Lawrenceville, N.J. – Emma Kirby completed her second double double of the season, both coming in MAAC play, as the Pioneers dropped a 64-54 road decision at Rider on Saturday afternoon.

Leading the Pioneers scoring was senior Amelia Wood who finished with 15 points while Kirby's 10 followed as the only other player in double figures. Nalyce Dudley chipped in eight points with all eight coming at the free throw line as she finished 8-of-10 at the line. Overall, nine different players scored for the Pioneers.

As a team, Sacred Heart finished the game shooting 31.3 percent, connecting on 15-of-48 field goal attempts, with five of the 15 coming from outside the three-point arc. Three of the five long range baskets came from Wood, all in the first half. SHU also finished 19-of-24 at the free throw line.

RECORDS
Sacred Heart: 7-10, 5-3 MAAC
Rider: 4-13, 2-6 MAAC

TOP PERFORMERS
Amelia Wood: 15 points, 5 rebounds, 2 steals
Emma Kirby: 10 points, 10 rebounds

FIRST QUARTER NOTES

·       It wouldn't come until the Pioneers second possession, but Wood got her team on the board and opened up the scoring for both teams with a drive to the hoop for a pair.

·       The teams would trade leads for the next six-plus minutes before the Broncs used a 7-0 run to take a 15-9 lead, one they would hold until the half.

·       Prior to that rally a pair of free throws from Kirby and a three pointer, the first of the afternoon for either team, from Wood provided a pair of lead changes for the visitors.

·       The final points of the half for SHU came at the free throw line from Esther Kursite as the Broncs took a 17-10 lead into the first intermission.

SECOND QUARTER NOTES

·       Coming out of the break, Rider would strike first with the Pioneers first points coming over two minutes into the action and courtesy of a punch out steal from Wood who fed Missy Nuku for the fast break layup.

·       After another jumper for the Broncs, Wood would hit again from outside the arc followed by a layup from Emma Kirby that provided the first back-to-back baskets of the day for Sacred Heart.

·       Rider responded with back-to-back buckets of their own before the Pioneers used an 8-0 rally to knot the game at 25 going into the final minute of the half.

·       The only basket in that run came from Wood as she connected on her third three pointer, pushing her total for the game into double figures with 11. The remaining five points came at the free throw line including perfect 2-for-2 trips for Nalyce Dudley and Nuku.

·       Rider would get the final word before the break with a layup on their final possession while holding Sacred Heart scoreless on its final possession allowing the home team to take a 27-25 lead into the locker room.  

THIRD QUARTER NOTES

·       After surrendering the first basket of the quarter, the Pioneers rattled off the next two to knot the score at 29 with baskets from Wood and Kirby.

·       Rider answered with two straight of their own before a layup from Nascimento and a pair of free throws from Dudley once again tied the score, this time at 33.

·       That layup from Nascimento was the final of the quarter for the Pioneers as their final seven points of the quarter all came at the line, 7-of-8 to close out the third.

FOURTH QUARTER NOTES

·       Another trip to the line, this time with Wood going 2-of-2, opened up the fourth quarter scoring, bringing the game back within a single digit deficit.

·       The Pioneers would go without a field goal for the first three minutes of the quarter, which allowed Rider to extend its lead to 56-40.

·       Following what was a 6-0 run for the Broncs, Kirby and Nascimento went back-to-back as they looked to spark a SHU run, however the Broncs answered with a three-pointer coming out of the media timeout.

·       Three pointers from Faith Pappas and Jordanna Schrecker down the stretch would manage to cut the deficit to 10 with the final margin of 64-54.  

UP NEXT
Continuing a string of games that will complete a home-and-home league series, Sacred Heart returns home to welcome the Marist Red Foxes for an MLK Day afternoon match-up. The Pioneers are looking to avenge a two-point loss to Marist when they met in Poughkeepsie just prior to the New Year. Tip-off in the MAAC battle from The Pitt Center is set for 2:00 p.m. with all of the action available live on ESPN+.