FAIRFIELD, Conn. –The Sacred Heart University women's basketball team celebrated Senior Day in style, rolling to a 79-55 win over Wagner on Saturday at the Pitt Center. SHU improves to 10-1 in Northeast Conference (NEC) play with the win.
Before today's game, the Pioneers recognized graduate student
Sajada Bonner and senior
Kelsey Wood as a part of the team's Senior Day festivities.
Offensively,
Ny'Ceara Pryor,
Olivia Tucker and
Amelia Wood combined to score 56 of SHU's 79 points. Pryor led the way with 21 points, eight rebounds and six steals.
Olivia Tucker caught fire from behind the arc and poured in a season-high 18.
Amelia Wood tallied 17 points, the sixth double-digit scoring effort in her last seven games.
Records:
Sacred Heart: 16-9, 10-1 NEC
Wagner: 6-17, 3-8 NEC
Top Performers:
Ny'Ceara Pryor: 21 points, 8 rebounds, 6 assists, 3 steals
Olivia Tucker: 18 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, 4 3-pointers
Amelia Wood: 17 points, 8 rebounds, 1 assist, 3 steals, 2 3-pointers
How It Happened:
The first quarter started tightly contested until SHU began to pull away with a 6-0 run that gave it a 12-6 lead by the 5:05 mark. A. Wood shined over the run with a triple and a layup. The Pioneers led by as much as nine, following a 5-2 spurt before the Seahawks scored the final four points of the frame to take a 17-12 deficit into the second.
The back-and-forth play continued in the second quarter, as SHU's lead hovered around five for the first 5:15. At the 4:45 mark, a Pryor jumper and Tucker 3-pointer gave the Pioneers a 30-20 advantage. After Wagner cut the margin to five again, Tucker and Pryor put together another 5-0 surge to give the home team a 36-25 lead at the halftime break.
Wagner opened the third with a 10-0 run over the first 2:49 to cut SHU's lead to one, 36-35. The Pios were ready for the challenge, putting together a 16-5 push over the next 4:01 to retake a double-digit advantage at 52-40.
Nalyce Dudley and K. Wood scored four of her six points over the run, while Pryor chipped in five of her own. Following a scare to start the quarter, Sacred Heart remained up 11, 55-44, heading into the fourth.
The fourth quarter was all Pioneers, as the home team took the frame 24-11. A. Wood was at her best in the fourth, recording nine points and six rebounds over 9:05 on the court. Tucker added five points and Pryor four to help SHU secure the 79-55 win at home on Senior Day.
Up Next:
The Pioneers return to the road on Thursday, Feb. 22, to play FDU at 7 p.m. in Teaneck, N.J.
