Sacred Heart
First Round vs No. 10 Saint Peter's
Women's Basketball Opens MAAC Championship Play Thursday vs Saint Peter's
3/4/2026 3:00:00 PM | Women's Basketball
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THE LEAD
The quest for a MAAC Championship gets underway on Thursday when the Pioneers take on the tenth seeded Saint Peter's Peacocks in first round action. SHU, who closed out the regular season with a 10-10 MAAC record, earned the No. 7 seed thanks to its head-to-head win over Manhattan in the regular season. Saint Peter's secured the final spot in the championship, finishing conference play one-game ahead of Rider. Tip off in the MAAC Championship first round match-up from Boardwalk Hall is set for 2:30 p.m. with all of the action available live on ESPN+.
SCOUTING SACRED HEART
Having secured its first postseason berth since joining the MAAC, Sacred Heart closed out league action with a 10-10 record, tied with Manhattan for seventh place and earning the No. 7 seed based on the head-to-head tiebreaker. Leading the Pioneers is senior guard Amelia Wood who has scored double figures in 22 of the 29 games this season. For the season she is one of two players to average double figures at 13.2 ppg. In addition to her double figure scoring, Wood has recorded a team-high six doubles doubles which has lifted her average on the boards to 6.5 per game, while she also leads the way with 63 assists, 64 steals and 30 blocks. After increasing her career-high in scoring to 22 in the road win over Niagara, junior forward Nalyce Dudley is second in scoring average at 12.6 ppg while shooting 44.9 percent (136-of-303) with that average increased to 49.5 percent when shooting from inside the arc. Freshman point guard Sophie Nascimento has also been a big factor to the success of late with her 8.4 per game scoring average in MAAC games. As a team, the Pioneers are shooting 39.3 percent from the field (584-of-1,484) with 130 of the 584 baskets from outside the arc. Despite a season-low 11 turnovers in the January 3 meeting against Canisius, 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 18.9 turnovers per game.
SCOUTING SAINT PETER'S
The final team to secure a spot in the postseason, Saint Peter's enters the MAAC Tournament as the No. 10 seed with an overall record of 7-22 and a 6-14 mark in MAAC play. The Peacocks dropped their last five games in the regular season, with their most recent win coming back on February 12 on the road at Rider. Averaging 51.8 points per game, Saint Peter's is led by junior forward De'Naya Rippey who is averaging 13.4 points per game. Rippey is the only player to average double figures, with junior center Carys Roy following at 7.5 ppg. Rippey also leads the team with an 7.8 rebound per game average. As a team, Saint Peter's averages 51.8 points per game, while surrendering 63.0 ppg to their opponents. For the season, the Peacocks are shooting at a 34.5 percent clip (534-of-1,548), including 28.0 percent from three (164-of-585).
SERIES HISTORY vs SAINT PETER'S
· In a series that dates back to the 1981-82 season, the Pioneers and Peacocks will meet for the 15th time in the MAAC First Round.
· Following a SHU win in the only meeting this season, the series is deadlocked at 7-7 in the previous 14 meetings.
· The series began during the 1981-82 campaign with Saint Peter's taking the opening game 101-42.
· After a 10-year hiatus, the Pioneers and Peacocks restarted the series last season when Sacred Heart transitioned into the MAAC.
· Saint Peter's won both meetings last season, a three-point win in Jersey City and a 10-point victory in Fairfield.
NEXT TIME OUT
The winner of the first round match-up between New Haven and Saint Peter's will advance to the quarterfinal round where they will take on the second seeded Fairfield Stags on Friday with tip-off set for 2:30 p.m. Check SacredHeartPioneers.com for the most up-to-date schedule and links to follow all of the action from the MAAC Championship.
