Sacred Heart women’s basketball returns home to the Pitt Center for the first time since Mar. 5, when they concluded the 2020 regular season with a win against LIU. It has been 308 days since the last time they took the court at home.
WHERE: William H. Pitt Center, Fairfield, CT
WHEN: 4 p.m. Thursday and Friday
HOW TO WATCH: ESPN+ (Thursday), NEC Front Row (Friday)
Following a more than two-week Christmas break, Sacred Heart looks to snap their three game losing streak against Northeast Conference foe Wagner for a pair of games. The Pioneers were originally scheduled to play Merrimack, but was postponed due to COVID-19 issues within Merrimack’s program.
Wagner stepped in to take on Sacred Heart as a replacement. Sacred Heart was originally scheduled to face the Seahawks on Dec. 8 and 9 before a positive COVID-19 case within Sacred Heart’s team forced the game to be postponed. It was rescheduled to Jan. 19 and 20, but got moved up following the Merrimack postponement.
MEETING HISTORY:
These two games will mark the 42nd and 43rd meetings all-time between the two schools, with Sacred Heart leading the all-time series 32-9. Sacred Heart comes into the pair of games against Wagner winners of the last 13 meetings between the two teams. The last time the Pioneers lost to the Seahawks came on Jan. 13, 2014, when Wagner defeated Sacred Heart 79-70. Sacred Heart is 13-1 against Wagner under Jessica Mannetti.
LAST TIME OUT:
Sacred Heart last took the court on Dec. 22 in New Rochelle against Iona. The Pioneers struggled to hold onto the ball, committing 26 turnovers in a 72-64 loss to the Gaels. Senior Jayla Davis led the way for the Pioneers with a season-high 20 points. Nikki Johnson added 12 points and Kelsey Wood scored 8 points while grabbing a career-high 10 rebounds.
MOVING UP THE STANDINGS:
Sacred Heart currently sits in a tie for third in the Northeast Conference standings with a 1-1 league record. The Pioneers split their opening conference series with LIU back on Dec. 15 and 16. The Pioneers took the first meeting of the series 73-64 and dropped the finale 56-55.
PROTECTING THE PUMPKIN:
One of Sacred Heart’s shortcomings through the first four games of the season have been protecting the basketball. The team has committed 93 turnovers (23 per game), including 58 over the past two games.
