GAME DAY INFORMATION |
DATE: January 14, 2026
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LOCATION: Pitt Center | Fairfield, CT |
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GAME DAY LINKS |
LIVE STATS | LIVE VIDEO |
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THE LEAD
Grab your morning coffee and take in some MAAC basketball as the Pioneers will enjoy a rare morning tip against the Siena Saints on Wednesday. Both teams will enter the mid-week battle with a 4-2 record in league play and looking to get back into the win column with Siena dropping its last two games and the Pioneers falling to Quinnipiac last time out. Tip off from the Pitt Center is set for 11:20 a.m. with all of the action in the MAAC contest available live on ESPN+.
SCOUTING SACRED HEART
After closing out their non-conference schedule with a 2-7 record, the Pioneers reset and have opened MAAC play 4-2, winning two-straight games to open up the 2026 portion of their schedule a perfect 2-0. Leading the Pioneers is senior guard Amelia Wood who has scored double figures in the last 10 games and 13 of the 15 games this season, including back-to-back 21-point games to open up conference play. She also set a career-high on New Year's Day against Niagara (26) and included in the first of those 21 point games was her 1,000th career point (against Iona). For the season she is one of two players to average double figures at 14.7 ppg. Additionally, Wood is second on the team in rebounding with a 5.9 per game average and leads the team with 33 assists, 36 steals and 10 blocks. After increasing her career-high in scoring for the second time to 21 in the New Year's Day win over Niagara, junior forward Nalyce Dudley increased her season average to 12.0 ppg while shooting at a team-high 49.3 percent (61-of-108) with that average increased to 56.5 percent when shooting from inside the arc. As a team, the Pioneers are shooting 39.0 percent from the field (303-of-777) with 59 of the 303 baskets from outside the arc. Despite a season low 11 turnovers against Rider, the biggest area of improvement for the Pioneers needs to come in ball control as they are currently turning the ball over at a clip of 18.8 turnovers per game.
SCOUTING THE SAINTS
Siena looks to bounce back from back-to-back losses at the hands of Merrimack and Rider and get back into the win column on Wednesday morning. The back-to-back losses follow a stretch of six-straight wins, including a 4-0 stretch to start MAAC play. For the season, the Saints are averaging 67.6 points per game, three points more than their opponents. Individually, a pair of players are averaging double figures on the season with rookie guard Francesca Schiro leading the team with an average of 15.7 points per game. The Hillsborough, N.J. native has started all 15 games and is shooting 44.9 percent overall while also leading the team with 41 assists and 30 steals. redshirt sophomore Nicole Melious follows her in the scoring column at 10.0 ppg, while freshman Kaiya Rain Tucker leads the Saints rebounding efforts at 6.1 per game. As a team, Siena is shooting 37.6 percent from the field, connecting on 365-of-970 attempts, with 92 of the 365 total field goals from outside the three-point arc.
SERIES HISTORY vs SAINTS
· In a series that dates back to the 2009-10 season, Sacred Heart and Siena will meet for the 13th time in the history of the programs.
· Overall, Siena holds a 7-5 record in the previous 12 meetings.
· With the exception of 2015, the two teams met once per year during a stretch that spanned 2009-2019.
· In the Pioneers first season in the MAAC last year, the Saints won both ends of a home-and-home series.
NEXT TIME OUT
The first overnight trip of 2026 awaits the Pioneers with their next game coming on the road in Southern New Jersey at Rider on Saturday, January 17. The match-up against the Broncs marks the first MAAC team the Pioneers will face for a second time this season, one of eight total league teams SHU will play in a home-and-home series. Tip-off in the MAAC battle is set for 2:00 p.m. with all of the action available live on ESPN+.
