UTICA- The Utica College women's basketball team looks to bounce back on Tuesday night when the Pioneers travel to Rochester to wrap up the regular season series against St. John Fisher College at 5:30 p.m.

Where We Stand: Utica looks to snap an eight game slide on Tuesday at SJFC. The Pioneers are 6-12 overall and 1-8 in Empire 8 play. Fisher is fifth in the conference with a 10-6 overall record and a 4-3 ledger in E8 play.

Recent Meeting Against Fisher: A few weeks back, Utica battled Fisher at Miga Court and lost by 10 points, 72-62. Junior Nicolette Conkin (Los Altos, CA/Homestead) led the Pioneers in scoring during the contest with 16 points and seven assists. Freshman forward Sydney Przygod led the team with six rebounds while adding 12 points.

Rookie of the Year Candidate: Sydney Przygoda (Freehold, NJ/Freehold) has played in all 18 games giving her 604 minutes on the court, averaging 33.4 minutes per game. She is not afraid to grind out those last minutes of a game if it means helping her team to a win. She is a key player in the paint for the Pioneers, grabbing anything she can get her sticky fingers on, and she leads the Empire 8 in rebounds with 224 boards. She ranks fourth nationally with an average of 6.0 offensive rebounds per game. She also ranks 15th in the country with an average of 12.4 rebounds per contest.  

How Can I Assist You?: Point guard Nicolette Conkin (Los Altos, CA/Homestead) currently leads the league with an average of 4.8 assists per game. Brigid Johndrow (Bristol, CT/St. Paul Catholic) ranks fifth in the E8 with an average of 4.3 assists per game. The backcourt duo also ranks 3-4 in the conference in assist/turnover ratio. Conkin ranks 14th in the E8 with an average of 10.7 points per game.

Kim For Three: Kimberly Soriano (Queens, NY/Monsignor McClancey Memorial) has worked her way into the starting lineup and has impressed with her scoring ability. She has started five straight games and has racked up 42 points. She has made 11 3-pointers in the stretch, including a career-high five 3-pointers in a 17 point effort against Hartwick.  For the season, she is 28-for-89 from 3-point range and has 82 points.

Got Bench: With a few key injuries hampering the Pioneers, Coach Davis has had to rely on talent off the bench. Freshman Petrina DeMarco (Whitesboro, NY/Whitesboro) has played 362 minutes with 74 points, Cora Sawyer (New London, CT/New London) has 260 minutes with 59 points, and Cortlynn Jepsen (Hudson, NY/Hudson) has played 230 minutes with 24 points this season.

Most Recent Game: Utica lost to visiting Nazareth College as the Pioneers capped a four game home stand on Saturday.  UC trailed by just one point at the end of the first quarter, but the Golden Flyers pulled away in the second quarter and never looked back, earning a ten point (71-61) Empire 8 victory.  Conkin was UC's top scorer, finishing with 15 points and six assists. Przygoda came up just shy of a double-double as she tallied 13 points and eight rebounds. Briannah Florian (Fort Plain, NY/Fort Plain) and Petrina DeMarco (Whitesboro, NY/Whitesboro) reached double figures, posting 10 points a piece in the loss.

Scouting Fisher: Fisher (10-6, 4-3 E8) has the top defense in the league this season, holding opponents to a conference-best 56.7 points per game.  The Cardinals have won two of their last three games and ranks third in the Empire 8 with 105 shots made from beyond the arc. Sydney Masna and Leah Koonmen are tied for the team lead with an average of 10.1 points per game. The Cardinals boast a balance scoring attack, with five players averaging at least 9.0 points per game.

Break Time: The Pioneers will enjoy a weekend off to rest and rehabilitate before the final push. Following Tuesday's tilt at Fisher, UC will have six regular season games remaining.  Utica will have a week off and returns home on Tuesday, February 5th to take on Sage at 5:30 p.m.