Sacred Heart
Quarterfinal vs No. 2 Fairfield
MAAC Quarterfinal Pits Crosstown Rivals as Pios face Stags on Friday
3/5/2026 9:32:00 PM | Women's Basketball
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THE LEAD
For the second time in under a week, the Pioneers and Stags will meet, this time around with much bigger stakes on the line as the winner will advance to the 2026 Air Force Reserve MAAC Championship Semifinals. A win for Sacred Heart would eliminate the reigning conference champion and would be the first against Fairfield since the two crosstown rivals became conference rivals. Tip off in the MAAC Championship quarterfinal 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 play 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 30 games this season. For the season she is one of two players to average double figures at 13.0 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 64 assists, 65 steals and 31 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 44.6 percent (141-of-336) 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 8.0 per game scoring average in MAAC games. As a team, the Pioneers are shooting 39.0 percent from the field (601-of-1,542) with 136 of the 601 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 18.7 turnovers per game.
SCOUTING FAIRFIELD
With a share of the regular season title, Fairfield enters the MAAC Championship as the No. 2 seed and will make their tournament debut on Friday against SHU. For the season, the Stags are dominating in MAAC play, outscoring their opponents by 20.4 points per game. For the season, Fairfield is led by junior guard Kaety L'Amoreaux who is averaging 18.5 points per game followed by junior Megan Anderson at 16.1 ppg. The pair, the only two to average double figures, are a major threat from outside the arc where they have made a combined 152 three pointers. As a team, the Stags are dangerous from three, with 341 of their 800 total field goals from outside the arc. For the season, the Stags are shooting at a 45.7 percent clip (800-of-1,752), including 37.3 percent from three (341-of-915).
SERIES HISTORY vs FAIRFIELD
· In a series that dates back to the Pioneers first year on the hardwood (1974-75), the Stags and Pioneers will meet for the 23rd time on Friday.
· The Stags hold a 14-8 record in the previous 22 meetings.
· This season, the Stags took both ends of the home-and-home regular season series, extending their current win streak to five straight.
· The most recent SHU win came on December 11, 2022, a 69-58 win on the Stags home court.
NEXT TIME OUT
The winner of the quarterfinal match-up between Sacred Heart and Fairfield will advance to the semifinal round where they will face the winner of the Saturday quarterfinal matchup between No. 3 Merrimack and No. 6 Mount St. Mary's in the semifinals on Sunday, March 8 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.
