Pryor and Wood fuel Pioneers who outscore Skyhawks 32-10 off turnovers
Thornton scored a career-high 19 points for the Skyhawks tonight (PHOTO BY Ryan Feeney) |
EASTON, Mass. (February 1, 2024) – Sacred Heart University took full advantage of Stonehill College turnovers to fuel an 80-53 victory in a Northeast Conference women's basketball matchup on Paula Sullivan Court at Merkert Gymnasium tonight.
Sophomores Ny'Ceara Pryor and Amelia Wood combined for 31 points to lead three from Sacred Heart in double-figures and the Pioneers forced 29 Stonehill turnovers and rode those to a crucial 32-10 advantage in points off, including 16-2 in the first half to build a 20-point halftime lead.
Pryor scored a team-high 16 points for Sacred Heart on 7-of-10 shooting, with five rebounds, four steals and three assists, while Wood added 16 points on 6-of-10 shooting, making all five of her shots inside the arc, with two rebounds and two steals off the bench. Postgrad Sajada Bonner scored all 11 of her points in the first half to round out the Pioneers in double-figures, connecting on 3-of-5 three-pointers.
Senior Jada Thornton and postgrad Lauren Sampson combined for 26 of Stonehill's 53 points as the lone Skyhawks in double-figures and two of the three that scored more than one field goal on the night. Thornton scored a career-high 19 points on 8-of-15 shooting, with four rebounds, two assists and a steal, while Sampson came off the bench to reach double-figures for her seventh-straight game with 17 points on 8-of-17 shooting, a game-high six rebounds, two assists and two blocks. Senior Cameron Ward was the only other Skyhawk to connect on more than one field goal in the contest, shooting 3-for-6 for seven points and three boards.
Sampson scored in double-figures for her seventh-straight game played, adding 17 points and six rebounds (PHOTO BY Bob Blanchard) |
Sacred Heart, which made 10-of-15 (66.7-percent) shots in the opening quarter, answered an opening basket from Thornton with 15-straight points to grab a 13-point lead (15-2) after four-straight points from sisters Amelia and Kelsey Wood five-minutes into the game. Bonner put the Pioneers in front for good with a three-pointer to spark the run, while Pryor added six points and the visitors got eight points off Stonehill turnovers.
Back-to-back baskets from Ward and Sampson had Stonehill back within 11 (17-6) with 3:40 remaining in the first quarter, but Sacred Heart used a trio of three-pointers from Bonner, postgrad Olivia Tucker and Amelia Wood to stretch the lead to 18 (26-8) with 2:09 remaining. The Pioneers carried a 16-point cushion (28-12) into the second quarter and Bonner buried her third triple of the half to quickly extend to 19 (31-12) off another Stonehill turnover.
Sacred Heart's lead grew to 22 (41-19) after a three-pointer from sophomore Faith Pappas with four minutes to go in the half and carried a 20-point cushion (43-23) into halftime. The Pioneers lead hovered right around a 20-point margin for the majority of the second half, before pulling away for good in the fourth quarter.
Noteworthy
- Stonehill finished with a 39-25 rebounding advantage in the contest, holding a 14-9 edge in second chance points.
- After Sacred Heart built a 16-point (28-12) lead after a quarter of play, Stonehill was outscored by just 11 (52-41) over the final three quarters – six in the fourth quarter alone (16-10).
- Thornton's career-high 19 points marks her team-leading 11th double-figure scoring game of the year (14th career), leading the Skyhawks scorers for the team-leading eighth time this season (11 career).
- Sampson has scored in double-figures in seven of the eight games she has played since returning from injury after transferring from Providence. Tonight marks her 12th career double-figure scoring game.
- Stonehill made 6-of-11 shots (54.5%) in the first quarter, but turned the ball over nine times, resulting in an 11-0 advantage in points off for Sacred Heart.
Up Next
Stonehill (3-18, 3-5 NEC) hits the road for its next three, starting Saturday at Wagner College at 4 p.m. The Skyhawks next home game is in two weeks, when they host Le Moyne College for their Alumnae Game at 2 p.m. Sacred Heart (13-9, 7-1 NEC) travels to Le Moyne on Saturday at 2 p.m.
Tickets for home Stonehill basketball games can be purchased in advance online at stonehillskyhawks.com/tickets.
For the latest on Stonehill Athletics, follow the Skyhawks via social media on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Fans can also download the Stonehill Skyhawks "Front Row" mobile app, powered by PrestoSports, on iTunes and the Android Market.
