FAIRFIELD, Conn. – The Sacred Heart University women's basketball team heads to Saint Peter's on Saturday, Jan. 18, to play the Peacocks at 2 p.m. at the Yanitelli Center in Jersey City, N.J. 

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OPENING TIP

• The Pioneers hit the road on Saturday, Jan. 18, to play Saint Peter's at 2 p.m. at the Yanitelli Center in Jersey City, N.J. 
• SHU will meet the Peacocks for the 12th time in the two teams' histories on Saturday. 
• SHU owns a 7-4 lead in the series after winning the last seven meetings. 
• The Pios head into the weekend after suffering a 79-59 home loss to Siena on Thursday at the Pitt Center. 
• Sacred Heart led for much of the first period until a quarter-ending 10-0 run by the Saints swung the momentum in their favor. 
• The 10-0 surge was capped by a halfcourt heave at the buzzer, which led to a 7-0 run at the start of the second, giving the visitors a lead they would not relinquish. 
• SHU's defense was on full display against Siena, as the team finished with a season-high 21 steals. 
• Amelia Wood and Ny'Ceara Pryor led those defensive efforts with six and five steals, respectively. 
• Pryor also tallied 20 points, giving her 1,499 in her career.

LAST TIME OUT
Sacred Heart last suffered a 79-59 loss to Siena on Thursday evening at home at the Pitt Center. SHU battled tough in the first quarter, leading by four, 13-9, with 3:24 remaining in the frame. Unfortunately for the Pios, Siena ended the first on a 10-0 run, which was capped by a backbreaking halfcourt heave at the buzzer. The Saints capitalized on the momentum swing by scoring the first seven points of the second quarter to take a commanding advantage. The Pioneers got as close as 11 points in the second half, but a Siena run in the middle of the third iced the game for the visitors. Despite suffering the loss, SHU did well on the defensive end of the court with a season-best 21 steals. Amelia Wood and Ny'Ceara Pryor led those efforts with six and five steals, respectively. Pryor also added a team-high 20 points, her fifth 20+-point game of the season. 

ON THE CUSP OF 1,500
With 20 points on Thursday, Pryor has 1,499 in her storied career at SHU. She needs just one more point to become the eighth player in program history to score 1,500 in their career, the first since Hannah Kimmel reached the milestone in 2017. This season, Pryor is slightly above her career average of 18.3 points per game at 18.5. 

STEAL SPECIALISTS
The Pioneers put on quite the defensive showing against the Saints, finishing the game with a season-best 21 steals. Wood and Pryor led the way on defense with six and five steals, respectively. Wood's six steals is a new career-high for the junior. SHU has not had 21 steals in a game since tallying 21 against Saint Francis (PA) on Feb. 9, 2023.  

SCOUTING SAINT PETER'S

• The Peacocks head into Saturday with a 5-10 overall record and a 3-3 mark in the MAAC. 
• Saint Peter's have been very strong at home to start the season at 4-1, while it is 1-9 away from the Garden State.  
• SP's MAAC wins have come against Manhattan (62-49), Niagara (80-50) and Canisius (61-55), while its losses were to Iona (56-50), Quinnipiac (54-39) and Marist (50-30). 
• The Peacocks most recently fell at Marist on Thursday evening in Poughkeepsie, N.Y.
• Sophomore forward Fatmata Janneh has been one of the best players in the MAAC this season, as she leads the league in both points (19.3) and rebounds (10.5) per game. 
• On the glass, Janneh ranks seventh in the country in defensive boards (8.4) and 16th in total rebounds per game. 
• Junior guard Louella Allana has also made her name known in the national rankings, sitting 10th in Division I with 6.1 assists per game.

SERIES HISTORY

• The Pioneers will battle the Peacocks for the 12th time in the two teams' histories on Saturday. 
• SHU owns a 7-4 lead in the series after winning the last seven meetings. 
• The Pios are 7-0 against Saint Peter's as a Division I program, winning the most recent contest 76-73 in overtime on Nov. 13, 2013.