FAIRFIELD, Conn. — The Sacred Heart University Women’s Basketball team is dancing in March for a second straight season.
After defeating Le Moyne 69-48 in the Northeast Conference Tournament Championship game, the Pioneers will head to Columbia, S.C. as a No. 16 seed, where they’ll faceoff against fellow No. 16 seed Presbyterian in a First Four matchup Wednesday at 7 p.m. on ESPNU at Colonial Life Arena. The winner will face the overall No. 1 seed, the undefeated South Carolina Gamecocks, on Friday.
Leading up to this season
Led by head coach Jessica Mannetti, Sacred Heart’s magic began last year, when the team earned its first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2012. As a No. 16 seed, Sacred Heart faced another No. 16 seed, Southern, in the play-in game. The Pioneers became the first team in school history, and the first team in NEC history, to win a March Madness game, by scoring a 57-47 victory against the Jaguars.
The Pioneers were rewarded with a matchup against No. 1 seed Stanford in Palo Alto, which they lost 92-49 at Maples Pavilion. Despite the loss, with a tournament victory under its belt, Sacred Heart built momentum that carried into the 2023-2024 season.
The 2023-2024 campaign
Sacred Heart enters the NCAA Tournament with a record of 24-9. The Pioneers won the NEC regular season crown with a conference record of 15-1. Not since Jan. 15 has Sacred Heart lost. The Pioneers enter March Madness on a 15-game winning streak.
Guard Ny’Ceara Pryor leads the team in most categories. On the season, the 5-3 sophomore has averaged 18.9 points, 7.1 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 3.3 steals per game. With 108 steals, Pryor ranks fifth in the nation. She surpassed 1,000 career points in January and broke the school’s single season scoring record by eclipsing 640 points.
Looking ahead to Presbyterian
The Presbyterian Blue Hose won’t have to travel far to Columbia, as they hail from Clinton, S.C., located an hour away. Although they are an underdog, this should give the Blue Hose a decisive home court advantage. With a record of 20-14, Presbyterian finished fourth in the Big South Conference before winning the conference tournament with three consecutive wins.
The Blue Hose feature a balanced attack. Guard Tilda Sjokvist is tied for the team lead in points with 12.4 per game and leads Presbyterian in assists with 3.5 on average. Bryanna Brady, a center, also leads the team with 12.4 points per game, 4.6 rebounds and .8 blocks per contest.
This marks the first time that Presbyterian will play in the NCAA Tournament. They join Sacred Heart in the First Four, which consists of the four lowest-ranked conference champions among the automatic qualifiers, as conference tournament champions automatically qualify for March Madness.
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The Blue Hose have only been a member of Division 1 since 2007 and previously made appearances in the NCAA Division II tournament in 1994, 1995, 1998, 1999, 2000 and 2002. Sixth year coach Alaura Sharm hopes to make history, earning the program’s first Division I NCAA Tournament victory against the favored Sacred Heart Pioneers.
On to South Carolina
South Carolina is a juggernaut, having only lost one game in the past two seasons. This year, with a perfect record of 32-0, the Southeastern Conference regular season and tournament champions look to avenge last year’s Final Four loss to Iowa by winning the program’s third national championship.
With Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame head coach Dawn Staley leading the way, the Gamecocks boast center Kamilia Cardoso, a First-Team All-American and the SEC Defensive Player of the Year. This season, Cardoso averaged 14 points and 9.5 rebounds per game as well as 2.6 blocks per contest. She’ll forever be remembered in South Carolina for her improbable bank shot buzzer beater against Tennessee in the SEC Tournament, the first three-point field goal of her career, which preserved the perfect season.
Tournament Outlook
No one wants to face South Carolina in this tournament. Many experts describe the odds as “South Carolina vs. the field.” If Sacred Heart matches up against the Gamecocks in the Round of 64, there won’t be much the Pioneers can do to offer resistance, but a victory over Presbyterian in the First Four would be icing on the cake of what has been a wonderful season for Sacred Heart Women’s Basketball.
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Dalton Zbierski is a digital content producer at FOX61 News. He can be reached at dzbierski@FOX61.com.
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