UTICA, NY – The Utica College women's basketball team returns to the hardwood following a two week holiday break on Sunday when the Pioneers travel to Union College to take on the Dutchwomen at 2 p.m. in Schenectady, NY.

First Half: The Pioneers have won three of their last four games headed into a tough matchup against Union on Sunday. Utica is 5-3 overall and travels to Union following a convincing 77-67 road win at Morrisville on December 15^th. The recent success also includes home wins over Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts (MCLA) and Alfred State College. Both wins were by double digits, as the Pioneers topped MCLA 73-57 and Alfred State 71-52 at Miga Court.

Top Rookie in the E8: Sydney Przygoda (Freehold, NJ/Freehold) posted yet another career day to cap off her first semester against Morrisville and the Empire 8 Conference honored her with a rare sweep of the conference weekly honors. The conference office named Przygoda the Empire 8 Conference Women's Basketball Player and Rookie of the Week for its last award week of the Fall 2018 semester.  She has now won three straight Rookie of the Week honors and she also added the E8 Player of the Week award to her credit.  Przygoda continued a remarkable start to her young career with her fifth double-double of the season as the Pioneers toppled Morrisville 77-67 to pick up their fifth win on the season. She is the Empire 8's leading rebounder with 12.9 boards per game and she is sixth in the conference in points per game.

Significant Contributors: Brigid Johndrow (Bristol, CT/St. Paul Catholic) and Nicolette Conkin (Los Altos, CA/Homestead) are also double-digit scorers for the Pioneers. Johndrow ranks second on the team and she is in the top 10 in the conference with an average of 12.3 points per game. Conkin ranks third on the team with an average of 10.6 points per game. Johndrow (4.4) and Conkin (4.3) also rank in the top four in the conference in assists per game. Conkin's assist to turnover ratio of 1.5 ranks second in the E8.

Balanced Squad: Utica's offense ranks fourth in the E8 in both scoring offense and scoring defense. The Pioneers are averaging 62.0 points per game on the offense end and they are also holding opponents to 55.4 points per game on the defensive end.

In the Middle: Briannah Florian (Fort Plain, NY/Fort Plain) ranks second on the team in rebounds per game (5.9) and fourth in points per game (7.9). She has also been a rock at the free throw line for UC, connecting on 17-of-20 attempts at the charity stripe for an average of 85%.

Freshman Phenoms: Freshman Petrina DeMarco (Whitesboro, NY/Whitesboro) has started all eight games for UC and ranks second on the team with nine 3-pointers. She ranks fifth on the team with an average 5.6 points per game. Classmate Cora Sawyer (New London, CT/New London) is averaging 17.3 minutes per game off the bench and has provided valuable minutes, averaging 4.0 points and 1.9 rebounds per contest.

Meet Union: Union has won two in a row and the Dutchwomen are now 5-2 overall. They boast a 2-0 record at home and most recently topped MCLA 56-46 on the road on December 10^th. Nicole Conley leads the team with 16.6 points per game and 10.9 rebounds per contest. Sophie Borg ranks second on the team with an average of 8.4 points per game.