened:
Sacred Heart opened the game with strong energy, going up by four, 10-6, 4:42 into the first quarter. In a de facto home game, Wood, a Wynantskill, N.Y., native, got a strong SHU crowd excited with a pair of buckets to open the game. Unfortunately for the Pioneers, the Great Danes' offense started to come alive in the second half of the quarter, as the home team took a 17-12 lead into the second. 

The second quarter was all defense as the two teams combined for 14 points in the frame. After the 10 minutes, UAlbany took a 28-15 lead into halftime. 

SHU came out of the break strong, scoring the first five points on a Pryor layup and a Johnson triple from the left wing. Following a Great Danes' bucket, the Pios scored the next six points to trim the margin to four, 30-26, at the 6:36 mark, four of which came in a four-second period. Carmen Williams started the spurt with a midrange jumper at 6:40 before Pryor snatched the ball on the ensuing inbounds play and scored to force a UAlbany timeout. 

Sacred Heart got as close as two, 32-30, with 4:32 left in the quarter following a Pryor pull-up in the paint. Unfortunately for SHU, UAlbany was ready with another answer, scoring the final 12 points of the period to build a 44-30 lead going into the fourth. 

The Pioneers continued to fight in the fourth, winning the quarter by a 19-17 margin. Ultimately, it was not enough for Sacred Heart, as the Great Danes improved to 3-0 in the young season with a 61-49 victory. 

Up Next:
The Pioneers are home for the first time on Thursday, Nov. 21, to play Monmouth at 5:30 p.m. Before the game, SHU will have a fan fest to celebrate the opening of the renovated Pitt Center at 4:30 p.m. with a ribbon-cutting ceremony before tipoff.