FAIRFIELD, Conn. – Ny'Ceara Pryor put together one of the best performances in Sacred Heart University women's basketball history on Thursday evening to lead the Pioneers to a thrilling 61-50 victory over Manhattan at the Pitt Center in Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) play. 

Pryor tallied her second career triple-double with 24 points, 10 rebounds and 11 steals against the Jaspers. Her 11 steals set a new single-game program record. Pryor also added six assists for a near quadruple-double. 

Pryor is no stranger to history, as she had already tied the single-game steals record with 10 against UAlbany on Nov. 16 of this season. Her triple-double is also the third in program history, as she owns two, and Katherine Haines has the other. Eleven steals are also tied for the second most in a game by a Division I player this season. She is now eight steals shy of tying Amanda Pape for the program record in that category and she climbed to fourth on the all-time points leaderboard with 1,766 in her illustrious career. 

Amelia Wood also put on a show against Manhattan, tallying 15 points, three rebounds, three assists, and three 3-pointers in 34 minutes. Dianne Crespo López also crossed double figures with 10 points, her third 10+ point game as a first year. 

Records: 
Sacred Heart: 8-20, 4-15 MAAC
Manhattan: 14-14, 8-11 MAAC
 
Leaders: 
Ny'Ceara Pryor: 14 points, 10 rebounds, 6 assists, 11 steals
Amelia Wood: 15 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists
Dianne Crespo López: 10 points, 1 steal

Of Note: 
The Pioneers got off to a blazing start in the first quarter, storming out to a 6-0 lead and a 9-5 advantage at 5:13 following a Wood 3-pointer. Manhattan went on to even the score at 9-9 before SHU put together a 6-2 run to build a 15-11 advantage. The Jaspers hit a pull-up with 32 seconds left to draw the score to 15-13 going into the second. 

Manhattan opened the second with a triple, which served as one-third of its points in the quarter, as SHU went on to put up a defensive showcase. The Pioneers tallied six steals in the second and held the Jaspers to just nine points to grow their lead. Pryor tallied four steals in the frame, giving her eight at halftime. 

On offense, Pryor led Sacred Heart with 10 points in the second to guide the Pioneers to a 31-22 halftime advantage. 

The Jaspers started to rally in the third quarter, trimming the margin to three points, 37-34, with 2:27 left. However, Pryor and Crespo López were ready with an answer, as the duo put together a 9-0 run. Pryor hit a pair of jumpers and Crespo López buried a 3-pointer and a two to send SHU into the fourth ahead 46-34. 

Sacred Heart kept its foot on the gas in the fourth quarter, never letting its lead dip below 11 points on its way to the home victory. Pryor capped her historic performance by getting her 11th steal in the frame to rewrite the record books. 

Up Next:
The Pioneers will end the 2024-25 season at home against Iona on Saturday, Mar. 8, at 2 p.m. Prior to the game, SHU will recognize Carmen Williams, Afia Owusu-Mensah and Ciara Brannon as a part of the team's annual Senior Day.