FAIRFIELD, Conn. – In need of a bounce-back performance, the Sacred Heart University women's basketball team answered the call in a big way on Saturday, handing Niagara an 86-43 defeat in SHU's biggest margin of victory this season. At Saturday's contest, SHU celebrated National Girls and Women in Sports Day (NGWSD).
Ny'Ceara Pryor did everything for the Pioneers to help the team get back on track, tallying a game-high 19 points with eight assists, five rebounds and six steals in 29 minutes. With 19 points, Pryor moved into six on the all-time scoring leaderboard with 1,561, passing Alisa Apo (1,551) for sixth.
With its first 80-point game since Feb. of last season, five players scored 10+ points.
Ciara Brannon (12),
Amelia Wood (11),
Esther Kursite (11) and
Nalyce Dudley (10) all crossed double figures. Brannon and Kursite both had career highs. Kursite also had a career-best seven rebounds.
Records:
Sacred Heart: 6-12, 2-7 MAAC
Niagara: 1-16, 0-9 MAAC
Leaders:
Ny'Ceara Pryor: 19 points, 8 assists, 5 rebounds, 6 steals
Ciara Brannon: 12 points, 2 rebounds, 1 block
Nalyce Dudley: 10 points, 9 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals
Of Note:
SHU burst out of the gates to build a 9-1 lead at 5:42. Pryor scored the first five points of the game, while Kursite scored the next for the Pioneers. The Purple Eagles cut the deficit to four by 2:28, but the Pios fought back to take a 17-9 advantage into the second quarter.
Sacred Heart doubled the lead to 16, 31-15, 4:26 into the second. Wood capped a 6-0 run to build the advantage. SHU led by as much as 18, 37-19, in the final 2:34 before heading into halftime up 39-24.
The Pioneers made their move in the second half, growing its lead to as much as 32, 60-28, by opening the quarter on a 21-4 run. Dianne Crespo López led the Pios with six points in the surge, while Kursite and Pryor had five each. A bucket by Niagara in the next possession gave SHU a 30-point lead, 60-30, going into the fourth.
SHU held added to its advantage in the fourth to take its first 40-point win since defeating Saint Peter's, 79-34, on Nov. 20, 2012. The Pios also tallied their best shooting game of the season at 51.7% (30-for-58).
Up Next:
Sacred Heart will have a week off before heading to play Manhattan on Saturday, Feb. 1, at 2 p.m. in Riverdale, N.Y.
