Fairfield, Conn. – The Sacred Heart women's basketball team returned home with a vengeance scoring a 58-46 victory over the visiting Mercy Mavericks. Leading the way for the Pioneers was senior guard Amelia Wood who was the lone Pioneer to finish in double figures with a dozen.

Overall, Wood led nine players who entered the scoring column, followed by Nalyce Dudley and Sophie Nascimento, who earned her first start of her collegiate career, who each finished with nine points. Missy Nuku, who made her debut for the Pioneers, followed with eight points while leading the team with five assists.

As a team, Sacred Heart closed out the night shooting 39.3 percent from the field, connecting on 22-of-56 field goal attempts, with six of those field goals from outside the arc. Nuku's 5 assists were part of 13 total for the Pioneers who also finished with 13 steals, led by Dudley with three.

RECORDS
Sacred Heart: 2-4
Mercy: 2-3

TOP PERFORMERS
Amelia Wood: 12 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists
Sophie Nascimento: 9 points, 3-6 FG, 3 rebounds, 2 assists
Nalyce Dudley: 9 points, 5 rebounds, 3-5 FG
Missy Nuku: 8 points, 5 assists, 3-6, FG, 2-4 3ptFG

FIRST QUARTER NOTES

·       Sacred Heart came out of the gates to open up an early 7-0 lead, holding the Mavericks without a field goal for nearly three minutes.

·       After trading the next four baskets, Dudley went back-to-back on her own off passes from Sierra Johnson and Nascimento, the second of which was on a fast break with Nascimento's pass going three-quarter court. Overall, the Pioneers had five assists on their first six field goals.

·       Mercy answered those back-to-back buckets from Dudley with a three pointer and kept the deficit under double digits the remainder of the quarter.

·       Emma Kirby would close things out in the first 10 minutes with a putback layup with 12 seconds remaining.

SECOND QUARTER NOTES

·       After making her first appearance of the season in the first quarter, Nuku opened up the second quarter with back-to-back three pointers to extend its lead to 13, 29-16.

·       Dudley added another bucket before the Mavericks would get their first and only points of the quarter with 5:30 remaining.

·       Following that basket, the Pioneers closed out the quarter with the final seven points to take a 38-18 lead in the halftime break. Five of those seven points came at the free throw line, with Nascimento scoring the first four on a pair of free throws and a layup.

THIRD QUARTER NOTES

·       Coming out of the intermission, the Pioneers extended their lead to 26 with eight of the first 10 points. Wood accounted for five of those points on a layup and three pointer, while Nascimento added the remaining three on an old fashioned three point play.

·       The Mavericks would attempt to cut into the Pioneers lead to close out the quarter, scoring eight of the final 10, however still trailed 50-29 at the final intermission.

·       Dianne Crespo Lopez would be the final points of the quarter for the Pioneers on her first and only jumper of the night.

FOURTH QUARTER NOTES

·       Coming out of the final intermission it would be another first year with the hot hand as Kristen Phelan would light it up from outside with back-to-back three pointers, extending the lead to 56-29.

·       After four-straight from the Mavericks, Wood converted the final basket of the game for the Pioneers.

·       With the game well in Sacred Heart's favor, the Mavericks would then close out the night with the final 13 points.

UP NEXT
Sacred Heart will remain home for its first back-to-back home games of the season as they continue non-conference action with a visit from the UAlbany Great Danes who hail from the America East Conference.  The match-up against the Great Danes, which opens up the second month of the season, is set for 11:00 a.m. on Wednesday, December 3 with all of the action available live on ESPN+.