UTICA, NY - The Utica College women's basketball team caps a seven game road trip on Tuesday night when the Pioneers travel to Lambros Arena at Hartwick College for a key Empire 8 Conference contest at 5:30 p.m.
Â
Working Back to .500: Utica currently holds a 6-7 overall record and the Pioneers are 1-3 in E8 play this season. Â UC will have to begin to right the ship if they plan to meet their goal of earning a top four spot and a bid to the conference tournament. UC began the season 4-2, but the Pioneers are 2-5 in their last seven contests and will look to get back on track against a strong Hartwick opponent on Tuesday night.
Â
Goda Is Good: Freshman forward Sydney Przygoda (Freehold, NJ/Freehold) continues her campaign for E8 Rookie of the Year honors and currently leads the conference in rebounding with 176 total rebounds and an average of 13.5 rebounds per game. She ranks 20th in the nation and first in the conference with nine double-doubles this season. Her 13.5 rebounds per game rank eighth nationally and she has been a monster on the offensive glass, ranking second in all of Division III women's basketball with an average of 6.0 per contest. She is also ranked seventh in the E8 in scoring with 184 points this season, good for an average of 14.2 points points per game.
Batman needs Robin: Junior Nicolette Conkin (Los Altos, CA/Homestead) ranks third in the E8 in assists with 53 (4.1 assists per game). Earlier this season against Alfred and Union she tallied a season-high seven assists. Conkin is one of three double-digit scorers for UC as she currently ranks third on the team with an average of 10.9 points per contest. She is also active on the glass for a point guard, and ranks second on the team with 63 boards.
Sharpshooter: Utica's Brigid Johndrow (Bristol, CT/St. Paul Catholic) ranks second on the team with an average of 11.5 points per contest. Her 19 3-pointers this season lead the team and she also ranks second with 20 steals.
Â
In The Paint: Senior Briannah Florian (Fort Plain, NY/Fort Plain) is an important piece to the puzzle for the Pioneers this season. Â UC is 3-1 when Florian scores in double-figures. She scored 16 points and added six rebounds in the Pioneers lone conference win over Sage. Â
Â
Random Stat of the Day: The Pioneers rank 21st nationally and first in the E8 in fewest fouls. Â The Pioneers have surrendered just 185 fouls in 13 games.
Last Time Out: Utica fell to Houghton on Saturday 98-58, giving them their third consecutive loss and their third loss in conference play. Utica's top scorers were held to single digits in the contest, except for Brigid Johndrow (Bristol, CT/St. Paul Catholic), as she posted 15 points in the game.
Â
Hartwick Is Coming: The Hawks stand at the top of the Empire 8 conference at 11-3 on the season, while also having a record of 4-1 in Empire 8 play. The Hawks have a .786 winning percentage and put up high numbers on their opponents, averaging 69.7 points this season as a team. In their last game against Alfred, they took an early lead at halftime by 17 points, and went on to win convincingly, 70-47.
Â
Clip The Wings: Defense will be the difference in this matchup Tuesday night. The team's margin of points for/against is a -0.9. If they want to fly with the Hawks they will have to shut them down defensively.
Home Sweet Home: The Utica College women's basketball team will begin a five game home stand against St. John Fisher Friday night at 5:30 p.m.
