Hamden, Conn. – A defensive battle throughout, the Sacred Heart women's basketball team dropped its second MAAC game of the season on the road at Quinnipiac University on Saturday afternoon.
Leading the Pioneers on the day was senior Amelia Wood who compiled her third double double of the season, second in MAAC play, with 12 points and 10 rebounds, the only SHU player to score double figures on the afternoon. Joining her in leading the team was juniors Nalyce Dudley and Missy Nuku who each finished with nine points, while sophomore Esther Kursite and first year Sophie Nascimento followed with seven points apiece.
As a team, Sacred Heart finished the game shooting 39.1 percent from the field, connecting on 18-of-46 field goal attempts. Three of the 18 baskets came from outside the three-point arc with Wood hitting a pair and Dudley adding the third. The Pioneers also finished 10-of-19 at the free throw line.
RECORDS
Sacred Heart: 6-9, 4-2 MAAC
Quinnipiac: 12-4, 7-0 MAAC
TOP PERFORMERS
Amelia Wood: 12 points, 10 rebounds
Nalyce Dudley: 9 points, 5 rebounds
Missy Nuku: 9 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists
FIRST QUARTER NOTES
· Coming out of the gates, the teams traded baskets with Amelia Wood scoring the first points of the afternoon for SHU.
· That early steal and fast break bucket for Wood was part of eight early points for the senior guard, including her two three pointers that came just over a minute apart.
· Nascimento would get on the board next for SHU as she converted an old fashioned three-point play that spanned the media timeout and cut the Bobcats lead to a single point, 12-11.
· Over the final four minutes of the frame, the teams would trade baskets before the Bobcats got the final word with a three pointer with just six seconds remaining that provided a 21-17 lead at the first break.
SECOND QUARTER NOTES
· Kursite got the scoring going in the second quarter, converting a layup on the first possession of the period.
· Quinnipiac looked to pull away midway through the quarter with back-to-back baskets that provided an eight-point lead, however the Pioneers answered with a layup from Nuku that broke up the momentum.
· A layup with three minutes remaining in the half would be the final for the Bobcats as Sacred Heart closed out the second quarter with layups from Nuku and Sierra Johnson to go into the halftime break trailing by four, 33-29.
THIRD QUARTER NOTES
· That late momentum continued coming out of the locker room as Dudley and Nascimento went back-to-back to knot the game at 33, the first tie since the opening minute.
· Quinnipiac responded by scoring three straight before the Pioneers shutdown Quinnipiac's offense for a three-minute stretch.
· During that stretch, Sacred Heart would manage to score six unanswered to pull within one, 40-39, with Dudley draining a straight away three to cap off the run.
· Quinnipiac wouldn't rest, answering with six straight of their own before Dudley ended the quarter with a pair of free throws to make it a six point game at the final intermission.
FOURTH QUARTER NOTES
· Quinnipiac would start out the final 10 minutes with a five-point rally and forcing a Pioneers timeout.
· Dudley would get the first points of the quarter at the free throw line, followed by a Wood layup which came just ahead of her 10th rebound of the game securing her third double double.
· Coming down the stretch, the Pioneers would be held without a field goal for four-and-a-half minutes, with the final two points of the game for the visitors coming at the free throw line, one each from Nuku and Emma Kirby.
UP NEXT
A second and final morning game awaits the Pioneers when they next take the court, welcoming the Siena Saints to The Pitt Center on Wednesday, January 14. The match-up with the Saints is the only of the season as Siena is one of four teams the Pioneers will not play a home-and-home series in league play. Tip-off in the MAAC battle is set for 11:30 a.m. with all of the action available live on ESPN+.
