Fairfield, Conn. – The Pioneers entered the fourth quarter trailing by 15 but you can't count out the Sacred Heart women's basketball team as they outscored Marist 25-8 in the final 10 minutes to take a 56-54 victory at The Pitt Center.

Sixteen second half points for junior Nalyce Dudley and a game-winning three pointer with 63 seconds remaining from first-year Sophie Nascimento were the key factors as Sacred Heart completed the comeback to secure its sixth MAAC victory.

Leading the Pioneers on the day was Dudley who finished with 21 points which matches her career-high and is the fourth time this season, all in conference play, that she has scored 20 or more. Following her in the scoring column was senior Amelia Wood who finished with 11 points for her 13th straight game in double figures.

Nascimento closed out the afternoon with eight points, none more important than the three-pointer from just in front of her bench that proved to be the difference. That three for Nascimento was her second of the game, while Dudley matched her with a pair of threes, going 8-of-15 overall for the game.

As a team, Sacred Heart finished the game shooting 41.7 percent from the field, connecting on 20-of-48 field goal attempts, with five of the 20 baskets from outside the arc. The Pioneers second half shooting was the difference as they combined to shoot 60.9 percent (14-of-23), compared to 24 percent in the first half (6-of-25). The Pioneers also finished with a 35-31 advantage on the boards, led by Wood with nine.

RECORDS
Sacred Heart: 8-10, 6-3 MAAC
Marist: 6-13, 3-6 MAAC

TOP PERFORMERS
Nalyce Dudley: 21 points, 3 steals, 8-of-15 FG
Amelia Wood: 11 points, 9 rebounds, 5 steals, 3 assists
Sophie Nascimento: 8 points, 4 rebounds

FIRST QUARTER NOTES

·       Sacred Heart would struggle to find a shot in the first quarter, finishing with just a single basket which didn't come until under three minutes remained and was a 17 foot jumper from Esther Kursite who came off the bench.

·       The only other Pioneers points in the opening quarter came at the line with a pair of Sierra Johnson that opened up Sacred Heart's scoring

·       With the early shooting struggles, Marist opened the game with the first five points, extended that lead to 8-2 and closed out the first 10 minutes with a 12-4 lead.

SECOND QUARTER NOTES

·       With a Nascimento drive to the hoop for two 20 seconds into the second quarter, it seemed as if the Pioneers shooting would rebound, however that was the lone basket until the 3:30 mark when Missy Nuku matched that effort for a pair.

·       That basket from Nuku broke up a 10-0 run for the Red Foxes, which resulted in a 22-6 lead.

·       Sacred Heart's offense stepped up in the final 90 seconds as it closed out the half with seven unanswered points.

·       Dudley would get her afternoon started in that rally, opening it up with a layup and free throw and capping it off with a basket at the buzzer to make it a 10-point game at the intermission, 26-16.

THIRD QUARTER NOTES

·       The late first half surge carried over into the second half with Wood opening up the action with a layup and free throw, looking to spark another rally.

·       Marist would have other plans as they shutdown the Pioneers offense once again, this time for a three-minute stretch while opening up a 32-19 lead.

·       Dudley put an end to what was a 6-0 run for Marist with a layup and three-pointer that all came just over a minute apart.

·       After Marist answered with their own three, the Pioneers again looked to rally with Dudley going back-to-back and Faith Pappas draining a three pointer from straight away. The second of those baskets for Dudley came on a breakaway as Sierra Johnson found her with a halfcourt pass for the layup.

·       The 7-0 rally for the Pios forced a Marist timeout, from which the Red Foxes rebounded, scoring the final 11 points of the quarter to open up a 15-point lead, 46-31, at the final intermission.

FOURTH QUARTER NOTES

·       Just like she did in the third, Wood opened up the fourth in exactly the same fashion with a three-point play, this time around sparking her offense to life.

·       That early bucket from Wood was the first of what would be a 13-0 run for the home team, making it a two-point game. The final six points in that run all came from outside the arc and Nascimento and Dudley each cashed in from long range.

·       Marist looked to spell that momentum when Lexie Tarul was fouled on a three pointer in the corner, turning it into a four-point play.

·       The Pioneers wouldn't back down. Wood again completed a three-point play, this one putting her over the double figure mark for the game.

·       Following a layup just inside of three minutes for Marist, the Pioneers picked up the intensity and went on to score the final seven points of the game, holding Marist off the scoreboard for the final 2:54.

·       Dudley opened up that late run with a layup that allowed her to match her career-high of 21, while Kirby followed with one of her own.

·       After a defensive stop and with time running down on the shot clock, Nascimento fired from right in front of her teammates on the bench, draining the bucket and flipping the score for the first and only time on the afternoon.

·       The Pioneers defense responded by forcing an offensive foul on Marist and after missing a pair at the line, Marist would have the ball with 0.4 seconds but the inbound was deflected and time expired, securing the come-from-behind victory for the home team.

UP NEXT
Sacred Heart will embark on its longest, by length, road trip of the season following today's game as they head to Buffalo, N.Y. for a pair of games against Canisius and Niagara. Following the 420-mile trip on Wednesday, the Pioneers will begin the two-game trip on Thursday evening against the Golden Griffins before taking on the Purple Eagles on Saturday. Tip-off in the first of those MAAC battles is set for 6:30 p.m. with all of the action available live on ESPN+.