Fairfield, Conn. – A second straight game with a pair of Pios hitting the 20-point mark as rookie guard Sophie Nascimento (24 points) paced the Sacred Heart women's basketball team in a 77-61 win over Canisius to improve to 4-1 in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC).

Nascimento's 24 points is the second highest individual point total of the season for the Pioneers who have had a player score 20 or more in four of the five league games. Joining her in leading the Pios was Nalyce Dudley who finished with 20 points, her third game in MAAC play hitting that mark.

Rounding out the leading scorers was senior Amelia Wood who finished with 15 points, with all of her scoring coming in a stretch of just 6:36 spanning the third and fourth quarters. Among all three leading scorers, both Dudley and Nascimento finished the game shooting 9-of-15 from the field, while Nascimento also went 6-of-8 at the free throw line, and led the team with six rebounds. In addition to her 15 points, Wood led the way with six assists and six steals.

As a team, Sacred Heart finished the game shooting 30-of-59 from the field, including a trio of three pointers, all of which came from wood during her late scoring burst. Additionally, the Pioneers finished 14-of-18 at the free throw line and registered 18 assists and 11 steals combined, while finishing in a 29-29 deadlock in the rebounding battle.

RECORDS
Sacred Heart: 6-8, 4-1 MAAC
Canisius: 2-11, 0-4 MAAC

TOP PERFORMERS
Sophie Nascimento: 24 points, 6 Rebounds, 2 assists, 3 steals, 9-15 FG, 6-8 FT
Nalyce Dudley: 24 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, 9-15 FG
Amelia Wood: 15 points, 6 assists, 6 steals

FIRST QUARTER NOTES

·       It took less than a minute for the scoring to get underway with Dudley igniting the offense with a layup.

·       Following that basket, the Golden Griffins went on a 15-6 rally that amounted to a seven-point lead with just under four minutes to play in the quarter.

·       Sacred Heart responded with back-to-back baskets from Dudley, the second of which came courtesy of a halfcourt pass from Missy Nuku for the fast break bucket.

·       Nascimento would have the final word in the quarter with a jumper to pull within three, 17-14, at the first break.

SECOND QUARTER NOTES

·       The Pioneers used Nascimento's late bucket as a spark, opening up the third quarter with seven of the nine eight points to take a 21-19 lead.

·       The last five of those came from Esther Kursite, including a foul-line jumper coming out of the media timeout.

·       The remainder of the quarter would be a point-for-point trade for the two squads as they would go into the locker room knotted at 28.

·       Dudley would close out the half for the Pioneers, matching a three-pointer from Canisius with a hoop-and-harm, completing the three-point play at the line.

·       Going into the half, Dudley led all players with 11 points, going 5-of-9 from the field.

THIRD QUARTER NOTES

·       After a flurry of action from the Golden Griffins to open up the second half, with the lone Pios points on a baseline drive from Sierra Johnson and a second-chance layup from Nascimento, Canisius pulled ahead 39-32 just three minutes into the quarter.

·       Sacred Heart wouldn't be deterred by the early Canisius rally, holding the Griffens without a field goal for 5:30 while in turn scoring 17 of the next 19 points to pull ahead 49-41 with 1:41 remaining in the frame.

·       Early in the rally, Dudley would score five for the Pioneers, extending her team-lead a the time, while Wood connected for her first points at the line with 4:31 remaining which sparked her on a quick five-point rally as she drained her first three pointer just 27 seconds later.

·       Wood hit again from long range to close out the quarter with the first double digit lead of the day for the Pioneers, 54-43.

FOURTH QUARTER NOTES

·       Canisius would strike first in the fourth quarter, giving the impression they would not go down without a fight; however Sacred Heart answered right back with a 13-4 run over the net 4:27, pulling ahead 67-50 and forcing a Canisius timeout.

·       The Golden Griffens would go on to score the next four points, but Nascimento would kick into gear, scoring eight of the final 10 points for the Pios to push past the 20-point plateau and extend her career-high afternoon.

·       Overall, Nascimento finished the fourth quarter with 14 points, going a perfect 5-of-5 from the field and 4-of-6 at the free throw line, as she played the full 10 minutes of action.

UP NEXT
After opening up the New Year with two games in a 48-hour stretch, the Pioneers will enjoy a week hiatus before returning to the hardwood with one of two in-state rivals when they visit Quinnipiac on Saturday, January 10. Tip-off in the MAAC battle is set for 3:00 p.m. with all of the action available live on ESPN+.