NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. – The Sacred Heart University women's basketball team clinched a share of the 2023-24 Northeast Conference (NEC) regular-season championship with a 64-51 road victory over Merrimack on Saturday afternoon.
With the win, the Pioneers claimed their fifth NEC regular-season title, their first since the 2015-16 campaign, head coach
Jessica Mannetti's third season leading the team. SHU is now 14-1 in league play and 20-9 overall, its first 20-win since 2015-16.
Ny'Ceara Pryor again led the way for the Pioneers with a 23-point, 10-rebound double-double, her fourth of the season.
Kelsey Wood continued her stellar stretch of play with 14 points, one shy of her career high, six rebounds and two blocks.
Records:
Sacred Heart: 20-9, 14-1 NEC
Merrimack: 11-17, 8-7 NEC
Top Performers:
Ny'Ceara Pryor: 23 points, 10 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, 1 block
Kelsey Wood: 14 points, 6 rebounds, 2 blocks, 1 assist, 1 steal
Sierra Johnson: 9 points, 4 rebounds
How It Happened:
In an unfamiliar situation for the Pioneers, SHU was down early, trailing 8-0 3:06 into today's contest. SHU trailed by as much as nine in the first before battling back with a 5-1 run to end the quarter, taking a 14-9 deficit into the second.
Sacred Heart rode this momentum into a strong start in the second, scoring eight of the first 10 points in the frame to take a 17-16 lead on an
Amelia Wood layup. The Warriors were ready with an answer, taking a 29-23 advantage with a 13-6 surge by the 3:09 mark. The Pioneers retaliated by scoring seven of the final 10 points in the quarter to take a 32-30 deficit into halftime.
The Pios flipped the game on its head in the third, winning the frame by a 21-9 margin after putting on a defensive clinic. SHU held Merrimack to 20.0% shooting from the floor (3-for-15) while shooting 62.5% (10-for-16). This helped the Pioneers start the frame on a 9-2 run to force a quick timeout.
Coming out of the break, Sacred Heart put together a 10-5 run over 5:16 to build its first double-digit lead at 49-39. The Pioneers maintained this lead for the remainder of the third, going into the fourth up 51-41.
SHU's control of the game continued into the fourth, as it never let its advantage dip below double figures. The Pioneers led by as much as 16, 63-47, at the 2:51 mark in the fourth before putting the finishing touches on a 64-51 road victory.
Pryor was at her best in the second half, scoring 17 of her game-high 23 points over the final 20 minutes. She went 5-for-9 from the floor in the half and hit 7-of-8 free throws. K. Wood was instrumental to SHU keeping it close in the first half, as she went into halftime with 10 points.
Up Next:
Sacred Heart hosts Saint Francis on Thursday, March 7, at 11 a.m. in its regular-season finale at the Pitt Center.
